It was lunchtime and we were on Calle Santander again. We seemed to be getting in a rut, but at least there were plenty of restaurants from which to choose. We spotted Guajimbo's Parrillada Uruguaya sitting between the Llama de Fuego restaurant and the 3-by-10 Taco restaurant. We had never eaten Uruguayan food and figured it would be a nice change. We checked out the menu in front of the establishment. It offered the usual breakfast items and a large assortment of sandwiches, nothing specifically Uruguayan as far as we could tell. Various vegetarian options were listed. Maybe the dinner menu was more complete.

The afternoon was chilly, and Guajimbo has had seating on the sidewalk in the sunshine overlooking the street. Some of the sandwiches sounded pretty tasty. We decided to stay. We chose a curbside table, and the waitress soon came over with menus and took our drink orders.

The restaurant is small, with 10 or so tables packed between the street and a lath fence backed by lush plants. The few walls there are painted orange and covered with announcement boards advertising everything local, from massages and room rentals to boat trips and art shows. Pancakes and such must be a popular item here, as all the shelves were full of honey bears and maple syrup. While all the other restaurants we saw before choosing this one were empty, here at least half the tables were occupied. We hoped this was a good sign.

We ordered, and while we waited craft, venders started to appear. We put on our "not interested" faces and hoped for the best. Recently, in Antigua, we had much experience making this face to no avail. Here, in Pana, the venders are much more relaxed. Once we realized this, we actually enjoyed doing some shopping while we waited for our lunch.

I ordered the gran choripan, which was a humongous sausage served on two rolls, because it doesn't fit on one, and topped with bacon, pimento, tomatoes and a delicious chimichurri sauce. It was tasty and satisfying. Libby had the Pamplona burger. It was a decent-sized burger topped with ham, bacon, mozzarella cheese, tomato, and a sauce of some sort. It was also good.

Guajimbo's food was good, the service was okay, and it was very clean. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to eat here, but there is no reason to avoid it either. It is open for all three meals and accepts major credit cards.

Sample Menu
Chivitos Guajimbo......Q28
Beef cutlet topped with mozzarella, ham, bacon, pimentos, olives, and dressing served on a roll
Gallina Valiente......Q18
Breaded chicken sandwich topped with tomato, bell peppers, and dressing
Caliente......Q14
Grilled cheese sandwich with ham, bacon, tofu, or tempeh
Vegetarian Burger......Q11
Made of tempeh and topped with peppers, tomato, and sauce