Antigua Restaurants

El Cafecito

#112 of 112 things to do in Antigua

#950 of 959 restaurants in Central America

1 reviews | Write a review

Not good for: atmosphere, food, service

  • Address
    • 5a Calle Poniente 7A City Center nr Parque Central
  • Hours
    • lunch & dinner Tue-Sat

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Lonely Planet review for El Cafecito

Some good, hearty Portuguese food is on offer here, including feijolada, a chunky stew made with beans, vegetables and four kinds of meat.

 

Traveller reviews for El Cafecito (1)

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    This place is a disaster

    varlokkur does not recommend this,

    I wanted to try Portuguese food; unfortunately there are only 3 Portuguese items on an otherwise Guatemalan/tipica menu. I ordered the feijolada, which was described as white beans in a tomato and wine sauce with four kinds of meat. It was difficult to see what I was eating, because the only lighting in the restaurant were the little candles at each table, but I do know that two of the "meats" were cold cuts of ham and cut-up pieces of hotdog. There were also a few tiny cuts of steak, and some square-shaped bits that tasted like liver (I'm assuming of chickens, since the menu said there would be chicken in the dish). Altogether it was extremely salty and dry, like a mall food-court version of cajun food.

    The atmosphere certainly didn't help. Shortly after I ordered, they turned the music WAY up and I had to listen to pounding techno for the rest of my meal, which took nearly an hour to prepare. After 45 minutes, I even asked them if the food was on the way, just to be sure they hadn't forgotten. I guess they had to soak the beans??

    Finally, just to seal a completely terrible experience, I had to wait over 20 minutes for them to ring up my bill, make a receipt, and give me my change. Per the norm in Antigua, they tacked on a 10% tip for themselves without consulting me, but they didn't put the tip on the receipt.
    There was only one other group in the restaurant, a table of young guys who had just ordered drinks and who were apparently upset that their total bill was too high. There were at least 3 people working, plus the poor kid they had at the door handing out flyers and trying to get customers to come in. I have no idea why it took them so long to prepare my meal or handle the cuenta/receipt.

    Avoid this place, period. There are far better restaurants in Antigua, and this one is certainly not worth the 100Q+ you'll pay per person to eat here. (My meal was 60Q (one of the cheapest options) + a 16Q drink + 8Q unauthorized, undeserved tip)

    Not good for: atmosphere, food, service

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