Antigua Guatemala, named after a small city in southern Guatemala, opened in April this year by family and friends who are cooking and serving cuisine from their home country. The space spans two dining areas and is warm and inviting, as are the servers, with lots of wood paneling, brightly colored tablecloths, and Guatemalan art and artifacts on the walls.
My friend brought her soon-to-be-seven-year-old daughter, and the three of us tried a few dishes. We started out with dobladas, literally meaning “folded.”
Dobladas are a quesadilla-like item but with a fried shell (here, thick flour tortillas) so the exterior is light and delicately crispy, almost like a turnover. We had one filled with cheese and the other with beef. I preferred the cheese doblada, but my friend enjoyed the meat and very vegetable-laden one too. Both came hot and fresh to the table. Topped with a few slivers of cabbage, red onion, plenty of recado (a thin, mild, and slightly tangy tomato and pepper sauce), and guacamole, it easily could have made a perfect light meal for one, though it was in the Antojitos (appetizers) section of the menu. My friend’s daughter, a bit picky, as can be typical at this age, surprised herself (and us) by smiling widely after a bite, proclaiming “Not bad!” Kid-tested!
Next, chuchitos.
Chuchitos de Puerco
Chuchitos are small tamales made with corn dough and wrapped in corn husks. We ordered two to share – one stuffed with chicken, one with pork. Both come with recado, sprinkled with what appeared to be a sort of cotija-like cheese which we asked for on the side. Chuchitos are smaller than their Mexican counterparts, and also smaller than the famed Guatemalan Tamales Colorados (also offered here). I found the masa a bit more tender than a lot of Mexican ones I’ve tried, but the chicken and pork both came in large chunks rather than shredded, which for me made for a drier tamal. The recado helped a lot.
My friend ordered the chiles rellenos, and fortunately for her (being lactose intolerant), the Guatemalan version here is made with no cheese, but instead is filled with stewed vegetables and beef.
Chiles Rellenos de Carne
Very flavorful, with the egg coating being a bit caramelized, almost sweet. Nothing like a Mexican relleno (although of course, Mexico has many varieties that aren’t just cheese), these were smaller and more tender than what I expected, and I’d have them again. Smoky refried beans on the side were tasty, but we both went gaga over the rice – “that’s how you judge a restaurant, right?” Mild in flavor, but just the perfect texture, and studded with corn and carrots. Someone’s mama in that kitchen knows her stuff. The rellenos also came with addictive, quite spicy pickled veggies and house-made corn tortillas – thick and hot – which we used to scoop up everything.
My Pepian de Gallina (chicken), Guatemala’s national dish, was the best thing of the evening, we both agreed.
Pepian con Pollo
Pepian is a thick, pureed sauce, made of toasted squash (or pumpkin) and sesame seeds, making for a nutty, ever-so-slightly sweet, and creamy bath for chicken or beef. Think curry without the Indian spicing. A hint of mint, too, which played nicely with the sweetness. There was a whole breast of bone-in chicken (why not thighs? so much less prone to drying out!), potato slabs, and green beans swimming beneath the surface. All were accompanied by an extremely smoky (oddly, actually bitter, though still weirdly enticing), thin hot sauce that I poured over everything. There were also more of those wonderful tortillas, and that deceptively under-tinted, delicious rice. A most hearty dish.
My friend’s daughter availed herself of the alitas (wings) from the children’s menu (the other option is a burger) and crinkle-cut fries. Our little friend declared the fries the best she’d ever had. Her mother and I both tasted the wings, which honestly lacked any sort of seasoning or flavor whatsoever and, therefore, probably the perfect picky kid meal. My friend thought that the cheese doblada would actually make a better children’s menu item, and I agree.
This is definitely home-style, family-friendly cooking, bringing the quintessential flavors and culinary traditions of Guatemala to this corner of the Mission. Antigua Guatemala offers other typical dishes, such as garnachas (rather like Mexican sopes), paches (potato tamales), sopa de gallina, carne asada, tacos dorados (rolled like taquitos or flautas), as well as ample breakfast dishes and a couple of desserts. No alcohol, but they have horchata, jugos de tamarindo and jamaica, and sodas.
Come visit this newest Central American outpost in our neighborhood – Chapines and all others welcome!
Antigua Guatemala
2732 24th St.
San Francisco
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Publish date : 2024-08-18 01:46:00
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