Must-see restaurants in Nicaragua

A longtime favorite Italian trattoria has expanded and morphed into a Middle Eastern restaurant, though the wood-fired thin-crust pizza remains the best…

Kitty-corner to Parque Central, this vegetarian and vegan restaurant serves excellent curries, salads and an assortment of fresh fruit and vegetable…

Perch at one of several communal tables and go for an Indian or Thai-style curry at this thimble-sized, candlelit place. We love both the ambience and the…

The original (and still the best, many say) quesillo spot in town is found right at the entrance to the city (conveniently close to the bus stop). If you…

A friendly waterside restaurant that serves up consistently excellent seafood dishes with a choice of three sides, as well as lobster burgers and other…

Escape to the far side of the island and enjoy a meal on the sand with the waves crashing at your feet. Here it's all about Caribbean hospitality, and you…

On the top floor of the Hotel Casa Royale, the Bay View offers exactly that – great vistas over the enormous lagoon and a perfect vantage point for…

The family of San Juan de Limay soapstone sculptor Freddy Moreno serves good-quality traditional fare, including great quesadillas and Nica-style tacos in…

Light years away from the bustle of downtown Managua, this verdant hillside terrace, strung with gently twinkling lights, seems to recall a mythologized…

MamaYamna defies pigeon-holing. But if you imagine an art gallery with a wall-high psychedelic mural of Che Guevara, a gangsta Marilyn Monroe wearing a…

Pull up a handmade wooden chair at this rustic corner diner and enjoy homemade yogurt flavored with local fruits, quesillos (corn tortillas stuffed with…

This friendly little restaurant uses fresh and local produce to make a solid range of menu items: sandwiches, salads, burgers, pastas, steaks and fajitas,…

One of the more highly respected seafood restaurants in town, with white linen service and a chance to hobnob with well-heeled Managuans. Some of the…

Doña Pilar’s been here for years, and this popular evening fritanga is a neighborhood institution, both for its juicy, crispy BBQ chicken and the range of…

Masatepe is perhaps best known for delicious, steaming bowls of mondongo (tripe soup marinated with bitter oranges and fresh herbs, then simmered with…

This cool little spot near Little Corn's wharf is a great place to get breakfast before setting off on the 6am-daily panga to Great Corn. It does…

The locals call the authentic brick-oven-baked pizza here the best in Nicaragua: the owner's originally from Rome and has been serving them for a quarter…

Nonguests are very welcome to come for a meal at Lara's Planet, where there's a gorgeous bamboo terrace overlooking the river. Owner Natasha will cook…

One of the main locations of Nicaragua's popular coffee chain. Grab a table on the spacious and airy upstairs balcony and you’ll find it hard to leave…

A bakery every town would love. The cinnamon rolls are dense and sugary, the pan de leche is crispy on the outside and dense and moist inside, and the…