LOS RANCHOS: HOW DOES THE FOOD AT THIS MODERN, GUATEMALA CITY STEAKHOUSE STACK UP?
The Cost -$22
The Atmosphere – Located in El Mercado AVIA a new, high-end mall connected to the Hyatt Centric hotel, Los Ranchos is a large, modern restaurant with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating in Zone 10 of Guatemala City. The restaurant does take reservations, but you likely won’t need one unless you are heading there on a Friday or Saturday night, in which case there may be a wait for a table. Los Ranchos is a great location for a work lunch or dinner as well as a meal with family or friends.
If you are in the mood for some beef in Guatemala City, Los Ranchos is one of the new steakhouses in town that can satisfy that craving. Though the menu is beef-centric, there are also seafood and chicken options as well as some vegetarian appetizers. On the drinks side of the house, the restaurant offers a good selection of wines as well as a full bar and a mostly classic cocktail list. On a lazy weekend day, I decided to head to Los Ranchos for a casual lunch.
The Order – Dip de Espinaca y Alcachofa and the Steak Sandwich.
The Good – The better of the two dishes that were ordered was the Dip de Espinaca y Alcachofa (Spinach and Artichoke Dip). The dip was baked in a large square ceramic dish and was extremely cheesy, which was great. The only problem was that the ratio of cheese to spinach and artichoke was not the best and I felt like I was mostly eating (very good) baked cheese. The dip also came with tortilla chips and while they were good, I wish it had come with some type of bread instead. This appetizer was really close to earning our Great rating and with slightly more vegetables and good bread instead of chips, it definitely would have gotten there.
The Steak Sandwich was solid, but it wasn’t what I was expecting to order off the menu when I sat down at the restaurant. I was going to order the restaurant’s signature burger which allows you to choose three ingredients to top your burger with from a classic, but delicious-sounding list. However, the restaurant was out of hamburger buns and so I had to pivot. I decided to stick with another lunch-appropriate beef item from the menu and went with the steak sandwich, a baguette with sliced steak, Swiss cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and onion with the restaurant’s salsa presidente, a reduction of mustard and butter with oil and herbs. The quality of the meat was good and the baguette, which was grilled with some olive oil, was delicious. However, the sandwich did not need the lettuce, tomato, and raw onion and those toppings really prevented me from fully enjoying the flavor of the meat with the avocado, cheese, tasty salsa presidente, and the excellent baguette. Without the lettuce, tomato and onion, the sandwich, and the generous portion of fantastic skinny fries that it came with, would have also earned a Great rating.
The Verdict – Lunch at Los Ranchos was definitely an enjoyable meal, and I’d say a pretty good value given the portions, the quality, and the setting. With some tweaking of the two dishes I ordered, I think the food would have been great and the value even better. However, even without the tweaks, I’d recommend Los Ranchos for a solid lunch if you are in Zone 10 of the city and are looking for a sit-down meal.
Los Ranchos
Tercer Nivel, 12 calle 2-25 zona 10, Edificio Avia, Cdad. de Guatemala 01010, Guatemala