Food

There are a number of more-than-adequate restaurants in El Remate [1]. Along the road to Tikal, the first place you’ll come to is El Muelle (tel. 5514-9785, all meals daily), serving daily specials for about $10. The menu is heavy on meat dishes and lake fish, but it also serves pasta, vegetarian fare, and a wide assortment of desserts. The atmosphere is quite pleasant with views of the lake and the establishment’s attractive namesake dock from which you can take a refreshing plunge into the turquoise waters. There is also a small gift shop selling books, wood carvings, and other knick-knacks.

The next place over is Restaurante Cahuí (noon–8:30 p.m. daily), a well-established place overlooking the lake under an airy palapa roof, where a varied menu of inexpensive dishes is served.

Another good option in this neck of the woods, Restaurante Nakun’s (tel. 4014-2324 or 7823-9174, 9 a.m.–10 p.m. daily) specializes in tasty pizza and burgers; a large pie costs about $14. They also rent motorcycles for $16 per day.

Along the road fringing the lake shore, you’ll come across Las Orquídeas (tel. 5701-9022, lasorquideasremate [at] yahoo [dot] com, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Tues.–Sun.), serving decent pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. Just down the road, Mon Ami (tel. 7928-8413, all meals daily) serves tasty French and Guatemalan fare.

In accordance with the Western-inspired digs at Palomino Ranch Hotel (tel. 7928-8419 or 2474-0758, www.hotelpalominoranch.com [2], $4–16) is a menu that includes decent fajitas, chicken wings, and grilled steaks.

For a splurge, head to La Lancha (tel. 7928-8331, all meals daily) for gourmet Guatemalan cuisine for about $20 per person for lunch and dinner. You can enjoy an assortment of flavors from the Francis Ford Coppola wineries or your favorite drink from the bar while dining in an airy palapa-style building high above the lake. It’s housed in its namesake lodge west of El Remate in Jobompiche.