Sublime is ranked the best restaurant in Guatemala and the 24th best restaurant in Latin America(right after my fave Gusto in La, Paz, Bolivia!). I made a reservation as soon as I knew I would be in Guatemala City. Sublime, and its adjacent cocktail lounge, Cocktail Lobby, was the best meal and cocktails that I had in Guatemala. Run, don’t walk, to Sublime or Cocktail Lobby (or both!) when in Guatemala City.
Welcome to Sublime.
In terms of location, Sublime is located in Guatemala City’s Zona 14, in a nondescript building off a slow street. There is parking on site and the hip Cocktail Lobby is just on the other side of the building (they are connected to each other). We Ubered from our hotel to Sublime, the Westin Camino Reale, but the area seemed safe enough, and our tour guide from earlier in the day confirmed this.
In terms of the restaurant, Sublime is decorated in a chic modern style, with minimal decoration in the restaurant aside from some paintings by local artists, a few flowers and a window looking into its cool kitchen. A English speaking waiter and waitress traded off manning our table, and we were immediately brought the menus and provided an explanation of our ordering options.
Sublime.
Another view of the dining area.
Sublime offers both a tasting menu of around 12 courses chosen by the Chef and an a la carte. Dishes on both menus are based off well known cities, sites or areas in Guatemala, as described on the map menu. At $85 USD, we opted for the tasting menu selected by the Chef.
Sublime’s tasting menu in June 2024.
A page on Sublime’s regular menu for reference.
The tasting menu at Sublime did not offer a wine pairing, so we selected a Uruguayan Tannat from the wine list. It was very good and reasonable.
Our Urugyauan Tannat!
Once we selected the tasting menu, the courses came pretty fast (in a good way!). Each course was also a reasonable size, so we ate the entire tasting menu in about two hours and were not totally stuffed (although plenty full!).
SUBLIME COURSE 1: CHAMPAGNE & CACAO FROM THE PACIFIC COAST
Our first course was inspired by Boca Costa, or the Southern Pacific coast of Guatemala. The course was presented by a golden monkey carrying two small jars filled with cacao grown on the Boca Costa. We were directed to open the jars and pour it into our half glass of sparkling wine for an aperitivo. This was a fantastic idea, and the drink was delicious. I need to recreate it at home. The drink drank smooth, not very sweet, and the cacao paired very well with the sparking wine. A perfect way to start our meal.
The cacao presentation.
The final product. It was very good!
SUBLIME COURSE 2: SQUASH SOUP
Course took took us north to an ancient Mayan city named Cuenca Mirador in the north of the country, being occupied from 800 – 400 AC. This course was a small bowl of soup, which looked like it could have been from 400 AC. The soup was made of a clear broth with local squash a spring of green and some oil. We were directed to mix everything together and drink it. The soup definitely tasted like an old dish but it was very good. I particularly enjoyed the broth.
Squash soup inspired by the ancient Mayan city of Cuenca Mirador.
SUBLIME COURSE 3: CRAB FROM THE RIVER MOTAGUA.
Our third course visited Guatemala’s longest river, the River Motagua, measuring 250 miles. This absolutely delicious dish used crab from the River Motagua prepared in a confit style with a bit of broth and a slightly spicy sauce on top of the crab. This was proooobably my favorite dish of the evening. Light, clean and incredibly tasty!
A delicious crab dish.
COURSE 4: A TURKEY TACO!
Our fourth course was turkey taco! Yes, a turkey taco! I was not expecting this lol, but turkeys are native to Guatemala and you can find turkey pretty easily on Guatemalan menus. Tacos are also common in Guatemala, like its northern neighbor, Mexico. This particularly dish, served on a corn tortilla with turkey, a delicious sauce and a small fried squash to give it some crunch, was inspired by the Las Verapaces area in north central Guatemala. The taco was good, even though I do not love turkey, and it was also served on the most beautiful blue plate.
A turkey taco.
Close up of the turkey taco.
COURSE 5: A FRUITY APPLE TACO TO CLEANSE THE PALETTE
After the turkey taco, it was time for a palette cleanser. This palette cleanser was a take on a Guatemalan taco. Particularly, an apple slice as a taco filled with tangerine sorbet and topped with Elderberry jam….very good! They were super refreshing and definitely cleansed the palette.
The cutest palette cleanser.
COURSE 6: FISH IN BRUSH SAUCE
After cleansing our palette, we moved to the main courses of the tasting menu, and the first was inspired by Antigua, where we would be visiting later in the week! Our Antigua dish was a cooked sea bass served in “brush” sauce and shaved seeds of the Mamey Sapote tree (which I think can be poison in larges doses…). In any case, even though I am not a big fish person, this was really good! It was also the perfect size and served beautifully on a large white plate.
The Antigua inspired dish.
A close up of the sea bass.
COUSE 7: CARRIBBEAN RISOTTO
Our second “main course” moved us to Guatemala’s Caribbean Coast. This dish was similar to ones we have had before in the Caribbean – rice, beans and deliciously cooked fish (or shrimp here). I really enjoyed this dish, especially the beans that were so tasty.
Caribbean risotto.
A close up of the Caribbean risotto.
COURSE 8: TRUFFLE TUNA
Our final main course, inspired by our next destination, Lake Atitlán, was meant to be duck based, but Dan is allergic, so the duck was replaced with tuna, and I think that was a good move. This tuna was only slightly seared and served over a milk based puree with truffle oil and cocoa nibs. This dish was light and also decadent. Besides the crab, this was my favorite savory dish!
Tuna in truffle sauce.
COURSE 9: COCONUT ROLLED ICE CREAM
Desserts were next! Our first dessert was a ball of ice cream rolled in coconut, which is a popular dessert in Guatemala. These were a nice little bite and served in a traditional Guatemalan style basket.
The cutest little serving dish.
Ice cream rolled in coconut.
COURSE 9: A STRAWBERRY MASTERPIECE.
Second dessert reminded me a lot of a fruit rollup, ha! This dish was centered around a dried strawberry crisp, served over pineapple, strawberry and watermelon and mixed with mint oil. I initially thought this was just fruit, but it tasted fantastic, especially with the crunchy strawberry crisp!
The strawberry dessert.
Close up.
COURSE 10: A MINI FUNNEL CAKE REPRESENTING A THEME PARK IN IRTRA
I never knew this, but Guatemala is hope to a great theme park called Xetulul and Xocomil (a related waterpark) in Irtra. Apparently beloved by the entire country, our third dessert was a tribute to just these parks. For this course, Sublime prepared a mini funnel cake, like one would find at an amusement park, topped with powdered sugar and fresh, edible flowers. This made for a very pretty and very nostalgic dessert. It was also warm when served!
The most beautiful mini funnel cake.
A closer look.
COURSE 11: A GUATEMALAN SMORE!
Our final course was also sweet, and this one quite simple. It was a chocolate of 70% cacao stuffed with marshmallow and cardamom served over coffee beans. This was easy to eat in two bites and it was fantastic. A truly great way to end a wonderful meal!
Chocolate smores! These were just fantastic!
That concluded our meal at Sublime Restaurant, but we also visited Cocktail Lobby, Sublime’s sister cocktail lounge on the same premises. I cannot recommend a visit to both strong enough. Cocktail Lobby’s cocktails are as good as Sublime’s food. We visited Cocktail Lobby for two cocktails before dinner but it was hopping on a Saturday night when we left Sublime. Cocktail Lobby is trendier than Sublime, with DJs and a cool cocktail bar setting for guests to enjoy Cocktail Lobby’s very elaborate cocktails and its delicious homemade popcorn with the best salt and cocoa powder topping!
The interior of Cocktail Lobby.
Rum at Cocktail Lobby.
The menu of Cocktail Lobby.
A wildly savory cocktail based off the colorful Guatemalan buses.
Good presentation.
The delicious popcorn. A complimentary bar snack. No other food on the menu.
Another great presentation!
STEAL OUR TRIP
Sublime: Calle 4-15 12, Colonia Bella Aurora, Guatemala City, 1014. Closed Sunday. Open Monday – Saturday 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Credit card accepted. Upscale casual. Reservations suggested.
The Cocktail Lobby: Attached to Sublime. Closed Sunday – Monday. Open Tuesday – Saturday 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Cool attire.