Fritangas are Nicaragua's definitive street food: outdoor grills set up on pavements and in parking lots each evening, where a cook manages a large charcoal grill loaded with chicken, pork ribs, chorizos, skirt steak, and plantains. Around it go folding tables and plastic chairs, and the meal costs almost nothing — a full plate of grilled meat with rice, beans, salad, and tortillas for well under $5.
The best fritangas appear after dark in residential neighbourhoods rather than tourist areas. The Carretera Masaya strip has some, and the neighbourhoods around Altamira and Bolonia have others. You pick what you want by pointing at the grill, sit down, and wait. The food is straightforward and very good — grilled over real charcoal, served immediately, with cold beer or a fruit juice. Eating at a fritanga is one of the most authentically Managuan experiences you can have.