Restaurant in Guatemala City, Guatemala
Market-driven cooking, easy to book.
Mercado 24 is the right call if you want to eat how Guatemala City's best cooks actually shop: the menu changes daily based on market availability, under chef Pablo Díaz Quiñonez in the Cuatro Grados Norte district. Booking is easy, the format is casual, and it works well for first-timers who want a direct read on local produce-driven cooking without a formal tasting-menu commitment.
If you are eating in Guatemala City for the first time and want to understand what the local food culture actually tastes like right now, Mercado 24 is the most direct answer. The restaurant, run by a four-person kitchen team under chef Pablo Díaz Quiñonez, builds its menu entirely around what is available at the city's daily markets that morning. That means the menu changes constantly, and there is no point second-guessing what you will eat before you arrive. Come hungry and open-minded. This format works especially well for solo diners and pairs who enjoy letting the kitchen lead.
The leading time to visit is a weekday lunch, when the produce is freshest from morning market runs and the Cuatro Grados Norte neighbourhood is at its most relaxed. The district, one of Guatemala City's more walkable and cosmopolitan areas, fills with a mixed crowd of locals and travellers in the evening, which makes for a livelier dinner atmosphere if that is what you are after. Either visit works; the produce-driven format means the kitchen is engaged whenever it is open.
Mercado 24 sits on Via 5 in the Cuatro Grados Norte corridor, a tree-lined zone that houses some of the city's more considered independent restaurants and bars. The setting is casual rather than formal. This is a dining room where the food does the work, not the décor. Expect a room that reads as deliberately understated: the visual language here is market-meets-kitchen rather than fine dining. For a first-timer, that framing matters — do not arrive expecting ceremony. Arrive expecting cooking that responds to what was good at the market that day.
The kitchen team is small, which is consistent with the format. A four-person team cooking from daily market availability produces tighter, more focused plates than a larger brigade working from a fixed seasonal menu. The trade-off is less consistency across visits, but more honesty about what is actually in season in Central America at that moment.
Specific details on the drinks program at Mercado 24 are not confirmed in Pearl's current data. What is worth noting for a first-timer: Guatemala City's Cuatro Grados Norte has one of the more developed independent bar scenes in Central America, and restaurants in this district tend to stock locally produced spirits and craft options alongside standard wine lists. If drinks are central to your evening, check with the restaurant directly, or consult our full Guatemala City bars guide to plan around the meal. The produce-first philosophy that drives the food would logically extend to locally sourced or regional drink options, but Pearl does not confirm that without verified data.
Booking at Mercado 24 is rated Easy. Unlike Guatemala City's more reservation-heavy destinations, this is not a venue where you need to plan weeks ahead. That said, the casual dining format and small kitchen team mean the room can fill on weekend evenings in Cuatro Grados Norte, so a same-week reservation is sensible if you have a fixed date in mind. No phone number or online booking link is currently listed in Pearl's data; the most reliable approach is to visit the address directly at Via 5 2-24 or ask your hotel concierge to call ahead.
Dress code is not formally stated, but the neighbourhood and casual format suggest smart-casual is appropriate and anything more formal is unnecessary.
For context on how Mercado 24 fits into a wider Guatemala City itinerary, see our full Guatemala City restaurants guide, our full Guatemala City hotels guide, and our full Guatemala City experiences guide. If you are extending the trip, 6.8 Palopó in Santa Catarina Palopó and Villa Bokéh in Antigua are worth considering for restaurants outside the capital with a similarly produce-led approach.
For reference, the market-driven daily-menu format that Mercado 24 uses is a structurally different commitment to seasonal cooking than what you find at tasting-menu restaurants like Lazy Bear in San Francisco or Atomix in New York City. Those venues plan weeks out; Mercado 24 plans hours out. That is either a feature or a risk depending on how much certainty you want before you sit down.
Quick reference: Via 5 2-24, Cuatro Grados Norte, Guatemala City. Booking: Easy. No formal dress code. Walk-ins likely possible; advance contact recommended for weekends.
The menu changes daily based on market availability, so there is no fixed list to review in advance. Come without strong expectations about specific dishes. The format is casual, the kitchen team is small, and the cooking is grounded in Central American market produce. It is a good first stop for understanding what Guatemala City's food culture actually prioritises right now, without the formality of a fine-dining room. Booking is easy relative to other notable city restaurants.
Pearl does not have confirmed data on how Mercado 24 handles dietary restrictions. Because the menu is built entirely from that day's market availability, the kitchen's ability to accommodate restrictions may vary. Contact the restaurant directly before visiting if dietary needs are a factor. No phone number is currently listed in Pearl's data; your leading approach is to visit in person ahead of time or ask your hotel to make contact on your behalf.
There is no fixed menu to recommend from. Chef Pablo Díaz Quiñonez and his team cook from whatever the daily market yields, which means the menu is different every service. The practical move for a first-timer is to ask the staff what came in that morning and what the kitchen is most focused on that day. That conversation will tell you more than any static list.
For a more structured experience in the city, DIACÁ and Ana offer a different level of kitchen formality while staying connected to Guatemalan ingredients and technique. Sublime Restaurant is the right call if you want Latin cuisine with more of a special-occasion setting. Flor de Lis is worth considering if you want a more neighbourhood-focused room. See our full Guatemala City restaurants guide for a wider comparison.
Only partially. The casual format and daily-changing market menu make it a good choice for a low-key celebration where the food itself is the event, but it is not the right venue if you need a predictable, ceremony-ready experience. For a special occasion with more structure and a confirmed menu, Sublime Restaurant or Ana are better fits in Guatemala City.
Pearl does not have confirmed seating layout data for Mercado 24. Given the casual dining format and the neighbourhood context in Cuatro Grados Norte, bar or counter seating is plausible, but this is not verified. Contact the restaurant directly if bar seating is important to your visit. For confirmed bar options in the area, see our full Guatemala City bars guide.
Pearl does not have confirmed capacity or group booking data for Mercado 24. The small kitchen team (four people) and daily market-driven format suggest this is not a venue optimised for large groups. For groups of six or more, contact the restaurant ahead of time to confirm availability. No phone number is currently listed; direct contact in person or through your hotel is the most reliable approach.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercado 24 | Chef: Pablo Díaz Quiñonez document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() { var el = document.getElementById("Achievements_chefs"); if (el && el.parentNode) { el.parentNode.removeChild(el); } });; Located in the trendy Cuatro Grados Norte district of Guatemala City, Mercado 24 takes a fresh approach when it comes to cooking. Inspired by the diverse bounty found in the Central American capital's daily markets, the four-strong kitchen team at this casual dining spot depends totally on the availability of that day's produce – then cooks it accordingly. | — | |
| Sublime Restaurant | — | ||
| Ana | — | ||
| DIACÁ | — | ||
| Flor de Lis | — |
Comparing your options in Guatemala City for this tier.
The menu changes based on what chef Pablo Díaz Quiñonez and his four-person kitchen team find at the market each day, so there is no fixed list of dishes to research in advance. Come with an open mind rather than specific expectations. It sits on Via 5 in Cuatro Grados Norte, one of the more walkable and restaurant-dense corridors in Guatemala City, which makes it easy to combine with a broader evening out.
Because the menu is built entirely around that day's market availability, the kitchen has inherent flexibility in how it cooks produce. That said, the daily-changing format means there is no fixed menu to review ahead of time, so call or visit in person to confirm what is being served and flag any restrictions directly with the team before you arrive.
There is no fixed menu at Mercado 24 — the kitchen cooks whatever produce chef Pablo Díaz Quiñonez sources from Guatemala City's markets that morning. The practical approach is to ask the team what came in that day and take their lead. That market-reactive format is the point of the restaurant, not a limitation.
DIACÁ and Ana both operate in Guatemala City's more considered independent dining scene and are worth comparing if you want a fixed menu or a more structured tasting format. Sublime Restaurant is a stronger option for a formal special-occasion meal. Flor de Lis suits a lighter, café-adjacent visit. Mercado 24 sits apart from all of them specifically because of its daily market-dependent approach.
It works for a low-key celebration where the appeal is a genuine, produce-led meal rather than ceremony or presentation. The casual dining format in Cuatro Grados Norte is relaxed rather than formal. For a milestone dinner where atmosphere and occasion-setting matter as much as the food, Sublime Restaurant is a more direct fit.
Pearl's current data does not confirm the specific layout or seating configuration at Mercado 24. Given its casual dining format in Cuatro Grados Norte, bar seating is plausible, but check the venue's official channels at Via 5 2-24 before arriving if that seating style matters to your visit.
Booking at Mercado 24 is rated Easy, which makes it more accessible for groups than reservation-heavy Guatemala City venues. The kitchen team is four strong, so very large groups may strain a kitchen operating on daily market quantities. For groups of six or more, it is worth contacting the venue in advance to confirm capacity and give the kitchen adequate notice.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
