Arriving fresh off the tourist trail in Guatemala, our first impression of Comitan was that there were far more shoe stores than restaurants or cafes lining the streets surrounding the Central Park, leaving us feeling a little disoriented. However, good, cheap food still can be found. Around Parque Central, there are a number of restaurants where breakfast lunch or dinner options start around 50 pesos (under $4 USD), and you definitely won’t go hungry. As you walk further away from the park, in any direction, you’ll come across smaller restaurants or eateries, some just offering tortas or tacos, that are generally a little cheaper than the restaurants around the square. However, with waiters offering you menus to browse at every restaurant in the park, it’s worth taking a look at what’s offered. Sometimes special offers, if they include a drink, can be just as cheap, or only slightly more than further away dining options. Sander’s Coffee, for example, on the NE corner of the square, has a breakfast combo for P$50 ($3.85 USD) with eggs (with meat if desired), beans, avocado, tortillas, as well as coffee and fruit/juice.

If you are craving something more authentic, however, El Mercado has a row of restaurants just inside the entrance. There will usually be around five options of different meals to choose from, including caldos (soups), maybe chile rellenos, mole, etc… and plates seem to cost around P$20-P$30 ($1.50-$2.30 USD.) Though not all places serve a standard breakfast, when we inquired, we were offered a plate of eggs with chorizo (which the woman purchased from a nearby vendor for us), beans, rice, tortillas, and coffee, for P$40 (just over $3 USD). A perfect start to the day.

To get to El Mercado, start at Central Park. At the North East corner of the park (facing the Cultural Center, the large yellow building that dominates this side of the park) head East on Calle Central. It’s the same corner where you’ll find Sander’s Coffee, and a where you can smell the fried chicken from the restaurant on the corner. One block from Central Park, on your left, you’ll find El Mercado, a large but somewhat unassuming building on the corner of Calle Central and 2a Ave Oriente Norte. Continuing down the street, on the left, you’ll also find an open doorway where tortas, sandwiches, and sweets are sold for around $1 USD (12-14 pesos). The pies and cheesecake are a great dessert option after leaving El Mercado.

El Jardin

El Jardin is a small operation with tasty meal options and great big windows that are a nice alternative to the television in the corner. This is a great bet for breakfast, lunch or dinner meal. Breakfasts start at P$35, with coffee at P$15 or P$20, con leche (with milk).  For lunch or dinner, the Menu Del Dia is $P50, not a bad find. The breakfasts here are popular with locals as well, which speaks volumes as most tramp travelers know.

You can find El Jardin on Comitan’s 3rd Calle Norte Poniente. Coming from the park, it will be after you cross 2nd Avenida Poniente Norte. If you’re staying at Las Flores, it’s only about 3 blocks away, headed away from the Park.

 

Micky’s Tortas

Another good bet for smaller restaurants is the Central Calle Poniente. There’s at least one small eatery on every block once you leave the park. After passing the 3rd Avenida, on your left is a blinking sign for “Tortas” and inside, with bright yellow walls decorated with paintings of Micky and Minnie Mouse, you can grab a torta of your choice for P$30, or you can share, or stuff yourself with a baguette, for P$80 ($6.15 USD). And if fast food is what you’re needing, all the options are made quickly para llevar (to-go).

And what is a torta? We had been wondering as well. Our best description is a sandwich-calzone hybrid. Try one and see.

Cafe Gloria

Open every evening at 6pm, Cafe Gloria is a restaurant we are sad we didn’t get a chance to visit. It came recommended after we had left town. They have a huge menu, offering tacos, tortas, soups, sandwiches,  tamales, hamburgers, hotdogs, a variety of drinks, including cervesas, and more. Prices start at P$9 for a single taco, to P$70 for a large dinner. Many of the options are around P$25-P$35. We’ll definitely be visiting when we return.

You can find Cafe Gloria at Calle 1a. Sur Pte #47

Street Meat on the Square

The square in Comitan is really beautiful. Wonderfully manicured foliage intermixed with sculptures, the entire park is clean, and free of wandering street dogs. Comitan’s center is among the cleaner ones you’ll find in this area of Mexico. The restaurants, however, aren’t the cheapest in town.  But if you find yourself in this part of town after other restaurants have closed – you most likely won’t be disappointed in the street food offerings: hot dogs, tacos, empanadas, fried chicken.  The price is right, and the taste is satisfying – it would certainly be enough to get you through until breakfast.

And if breakfast is what you’re after, the food vendors in Parque Central arrive early. By ten a.m., you won’t have trouble finding plates of tortas or similar fares for 10 pesos (.80 USD). By early evening these vendors have packed up and gone, and there’s a lull until the late night stands open up. But in general, morning or night you can find either a meal or snack in the Central Park.

 

 

 

GETTING // GOING          •          SLEEPING          •          EATING          •         DOING

Take me back to MEXICO // Take me back HOME