6 Best Restaurants in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Frequented by the country's upper crust, this genteel restaurant has plenty of rooms that can be closed off for presidential meetings. Yet Melba Robelo, the Nicaraguan owner, makes sure everyone feels welcome. The fish dishes, made with the freshest ingredients, all have intriguing flavors. Try the onion soup with Swiss cheese, followed by breaded camarones (shrimp) served with butter and tarragon. The famous crepes de manzana (apple crepes) are served with almonds and liqueur. The service is irreproachable. /

Tegucigalpa's best-known Honduran restaurant dishes up ample helpings of típico (traditional) food. The rustic building with brick patio evokes an old Honduran country home. You can watch your food being prepared on the open grill, with pinchos (Honduran-style chicken, beef, or pork kebabs) being special favorites here. It's all accompanied by anafres, a dip of refried beans and cheese. The waitstaff wear traditional Honduran clothing (think white dresses and pants with thin, colorful stripes).

Long considered the city's most romantic restaurant, La Cumbre arguably has the best panoramic view of Tegucigalpa going. By day or (especially) by night, it is worth the trip out here to view the world from this privileged vantage point. The elegant dining room serves classic German dishes such as Jägerschnitzel (pork or veal cutlets in mushroom gravy), and a few non-German dishes, too. Try the pork medallions with mango sauce.

A combination pony farm, playground, and miniature zoo, La Florida is a popular place for families and weekend events. There is a restaurant with typical Honduran beef and chicken dishes, as well as anafres of refried beans and cheese. The outdoor area has a small swimming pool, children's playground, and sand volleyball, as well as shaded picnic and dining areas. Don't miss the L10 pony rides, if you belong to the under-10 age bracket. There is a very large stable of ponies and horses, and they offer trail rides for adults as well. In the back is a small zoo with the white-tailed deer of Honduras and a tapir, as well as many birds.

Just as much a nightspot as Cuban restaurant, this old standby is immensely popular with the capital's Cuban community. Island recipes such as ropa vieja—the translation, "old clothes," may sound unappetizing, but it's really shredded flank steak in tomato sauce—are standard fare here. The full bar's selection of daiquiris, Cuba libres (rum and Coke), and mimosas will transport you back to Old Havana. There's live music and dancing on the back patio weekend nights, and if you'd like to wow your friends back home with a few moves, the place offers salsa lessons on Tuesday evenings.

A lot of Italian eateries around the world go by the name Tre Fratelli (three brothers), and while this restaurant in the Plaza Criolla on Boulevard Morazán is part of a small Central America-California chain to boot, its atmosphere is warm and unchainlike. There are inside seating and a popular patio dining area. Generous servings of pasta, tasty fish dishes, a good wine selection, and pleasant salads at accessible prices—along with the obligatory checkered tablecloths—have made this place a tremendous hit with travelers and locals alike.