Where to Celebrate Thanksgiving in Central America

A list of restaurants, hotels, and other places putting on a Thanksgiving spread this week. If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving in Central America but don’t know where to go, we hope this quick guide will help you. 

Welcome to our fourth annual Thanksgiving directory! This week every year, we try to make it easier for people looking for a Thanksgiving dinner by putting some options out there.

So if you’re from the States, down here in Central America, and feeling like the full turkey dinner followed by some NFL (or – this year – some World Cup action… the U.S. play England on Black Friday) on the tube, where do you go?

After all, Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated all the way down south is it? Does anyone care about Thanksgiving in Central America?

Well, to answer the last question first, people do care about Thanksgiving in Central America. You know who? Gringos care.

Especially that flavor of gringos who come from the United States.

And to answer the first question last, although Thanksgiving isn’t an official holiday in this part of the world (any more than, say, Americans celebrate Guanacaste Annexation Day or even Garifuna Settlement Day), people will be celebrating.

Shops, banks, restaurants, etc. will be open like a regular Thursday. Because, down here, it is a regular Thursday. But you’ll find a place to celebrate, for sure. Bear in mind this year is a little weird in that there’s a World Cup on during Thanksgiving. Football is muy muy popular in Central America, so many places that might usually cater to Thanksgiving-lovin’ gringos might forget about it and focus on events in Qatar instead.

We’ve scoured the internet and social media looking for Thanksgiving recommendations throughout Central America so you don’t have to.

Belize

Celebrating Thanksgiving in Belize? Here are some places to check out:

• Princess Casino (Belize City)
• Barrier Reef Sports Bar & Grill (Caye Caulker)
• Placencia Beach Club (Placencia)
• Bahay Fiesta (Hopkins Village)
• Best Western Plus Belize Biltmore Plaza (Belize City)

Guatemala

If you need a place to do Thanksgiving in Guatemala, look right here:

• Restaurante Las Palmas (Antigua)
• Pappy’s BBQ (Antigua and Guatemala City)
• Real Intercontinental Guatemala (Zona 10, Guatemala City)
• Bistro Duck (Zona 15, Guatemala City)
• Porta Hotel (Antigua)

Honduras

Thanksgiving in Honduras needn’t be difficult to celebrate if you know where to go:

• Infinity Bay (Roatán)
• Bella’s Place (Roatán)
• Copantl Hotel (San Pedro Sula)
• La Caserola Honduras (Tegucigalpa)

El Salvador

If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving in El Salvador, it helps if you’re in the capital:

• Hacienda de los Miranda (San Salvador)
• States Diner (San Salvador)

Nicaragua

Thanksgiving in Nicaragua will be great in any of the below places:

• TreeCasa Hotel & Resort (San Juan del Sur)
• Boca Baco (Granada)
• Jimmy “3 Fingers” Alabama Rib Shack (Managua)

Costa Rica

There are hundreds of places to celebrate Thanksgiving in Costa Rica. We’ve only listed a handful here:

• Surf Club Bar & Grill (Playa Langosta, Tamarindo)
• Numu Taproom (Playas del Coco)
• La Luna Restaurant (Manuel Antonio)
• Lemon Zest (Jaco)
• Tap House (Santa Ana and Escazu, San Jose)
• Costa Rica Marriott (Belen, San Jose)

Panama

Wanna celebrate Thanksgiving in Panama? These places will be putting on a spread:

Las Hadas at the Sheraton Grand (Panama City) -TAKE OUT ONLY

Mezepanama (Panama City)

Eolian Rooftop & Bar (Panama City)

CocoFastronomy (Bocas del Toro)

We’ve only listed a few places offering Thanksgiving dinner in each country, but as we said, ask at your hotel too. Chances are they’ll be doing something.

And if you know of anywhere else putting on a Thanksgiving spread better than anyplace we listed above, let us know. The more places we know about the better.

Happy Thanksgiving in Central America!

James Dyde is the editor of CentralAmerica.com. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.