Guatemala has become one of my new favourite countries and Flores is top of that list. Not only was it immensely beautiful, the people were welcoming and helpful, the weather was hot (and rainy), the clouds were very impressive and there was MUCH vegan food!
Guatemala
We were warned before we went to Guatemala to be ULTRA careful and that everybody would be on the look out to assault, rape, steal, kidnap or generally pillage us in some way.
I’m pleased to announce that Flores is incredibly safe and at no stage did I ever feel in any danger or any way unsafe.
Flores
Flores was once an island but is now connected to the mainland with a bridge (or causeway). Whilst the town itself comprises of rambling, higgledy-piggeldy, steep, cobbled stone lanes, the areas that surround it on the mainland are modern and newly developed.
Flores is therefore a jumbley mess of cafes, shops, restaurants, hostels, hotels and houses, all painted in bright and mesmerising colours.
Cafes
Cafe Yaxha
The portion sizes here are big although you’ll need to request your vegetarian food with no cheese or mayonnaise. We can recommend the fajitas, pasta and soup.
Cafeteria Riquisimoo
This place offers fruit and ice blends (licuados), freshly made lemonade & vegetarian burritos. The veggie burritos can be made vegan with no cheese.
Cool beans
The smoothies here are very nice and they offer a number of veggie fast food dishes. We only drank here.
San Telmo
San Telmo made us vegan sandwiches (originally vegetarian but we asked for no cheese or mayonnaise) and falafel balls, hummus and pitta to take out.
They have a delicious looking range of vegetarian desserts in the fridge too.
Restaurants
Legumbras Mayas
This is an odd little place which looks like it’s in a garage but the food is surprisingly tasty. The vegetarian pizza (which can be vegan) is made with a base of grated vegetables.
La villa del chef
We thoroughly enjoyed our pesto pasta and veggie burger here. Just remember to ask for the burger with no mayonnaise. The chips were especially nice but you’ll need to highlight no cheese shavings on them.
Maracuya
This restaurant is solely vegetarian and vegan so you don’t have to worry about asking for the ingredients. It doesn’t have a set menu instead it changes every day. Just remember to say you’re vegan though as they do sprinkle cheese on some dishes.
The view from upstairs over the lake is nice and there are some hammocks. Also check out the fireman’s pole.
Restaurante Altamira
After you’ve climbed the stairs and watched your head, you’ll be rewarded with a brilliant view over the lake. We enjoyed vegan burrito (ask for it with no cheese or mayonnaise), vegan nachos (no chicken) and a portion of chips.
La Pizzeria
La Pizzeria offers a vegetarian pizza which can be made with no cheese. The menu even says so which we thought was great.
Supermarket
There are lots of little ‘tiendas’ everywhere you look on Flores however they don’t always have fresh food. The only large supermarket is off the island in the mall. There is an ATM (to the left, inside the entrance) but the supermarket does accept bank cards too.
Markets
If you want to visit a locals only market where you’ll not see another gringo in sight, you’ll need to get a tuc-tuc and head to Central Market in Santa Elena. It’s a sprawling mass of stalls half way down 4 Calle.
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Everything you need to know about eating vegan in Flores!
Guatemala is full of possibilities
