Restaurants usually have a set menu for customers to order from, but a tourist in Guatemala dined at one where you have the freedom to create your own unique meal
It’s no secret that foodies love to go out for a meal in a restaurant, with so many options to choose from. Some people have their favourites and like to stick to their go-to spots while others enjoy trying new places.
A common feature of restaurants since the days of the Covid pandemic is digital menus and QR codes allowing customers to order their food and drinks directly from their phones. It’s also normal to be handed a printed, pre-set menu after being shown to your table, but a restaurant in Guatemala is gaining attention for doing things quite differently.
A TikTok user called Abbie is known for documenting her travel experiences and life in her 20s on the platform and she recently posted a video sharing that she ate at a restaurant in Flores, a town in the north of Guatemala, that has no menu.
She said: “I’m going to a restaurant that has no menu. Basically, the owner will sit and talk to you about your preferences and will pick out something for you to eat.
“I’m quite a fussy eater and I will try a lot of things but I’m a bit fussy with veg so I’m excited to see how I get on and what I get to eat.”
After she took a seat at a table in the restaurant, named Bistro Puertas Del Cielo, the owner talked her through the food options that were available on that day.
The tourist asked what the beef is like and the owner told her it can be cooked depending on her preferences, including if she would like it with more or less fat or more or less tender.
Abbie said that she likes eating beef that is “quite tender” and then the restaurateur moved on to suggestions for the sauce to accompany the meat, proposing mushrooms, blue cheese and truffle.
The travel and food fan decided to go for the mushrooms and truffle but swapped the cheese for pepper.
She added: “I ended up with beef in a truffle sauce, crispy potatoes and bread on the side for 140 GTQ which is about £14.
“The previous night I’d actually walked past and it was super busy whereas this night I was the only person in there so the owner sat and chatted to me for a while which was so lovely.”
Abbie felt like this restaurant is one of those eateries that you can go to with a group of friends and all “come out with something so different.”
She noted that it is “more on the expensive side for Guatemala” but is locally owned and the foodie thought it was “such an amazing experience.”
In the caption of her TikTok post, she wrote: “Going to a restaurant with no menu in Flores, Guatemala – if you follow one recommendation of mine please let it be this!! I literally recommend this place to everyone going to Flores.”
The clip has garnered 219,800 views, 21,700 likes and a number of comments, at the time of writing.
Someone else who has dined at Bistro Puertas Del Cielo commented: “Ahh I went there last year my pasta dish was perfect. Exactly what I needed.”
Another user said: “Wow this looks so yummy.” A third added: “This sounds like my kinda restaurant cause I can never make my mind up on what to order.”
A different viewer chimed in: “Omg this is such a unique and amazing experience.”