We had been walking around downtown and visiting museums all morning. We had just finished touring the San Josè Cathedral. We wanted to rest our feet and maybe have a snack. Not terribly far away we found La Casa del Flan Antigueño. We sat at the first table we came to.
The waiter came over with menus, which was not really necessary since there were giant menus posted on the wall. The establishment is small, with maybe 10 or 12 simple wooden tables with sturdy wooden chairs. The floors are paved with terracotta tiles and the walls are painted a burnt orange with yellow accents.
The menu is more like that of a snack bar than a restaurant, offering mostly sandwiches, hotdogs, and hamburgers. The food smelled irresistible. We ordered drinks, which were quickly served, and relaxed a while before deciding about food. Nearby on the plaza we had found a bookstore with books in English. We finally had a travel guide for Guatemala. We quickly flipped through it to see what we were missing. Realizing how much more there was to see nearby, we ordered.
After a short wait, the food was served. We had both ordered the tacos flauta de carne. We weren’t sure what that was but figured it would be either a taco or a flauta stuffed with meat. It turned out to be more like a small beef chimichanga. Each plate came with two of these and a delicious onion salsa/salad. It was not gourmet dining by any means but a lot better than your average snack bar. We both ordered flan antigueño for dessert. I’m not really able to give a good description. It was flan with candied fruits, nuts, and other things mixed in. It had a very distinctive flavor and was very good.
As we were finishing our lunch, the waiter noticed us leafing through the travel guide. He came over and told us a little about town and told of us of some places he said were probably not in any travel books. I was amazed by how many people in Antigua offered us tips and suggestions. The locals are very proud and aware of their town’s history. With even more things on our to do list, we ordered the bill.
La Casa del Flan Antigueño is a clean establishment with friendly and helpful service. I definitely recommend coming here if you are nearby and trying the interesting flan.
sample menu
Chicken Quesadilla……Q24
Served with a salad
Ham Sandwich……Q24
Served with french fries and salad
Cheeseburger……Q15.50
Fruit Salad……Q15
US$1 at Q7.50