UPPER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN
Tikal Mayan Food
A family-run Mayan dining room by the 72nd Street Q — pepián, kak'ik, chuchitos and rellenitos.
Guatemalan cooking is rare enough in Manhattan; a family-run Mayan dining room beside the 72nd Street Q station is rarer still. Tikal opened here in 2024, named for the great Maya city in the Petén, and dressed in Guatemala's blue and white, with hand-woven textiles and photographs of the ruins and highlands on the walls.
The menu is the food of home rather than a greatest-hits list. Look for pepián, the roasted-seed-and-chile stew that is close to a national dish; kak'ik, the brick-red Q'eqchi' turkey soup; hilachas, shredded beef in tomato sauce; and chuchitos, small tamales tied in corn husk. Finish with rellenitos, plantain dumplings filled with sweet black beans. Ask what soup is on — the kitchen takes them seriously.
Editor’s tip
Order the pepián and a bowl of kak'ik to share, and save room for rellenitos.
Make an evening of it — beautiful stops nearby
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Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 13, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.