Your best bet for food is at one of the three lodges on-site, but there are a number of comedores across from the visitors center serving basic yet passable fare in adequate portions for about $5 for a full meal and a drink. The menus are virtually indistinguishable from one another and are heavy on local staples such as beans, eggs, and tortillas. They include Comedor Corazón de Jesús, Comedor Tikal, Restaurant Imperio Maya, and Comedor Ixim K’ua, all of which open early for breakfast and close at 9 p.m. daily.

The restaurant at the visitors center, Restaurant Café Tikal, is fancier but a bit overpriced and you are probably better off eating at one of the lodges if you’re not on a small budget. It serves pasta, steaks, chicken, and sandwiches and is open until 6 p.m. daily.

As for the hotel restaurants, the large dining room at the Jungle Lodge is a popular stop for lunch with tour groups. As such, it tends to offer dependable set-menu lunches of meat or chicken dishes accompanied by rice and salad for about $8. Dinner options include a varied assortment of meat dishes, pasta, and sandwiches.

The Jaguar Inn caters largely to the international backpacker crowd and makes a particularly decent place for good-value dinners, including tasty pastas and desserts. The Tikal Inn gets props for its hearty breakfasts with good, strong coffee, but there are better options for lunch and dinner.