9 Best Restaurants in Belize City, Belize

One of the city’s best vegan/vegetarian restaurants holds court in an early-20th-century colonial waterfront building with great views of the harbor. Begin your day with a fruit bowl, accompanied by avocado toast or a spinach and cheddar quiche. Lunch and dinner might give way to an Open Face No Tuna—really curried chickpeas with a balsamic guava vinaigrette or a Buddha Bowl, homemade hummus with veggies and brown rice. The entire production comes courtesy of the relaxing, slightly trendy Harbour View Cottages across the street. Two notes: it’s a climb of several steps to get up to the second-floor restaurant; and shoes are left at the door if you dine inside, but not if you eat out on the wraparound veranda.

The large dining courtyard here is shaded by breadfruit, mango, and sapodilla trees—you’ll see the staff cutting down those fruits to put in your dish—and big turquoise umbrellas. The solid Belizean menu contains dishes with whimsical names like “Not your mamma’s waffles, unless she’s vegan,” which designates plantain waffles with scrambled tofu. Service is attentive: 501 doubles as a training facility for workers in the hospitality industry. The proceedings all take place on the ground floor of The Great House hotel, although it’s a separate business. (Belize’s international telephone code is 501, hence the name.)

One of the city's most popular and agreeable restaurants serves up dependably good food, with friendly service and safe parking. The signature hamburgers, which come in several sizes from 6 oz. to enormous, are arguably the best in Belize. Try one with the stacked onion rings. The Tavern has steak and prime rib dishes, from cattle at the owners' farm. Sit inside in air-conditioned comfort, at tables set around a huge bar, or on the outside covered patio overlooking Haulover Creek. This is one of the few restaurants in Belize with a dress code—shorts aren't allowed at night (at least in theory). The fenced, guarded parking lot right in front of the restaurant makes it easy and safe to park for free.

This longtime local seafood favorite is an open-air seaside bar and restaurant on the little islet at the south end of Regent Street, also called Bird's Isle. The thatched-roof spot is a great place to sip tropical drinks and eat local seafood (the fried snapper is a favorite) or other dishes at lunch, away from the hustle of downtown. You'll like the prices, too. Always take a taxi after dark, as the neighborhood can be sketchy at night.

Locally adored for four decades, Chon Saan Palace is the best Chinese restaurant in Belize City, which is otherwise full of bad Chinese eateries. It has some 200 dishes on the menu, most Cantonese style, such as sweet-and-sour pork. We like the Chinese-style crab legs. There's a live-seafood tank with lobster and the catch of the day, kept alive until you're ready to eat it. On Sunday, the restaurant switches gears a bit and makes sushi and sashimi.

We don't often include airport restaurants, but Global Spice, a no-frills restaurant near the "waving gallery" on the second floor of the main terminal, will leave you with a nice taste of Belize. It's not a gourmet restaurant, just a good place to get that farewell plate of stew chicken with rice and beans and a cold Belikin.

This nondescript Mediterranean/Lebanese restaurant in the Northern Suburbs has good kebabs, kofta, falafel, and hummus, with many vegetarian options. Service isn't always perfect, but the food is consistently good.

Tasty northern and southern Indian food is created at Sumathi in its authentic tandoori oven—a large clay oven with intense heat—which cooks meat and seafood quickly, leaving it crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Try the tandoori chicken, with cumin, ginger, and minty yogurt, served with naan. There are many vegetarian options, too. Portions are generous. Service is sometimes a weak point.

Located in the Tourism Village, overlooking the boardwalk where cruise-ship tenders drop off passengers, there's no question of the target market of the Wet Lizard. Don't expect more than a bar with average bar food. The Wet Lizard, which focuses on lunch on days there are cruise ships in town, has expanded with a gift shop and a tour operation.