Jungle Jouissance

making a home in the Guatemalan rainforest

   Sep 12

El Pez Dorado: A Restaurant Review

El Pez Dorado was named and decorated after these bright-eyed goldfish swimming in an aquarium just inside the door.

A new restaurant, El Pez Dorado (The Goldfish) just opened in Ixlu, the village that borders El Remate, and has inspired me to add Restaurant Reviews to my blog. Even though we are a small community, there are lots of travellers staying here in the village while visiting Tikal, and they will want to know where to eat.

El Pez Dorado is located just off the main highway on the border between the two villages. It is small, only 6 tables, and is open to the fresh jungle air and greenery that surrounds it.

(If you look closely, you can see the goldfish aquarium in the office window) 

We decided to start with an icy-cold Rosa de Jamaica with Soda … the first time we have seen it for sale in this presentation.


We both loved the refreshing flavor of this common local beverage when served with soda, and were surprised that it wasn’t too sweet like most canned beverages. We both also like the color coordination with the restaurant itself!

For our main course, we both opted for the Grilled Chicken Burger with Fries.


The Chicken Burger was excellent … grilled to perfection on an outdoor barbecue and dressed with lettuce and sliced tomato and onion. The French Fries were unfortunately rushed through their process … probably with the desire to serve us quickly … the oil wasn’t allowed to heat enough (we were the first customers of the day) and the fries were too greasy, even for me. The next time we eat there, we will let them know that we are not in a hurry and can wait for the food to be properly prepared.

We weren’t thinking at all of dessert, but E. spied two of these fruits on the counter beside the gold fish aquarium.

We asked Reina, the owner, if they were for sale, and she said no, they were a gift that she had been given in the morning. However, she was willing to gift us with one of them. It has been ages since we had eaten one, and we accepted this relatively rare treat with great joy!

Do you know what it is? See the next blog entry for more information.

The Verdict:

The bright happy fresh atmosphere combined with above-and-beyond service more than made up for the greasy fries. The prices were reasonable (about $4.50 each). We will return.

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