Managua eats on the street and in the market comedores: gallo pinto at dawn, quesillos from roadside stands, fritanga grills smoking after dark. Three days of nacatamales, vigorón, Pacific ceviche and Flor de Caña poured over ice.
Managua's most navigable market: the comedor aisle behind the crafts section serves gallo pinto, nacatamales and indio viejo from 6am, while the fruit rows stack pitahaya, jocote and mamón. Trading ends around 6pm daily.
Fritangas fire up their pavement grills after dark, but Ducualí's start at midday: carne asada, tajadas, gallo pinto and maduro with shredded cabbage salad, served on a banana leaf and eaten standing at plastic tables.
Central America's largest informal market sprawls over 100 blocks. For food, stick to the Calle del Comercio edge: sacks of Matagalpa coffee, quesillo cheese, dried chiles congo and cuajada wrapped in leaves.
Quesillo is Nicaragua's roadside sandwich: soft white cheese, pickled onion, sour cream and salt folded into a warm corn tortilla and handed over in a plastic bag you drink the cream from at the end. Stands run till 9pm.
Nicaragua's original speciality-coffee house, open since 1994, roasting beans from Jinotega and Matagalpa on site. Take an espresso alongside a pinolillo and pan de coco. Doors from 6:30am to 9pm daily.
A courtyard grill tucked behind the roofless Catedral Vieja, cooking churrasco and lomo over open charcoal. Chimichurri and salsa de queso arrive as standard; the lunch service fills with government staff from the nearby ministries.
The estate café of a Carazo coffee farm founded in 1948, pouring flights of its own washed arabica alongside tres leches and cacao-heavy chocolates made with Nicaraguan beans. Open until 9pm.
Los Robles steakhouse dry-ageing Nicaraguan beef in a glass locker by the entrance — the country raises some of Central America's best grass-fed cattle. Take the lomo or churrasco with fried yuca and a Flor de Caña sour.
The west-side market's food aisle serves the classic nica breakfast from 6am: gallo pinto with cuajada, fried plantain and a mug of café con leche, plus vigorón — yuca, chicharrón and cabbage slaw on a banana leaf.
Bolonia seafood house working the Pacific catch from Masachapa and San Juan del Sur: whole fried pargo rojo, lime-cured ceviche and sopa de mariscos. The vuelve a la vida cocktail arrives in a sundae glass.
A restored Bolonia mansion cooking pre-earthquake Managua food — indio viejo, baho steamed in banana leaf, sopa de mondongo — served under mango trees in the courtyard. The rum list runs deep for an afternoon.
Reclaimed-timber bar off Carretera a Masaya pouring Flor de Caña by the half-bottle with ice, lime wedges and a bottle of Coke set on the table — the standard Nicaraguan serve. Live son nica and trova from about 9pm.