PETÉN - Guatemala - page 498

met beans from a very well-known coffee farm in Alta Verapaz. It also serves smoothies
and light meals in a relaxing jungle garden atmosphere and makes a great place for break-
fast.
If you're looking for inspiration before an adventure to one of Petén's numerous ar-
chaeological sites, head to Café Arqueológico Yaxhá (Calle 15 de Septiembre, tel.
7926-0367, www.cafeyaxha.com , 7 A.M.-10 P.M. daily), where you can dine in a pleasant
atmospherefeaturingcolorfulGuatemalantableclothsandphotomontagesofvariousMay-
ansites,includingTikal,Yaxhá,andNakum.Althoughitdoesavarietyofdishes,including
steak, chicken, seafood, pasta, and even curry, it specializes in what it calls “pre-Columbi-
an” fare (a variety of Petén-Yucatec dishes), which come highly recommended. It is also
the local representative for La Casa del Jade, a jade shop based in Antigua, and has a small
assortmentofjadejewelryondisplay.Aseparatedockontheisland'swesternshoreisopen
5 P.M. to 11 P.M. and is a great place to go for an evening swim or watch the sunset from a
hammock while enjoying your favorite drink.
Also on Calle 15 de Septiembre, La Galería del Zot'z (tel. [phone], 6 A.M.-10 P.M.
daily) serves decent sandwiches, pizzas, and pastas as well as good coffee and espresso
drinks in a quaint atmosphere next to the quiet street.
Cheap Eats
On the street facing Playa Sur (South Beach), across from the Gran Hotel de la Isla, is
Inka Ti Jesh Maâch (tel. [phone], all meals daily), serving quality deli sandwiches and
smoothies. It opens early and closes late. Also on Playa Sur and a safe bet for cheap eats is
Los Peches (5 A.M.-midnight daily), just off the causeway as you enter town, where you
caneatfromasetmenuofchicken,friedfish,burgers,andsteaksforabout$3.50.It'sopen
early for those crack-of-dawn bus rides to Belize and Tikal. Next door is Restaurante La
Canoa (tel. [phone]) in the hotel of the same name. There are cheap eats here and a de-
cent bar where it is purportedly always happy hour.
Asian
The island's sole Asian food recommendation is Suica (Calle Fraternidad, tel. [phone],
1 P.M.-10 P.M. Mon.-Sat.), where you can sit on woven mats and dine on sushi, fried rice,
and other pan-Asian staples for about $4. It also has topics for sale.
Steak Houses
La Hacienda del Rey (corner of Calle Playa Sur and Calle 30 de Junio, tel. [phone],
all meals daily) is a South American steak house in the $10 range set in a wooden building
with open sides that allow breezes to flow. It serves tacos in addition to sizable parrilla-
das (South American-style barbecued meats). A bar on the second floor, La Taberna del
Rey, is set in an open-air deck overlooking the street below. Down the street on the is-