A Complete Guide to Restaurants in Panajachel from Cheap Cafes to Fancy

During my month living in Panajachel, I made it my mission to do my rounds to ALL the restaurants in Panajachel, try them all, and rank them to recommend to you here.

The ‘gateway to Atitlan’ definitely has the most varied food options of all the different towns on Lake Atitlan. Panajachel has everything from top-notch street food to nicer sit-down restaurants, too. There are quite a few different cuisines, from local to Indian, Italian, Mexican, and even Japanese!

So, if you find yourself wondering which Panajachel restaurants are worth visiting, I’m here to help guide you in the right direction. Below I will detail all the best restaurants in Panajachel, my experience at each, and maybe even some dish recommendations, too! But first, the bests:

Best of Panajachel Restaurants

If you are in a rush, here are my top recommendations for a few different categories:

• Best Coffee: Crossroads Cafe, Cafe Loco
• Best Nice Restaurant: Humaya Restaurante
• Best Brunch: The Little Spoon
• Best Fast Food: Taquero Mucho
• Best View: Flor de Cafe

Keep reading for more information about each place. I have divided the below into the best coffee shops and brunch in Panajachel, the best Panajachel cheap eats, and the best sit-down restaurants for lunch and dinner. I will note which may be good for coworking, too!

Check out my other Lake Atitlan guides:

• Things to do in Panajachel
• Best Towns on Lake Atitlan

Best Cafes – Best Coffee Shops and Brunch Restaurants in Panajachel

Firstly, I will share some of the best coffee shops, cafes, and brunch spots in Panajchel before moving on to a few more categories.

The Little Spoon

The Little Spoons is the expat hangout of Panajachel! This cool spot occupies the second and third floors of a building on the main street, Calle Santander.

They serve some Western brunch favorites and some creative dishes with a Guatemalan touch, too! I loved hanging out on the top floor in the open air and watching the world go by.

Flor de Cafe

Flor de Cafe is located inside a bigger and more private hotel, so you wouldn’t stumble across it unless you knew where you were going. I was so glad I found this spot on Google Maps and ventured past the hotel security; you just have to tell them you are going to the cafe!

This leafy green cafe is SO beautiful and has some creative coffees on the menu as well as toasted sandwiches. The best part is that it looks out over a grassy knoll right on the Lake, presenting a perfect volcano view.

Crossroads Cafe

Crossroads Cafe is one of the OG cafes in Panajachel. The original one is a tiny roastery tucked away on a side street, covered in international flags and maps of the world detailing different coffee regions. They road the coffee in the back and have a few chairs out front for locals and foreigners alike to chat over a truly perfect cup of coffee.

Crossroads Jardin

Assumingly due to the amazing successes of the first Crossroads cafe, they opened a second one in another part of town. As its name suggests, this one is a garden surrounded by trees and vines with some shaded tables in the middle. It has pretty much the same menu as the other Crossroads, and a bit more food and a more open/spacious atmosphere.

Cafeína

Cafeína is another tiny little cafe that you may miss if you aren’t looking! Just around the corner from Crossroads, this cafe is actually inside the building we stayed in white we were in Pana.

We came to know and love Jorge, who works there – he’s the best and always has a smile on his face. Hot only that, but he makes delectable coffees and some creative coffee concoctions (ask about the matcha espresso on ice). He also makes unbelievable crepes, both sweet and savory!

Cafe Loco

Cafe Loco has absolutely spot-on coffee on the main street of town, Calle Santander. It’s another tiny spot offering crafted coffee drinks and even some merch!

Cafe Nativo

This is a newer hidden gem cafe in Panajachel. It’s located on one of the back streets and has quite a spacious seating area and, you guessed it, amazing coffee.

80’s Coffee

One of the more unique cafes in Panajachel, 80’s coffee has a full 80’s theme from the music to the decor. It’s so much fun! Their coffee is also synonymous with perfection – are you sensing a theme here with Guatemalan coffee?!

Best Cheap Eats in Panajachel

We definitely made our rounds looking for restaurants or street food for for cheap eats in Panajachel. Here are our favorites:

Famous Shucos

These shucos, or huge, stuffed-full sub sandwiches, are famous indeed! This place will be bustling busy on any day that it’s open, mostly with locals. They put hot dog, steak, and other interesting meats into sandwiches with some other condiments and toppings. Simple, but delicious. You won’t be able to finish a whole one!

Restaurante Mexicano la Michoacana

We absolutely adore this tiny little Mexican restaurant. It’s simple but well-decorated with Mexican decor and offers a selection of delicious Mexican foods with chicken, beef, and vegetarian. Grab quesadillas, burritos, tacos, and more, but our favorite here are the veggie tostadas which are a definite Guatemalan twist.

Mister Jon’s

This fast food burger joint on Calle Santander is unexpectedly, unbelievably amazing! The burgers are like what you would imagine from a simple but perfectly executed fast food burger with oozy cheese and moist patties. If you need a greasy meal, I highly recommend this spot!

Taquero Mucho

Taquero Mucho is another little fast-food Mexican spot that will make quesadillas, burritos, tacos, and more right in front of you. Most people come here to get takeaway foods, but you can also sit at a few small tables inside to eat.

I tried the tacos, but got the gringas every time (I think that is what they were called – when you melt cheese between 2 tortillas and use it as a taco shell. YUMMM). They have some great salsas to spice everything up, too.

Streetfood Spots on Calle Santander

There are a few really solid street food stands on Calle Santander that crowd up around sunset and remain bustling into the night. One is definitely called ‘Humo en tus ojos” on one pf the main intersections, and there are a few more going away from the lake. You’ll see them – I had great experiences with Panajachel street food!

Best Restaurants in Panajachel

And finally, we have made it to the section for the best restaurants in Panajachel! These are places you can sit down at, order, and enjoy delicious food of many kinds.

You’ll notice that most of these are around the main street; there are some quite touristy restaurants right along the water but we didn’t hear great things about those. The ones below are all a great bet to eat at!

Humaya Restaurante at Casa Cakchiquel

This one has got to be my favorite restaurant in Panajachel for a few reasons. Firstly, Humaya Restaurante is located in the gorgeous and historic Casa Cakchiquel, which is part museum too. There’s a beautiful courtyard and the restaurant is open-air.

Secondly, the dishes are exquisite and creative adaptations on Mayan classics. They adapt some dishes and methods from traditional Mayan cooking, and spruce them up in fun and modern (and TASTY) ways! Everything I have tried here has been amazing.

Deli Jasmin

Deli Jasmin is a refreshingly green and leafy lunchtime spot. Come here for sandwiches, snacks (and some more hearty lunch options) and delicious juices too.

Circus Bar

This is a fun, circus-themed restaurant with a big menu of consistently great food. Circus Bar has wonderful pizzas, pastas, salads, and other appetizers that we would regularly order and enjoy. They can do food for take-away but it’s also a lovely restaurant to sit down at and listen to live music with great service.

Guajimbo’s

This is the steakhouse of Panajachel and also another consistently good spot for hearty meals. They have a few different meat plates and other options here.

Tuscani

Tuscani is an AMAZING Italian restaurant in Panajachel. We were blown away with how amazing the food was here – so much that I had to return a few times. I loved the caprese, all the pastas, the lasagna, and more!

Delhi 6

Delhi 6 has high quality and delicious Indian food on the main street. I love sitting on their balcony overlooking Calle Santander and watching the world go by, sometimes with my laptop too.

Restaurante Hana

This is Panajachel’s own Japanese restaurant! Don’t expect the kind of sushi you may be used to at home, but it’s surely a great chance of pace from beans and rice and the sushi is definitely enjoyable.

Selina Cafe

Selina has its own cafe with a great menu. They have a lot of healthy options like veggie bowls and salads, but if you are looking for something greasier they have fried chicken burgers and breakfast sandwiches, too.

Other Notable Bars and Restaurants in Panajachel to Check Out

It would be silly not to mention some of the most frequented restaurants.

El Roof

On the corner of the main street is a kindof hidden rooftop overlooking the main street. It’s a great spot for sunset!

Azul Rosa Bar

This bar would probably be considered the bougie bar of Panajachel. It’s open-air overlooking the lake, and they have a setup for bigger parties with a dance floor and DJ booth. They were usually playing nice melodic hous and techno when we passed by.

Dolce Gelato

This is a FANTASTIC gelato spot on the main street, Calle Santander. It’s proper stuff.

Atlantis

This spot seems quite touristy, but the food options are vast and they have different events like salsa lessons and dance nights.

Mar y Tierra

This Panajachel restaurant is a bit tucked away on a back street but it’s VERY cool and super spacious. They have a really huge menu with good-looking food and a stag and schedule for live music.

It’s a whole outdoor garden with shade and fairy lights and cocktails. I never made it here to eat, so I can’t recommend it from personal experience, but it sure looks nice! If you go, let me know how it is so I can update this.

Cafe Moka

This cafe doesn’t have the best food or coffee, but it has an awesome atmosphere. I enjoyed working from here for a while.

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And there you have it, the best restaurants, cafes, and bars in Panajachel! Leave any feedback in the comments or places I choudl check out next time.