Best of Granada: Food

Breakfast: I am a bit chagrined to say that my favorite place is called Kathy’s Waffle House (directly across the street from the Convento San Francisco). Owned by an American ex-pat (Sandy) who has lived here for more than a decade and his Nicaraguan wife, Kathy’s serves an array of American breakfasts (eggs and bacon, omelettes, waffles, pancakes, bagels and cream cheese), but also traditional fare like gallo pinto, fried plantains and Nicaraguan cheese. The food is excellent, the portions generous, and the prices surprisingly moderate. It serves the best fruit and yogurt plate I’ve seen in Nicaragua--a mountain of pineapple, watermelon, papaya, banana and mango (or cantaloupe, depending on the season). All that for just C$45 (about US$2.70). Plus coffee’s free! Most plates range from C$35 (US$2) to C$50 (US$3). The clientele is mostly older ex-pats (a group who, a decade earlier, would have been found in Costa Rica), some backpack travelers and the occasional missionary group members, and Miami Nicas (or recent returnees) who seem to enjoy the American-style atmosphere (such as the English-only menu) and the hearty plates.

Sandy and Kathy apparently toured parts of the U.S. during their recent honeymoon (including Sandy’s old stomping grounds in New Orleans), looking the best breakfasts places they could find. Seems like they did a pretty good job of it. Sandy said they’ve modeled themselves a bit after the Bluebird Cafe in New Orleans and it shows. The fresh, nutty multigrain bread they get from a bakery and the free coffee are just a couple of the great decisions they made. Waiters Connie and Silvio are funny, friendly and charming and always make it a pleasant visit.

Pizza: Granada now boasts at least three pizzerias and they’re all good. Still, for the combination of flavor and atmosphere, I have to rank Monna Lisa at the top (from La Gran Francia, one block toward the lake, take a right and go1/2 block). I used to lean heavily toward Don Luca’s on Calle Calzada (from the Cathedral, head toward the lake, one block past Hospedaje Central). Owned by a Swiss ex-pat it features a wood-burning oven and a clean but modestly appointed dining room (there’s also a few tables on the street). But Monna Lisa’s won my heart with their fantastic ingredients (including home-grown Italian basil), wood-burning oven, winking love of Leonardo da Vinci, tranquil setting, and charming Italian owners. When the hubbub and noise of the day gets to you, this is the place to go. (If you’re dying of heat, El Arcángel in the Gran Francia offers air-conditioning, a 1980s soundtrack that just won’t stop, and an accommodating staff who seem not to care if all you want is a cup of soup, a coke and to enjoy the cool air for a couple of hours! Note: When you visit, the waiter will ask where you’re from and then, perhaps in pursuit of friendlier international relations, will bring a miniature flag stand to the table with the Nicaragua banner and your corresponding flag. I’m curious what a claim of Cubanness would get me.)

Nicaraguans (or at least Granadinos) apparently are crazy for pizza. All three local pizzerias see notable (if not majority) Nicaraguan patronage. The largest and most popular place in town is Tele Pizza (Calle Arsenal, between Convent San Francisco and Plazuela de los Leones). They have an enormous space and it is frequently packed. The pizza is very good, the prices very reasonable and more decidedly American in style. They offer thick and thin crust, but I’ve only taste the thick. The place reminds me of a local version of Pizza Hut, but without the soulless corporate sameness you’d expect in the U.S. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with Pizza in Granada and the prices are right. Two people can usually get out for between C$75 (US$4.50) and C$130 (US$7.75), which includes a couple of beers and sometimes a salad.

Atmosphere: Hands down, best atmosphere belongs to El Tercer Ojo (Calle Arancel, just to the right of Convento San Francisco). Owned by a French ex-pat and his Costa Rican wife, the place is cool and moody, with shadows and rich greenery, a Nicaragua-meets-South/Southeast Asia decorative style, and eclectic world music played low on the stereo. They also have several bookshelves filled with items in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian. You can browse and read while you’re there, but none of it’s for sale. The French owner appears to pull double duty as both an artist (his Basquiat-esque works adorn the walls) and as head chef. The food is mostly French and Mediterranean in style and a bit on the expensive side, but most plates are large enough to be shared. Our favorites include the gazpacho (C$45; US$2.70), the brocheta caprese (small pieces of bread with herbed tomatoes and melted mozzarella on top; same price as the gazpacho), and the salad with grilled chicken (large and tasty, especially when topped with their tasty olive oil and home-herbed balsamic vinegar; C$70; US$4.20). They also serve heartier fare like stakes and pastas. The churrasco (a local cut of steak) in a black pepper sauce is particularly yummy, but the churrasco in gorgonzola sauce is also worth a try (both C$110; US$6.50); both come with mashed potatoes and a small salad. El Tercer Ojo also stocks a variety of wines and deli goods, including Spanish cheese, hams, and salamis. The front room features a cozy bar and a number of overstuffed chairs, perfect for a relaxing drink and good conversation.

Coffee: Once again Monna Lisa takes the cake. Cafemail (next to Casa de los Tres Mundos) and Cafe Don Simon (western side of the Parque Central, northern end) aren’t bad and offer a complete line of espresso and drip style drinks, and, as mentioned before, Kathy’s Waffle House is the place for your morning cup of coffee (big cups, free coffee). But for an espresso or a macchiato (cafe cortado), I love Monna Lisa. Their secret is a homemade blend of Nicaraguan coffees and Italian coffee spirit.

Nicaraguan lunch: There are a thousand places to get a basic plate lunch (comida casera), and they’re all cheap and pretty flavorful. The basic version includes meat (often stewed chicken or beef), rice and beans, Nica salad (shredded cabbage and carrots in a little vinegar), and plantains (sometimes ripe, sometimes green, sometimes fried, sometimes boiled). A big plate can easily be found for C$25 (US$1.50), but it may take some experimenting to a place that’s safe (health-wise) and appetizing. Restaurante los Portales (Plazuela de los Leones, across from the Casa de los Tres Mundos) offers a fine version for C$35 (US$2.10), but they also have a number of local and Mexican-style dishes in the same price range. It’s also worth trying local favorites like vigorón (fried chicarrones [pig skin], yuca and Nica salad) and vaho (prounounced like the Spanish bajo; cured meat that is spiced, and steam cooked, with yuca and plantain and served with Nica salad).

Personally, I prefer the typical Nicaraguan comedor, a kind of buffet-style place that offers prix-fixe meals. Most range from C$40 (US$2.40) to C$50 (US$3.00), but you can add extras to your plate that will inch up the coast a bit. Most places offer several main dish options, such a beefsteak with onions, grilled chicken breast, a stew, a spaghetti or rice dish (very popular is a local variant of chow mein), etc. The plate will come with rice and beans, if you want, but these can sometimes be substituted for mashed potatoes. Some places also offer stewed or boiled vegetables, plantains, and avocado (you usually get a choice of one) and a variety of salads (either Nica or chopped pickled vegetables). My two favorite locations are Don Daffa (just to the left of the Alcaldia) and Restaurante Mamaterre (heading out of the Parque Central on Calle Real Xalteva, on your left before you get to the Calle El Comercio). Mamatere is in a beautifully restored colonial-style house, a great place to enjoy excellently prepared food in a spacious open-air eating area that enjoys cool breezes. The head chef is a nearly toothless, crazy old Spaniard who once told me that Nicaragua was better during Somoza’s era because Somoza knew how to keep order (notably sending urban “delinquents” into the countryside to teach them the harsh lessons of rural field labor). His eyes misted over with nostalgia as he whispered, “Just like Franco…” A la gran puta! Why does the best tortilla española in town have to be made by a fascist old coot?

Nicaraguan dinner: While Nicaraguan cuisine boasts amazing variety and flavors, most foreigners never get to taste from this bounty. Restaurant menus tend to be regionally specific and fairly limited. One of my favorite dishes, for example, is Indio Viejo (Old Indian; a beef, corn masa and mint dish), but you’d be hard pressed to find it on a menu in Granada. Similarly, although sopa de mondogo (tripe soup) is very popular here, most people go to Masatepe (famed for it), so no it’s rarely offered in Granada. Instead you’ll typically find either steak (excellent)--typically topped with either chimichurri (a parsley, olive oil and garlic sauce), salsa criolla (a red, tomato and onion based sauce) or a jalapeño and onion cream sauce--or fish, especially guapote, a yummy lake bass that’s usually served whole and fried. The best locations for these kinds of dishes are El Zaguán (directly behind the Cathedral) and Las Colinas (outside of downtown a bit, past the market and toward the lake--ask a cabbie). These meals are a little pricier and might set you back closer to US$10-15, but they’re certainly worth it. (Although I haven’t done it myself, I hear that export-quality Nicaraguan steaks can be bought at the airport in ready-to-go 10 lb. packages for about US$2 a pound.)

As I say, lamentably no Granadino restaurant offers much else in the great variety of Nicaraguan cuisine. My gut feeling is that a high-end restaurant that offered such dishes would do well. While the recently arrived foreign influences in Granada’s restaurant scene are certainly doing well, I think a lot of visitors (and locals, for that matter) would love something more traditional and special if it were available.

You’ll never find it on a menu in Granada, but to give you a sense of Nicaragua’s culinary possibilities, take a look at the recipe below. It’s taken (my translation) from La comida nicaragüense, a fantastic book by Jaime Wheelock Román (former minister of agrarian reform during the Sandinista period).

Arroz al Negro
(As told by Guillermina and José María Garcia, San Jorge, Rivas)

Boil pork and chicken in separate pots, remove meats and shred. Reserve cooking waters, mix together and add rice that has previously been sauteed in butter and onions. Bring to a boil, then add a cup of peeled and crushed tomatoes, pieces of baby corn and chayote, Worcester sauce and capers. Once the water has been absorbed by the rice, add the shredded chicken and pork, black olives and green peas. Serve with bread.