Fattening the calf in San Cristobal

"Exhaustion and the hunt for food"

Lake Atitlan to San Cristobal was quite the journey. Most of it spent banging around in a crappy bus with no AC, shoddy roads dusty as springfield, miles and miles of police checkpoints (aparently a tourist bus had been set on fire not far from where we were driving the week before). Finally we pulled into our destination and I stretched my thankful legs and walked the few blocks to my hotel. First impressions: Beautiful!

Out for a peek at what had been on my Fuck-it-let's-go list for many years. Spent 4 days there getting a good feel for the city, finding hidden Mezcaleria's (totally by accident), great spots to eat Taco's, even a decent pizza and met a lovely couple who ended up staying in touch with to present day. 

So here is San Cristobal seen through the eyes of greed:

1. La Lupe ($$)

With an average score of 4.4/5 after 1500 reviews, I kinda knew this place would be good. Ironically enough, I stumbled in here by accident and only found out about the reviews later. The weather was gorgeous so I sat outside, and the attentive waiter came carrying this board of absolute heaven. There were 3 taco's, some guacamole, pico de gallo, lime's and an endless assortment of salsas and chilli sauces inside to shower your own brand of love over your meal. I ate until I literally couldn't stuff another morsel in my face. Fresh, spiced, seasoned heaven. 

2. Funky Burrito's & Mezcales

Hardly a shock to anyone that after 3 months in Central America eating plantains and rice with dry chicken, I went HARD on the taco heaven that is Mexico. Name aside, this place was a hole in the wall that I managed to enter either past everyones dinner time or before it. Regardless, empty resaurants with good reviews are my cup of tea, I am not the biggest fan of stuffing my face surrounded by others. I dove into a selection of a few different taco's but managed to only take photos of this blue corn shrimp one, which was delicious despite its sparse attributes. I also let out a small giggle at the sight of the smallest cherry tomato I had ever seen. All in all a real fun day. 

Pizzeria el Punto

Despite my exhortations of everything taco, I am only human, and read about an extremely promising pizza place which I failed to photograph but did track down and eat at. The service was a little slow, but the pizza itself was a solid above average pie. It's always nice when you find places like that in cities you're not really expecting it. 

​Café Bar Revolución

Yes, of course its a "tourist trap" right on the corner of the church square, and with a fitting name to drag the punters in. However, location location location. You can sit outside and enjoy a decent meal, with great drinks if you are not too bothered by the constant beggars. Like me, who gets frustrated as hell by them, I moved inside and sat beneath a picture of the mushroom goddess herself: Maria Sabina. Nothing like some trippy artwork to make the mezcal hit the right spot.

​Gusana Grela Mezcaleria

"Accidents" seem to happen to me all the time, especially accidentally running into hidden Mezcal Bars. This was another one on the long notebook of pain and suffering the next morning. Run by a charming couple (at least when I visited), this place looked like the reception of a very badly managed hostel, yet they paraded their mezcal bottles with pride, and the prices were laughable. I sat quite some nights sipping on the royal elixir and suggesting songs to play on their laptop. 

DaDa Jazz Club

If you're hankering for something other than mariachi music, head over to DaDa and enjoy some live Jazz and quiet background jazz perfect for glasses of red wine when there are not bands on. The place is rather clean-cut and modern for being a jazz-club, but the quality of the music makes up for the slightly sterile ambience.