135 Best Restaurants in Belize

Long a fixture near the Belize Zoo, Cheers has a good open-air restaurant that attracts local farmers and lots of zoo visitors. You won't go wrong with any of the local dishes, such as stew chicken with rice and beans, but it has good breakfasts and, for lunch, burgers, sandwiches, and daily specials. If you want to stay in the area longer, there are three simple cabins for rent on the property's 37 acres. Book ahead to get the lowest rates on lodging; walk-in rates are a little higher.

Plunk down at a mint-green picnic table and tuck into a coconut curry, grilled fish, or---better yet---a meringue-topped Key lime pie (probably the island's best). Breakfast is killer, too, and at local prices. This counter-service joint is as low-key as it gets, and cheaper than anything waterfront. Note that Juan's doesn't serve alcohol.  

This place bills itself as purveyors of ice cream, coffee, and wine, and the wide-ranging combo works. Enjoy a selection of specialty coffees, tropical-flavored ice cream, and wines from France, Italy, Argentina, and California. (The wine bar holds court in a separate part of the building.)

Locally adored for four decades, Chon Saan Palace is the best Chinese restaurant in Belize City, which is otherwise full of really 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.

A fun dining experience on an open-air porch adjoining the Coconut Row Hotel features a menu using local and organic ingredients. Coconut Husk truly shines at breakfast with filling pancakes or fry jacks with toast and natural fruit juices. The small lunch menu gives way to tacos and a variety of wraps. Bar snacks and lighter fare, rather than a full dinner, make up the evening menu, which is in effect only three nights a week.

San Ignacio's take on gourmet dining serves up elevated fare, such as lamb chops in a chocolate balsamic glaze and short ribs risotto, in a quiet and intimate setting. Chef Alejandro cooks the steaks so they melt in your mouth but his chimichurri sauce is the real MVP. For foodies, this quaint little spot is not to be missed. 

Friendly service, local atmosphere, good food simply prepared, modest prices, ice-cold beer—what more could you want? Dawn's Grill 'n Go is in a small no-frills building behind the soccer field in Placencia Village. These folks are open only for dinner; go for the grilled or fried chicken, or the fish of the day.

This open-air bar and restaurant near the sea with a \"tatch\" (thatch) roof has long been a popular hangout in the village. Try the huge shrimp burrito and wash it down with a few cold Belikins. Breakfasts are good and hearty here, too.

Driftwood arguably has the best pizza in southern Belize, served up in a friendly, casual atmosphere in a beachfront thatched palapa. Try the Driftwood combo pizza, with red sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, peppers, onion, mushrooms, and black olives (in three sizes). If pizza isn't your thing, go for the catch of the day or one of the pasta dishes. There's plenty of cold beer and rum at reasonable prices, and occasional music Friday and Saturday evenings.

Nothing fancy here, just down-home Belizean dishes at moderate prices, and that's exactly why it's popular. Go for the traditional beans-and-rice dishes or a fish platter; the ceviche is good, too. If you're in the mood for something else, you can get a pizza. It's a couple of blocks off the main drag, so it's quieter and more relaxing here, whether you dine on the veranda or inside in the homey dining room.

Build your ideal breakfast from a mix-and-match chalkboard menu at San Pedro's most classic breakfast spot, famous for its fry jacks served with honey and mango jam. A favorite among locals and visitors, Estel's gets well-earned hype for its morning cocktail specials. Estel's even has grits! The porthole windows, decorative buoys, and sandy floors give the joint a nautical atmosphere---not to mention the sea in its front yard. Best seats are on the porch or on wooden benches with mini-thatch roofs, where you can watch pelicans and passersby. Later in the day you'll find tacos, down-home cooking, and great seafood dishes here. 

One of the best things about Belize is the amazing mix of cultures that brings out the best food from each, and Everest is no exception. Large portions and varieties of curries, chai tea, garlic naan, thali, mango lassi, and more are on the menu. Indian food lovers and newbies to this cuisine, vegans, and meat-eaters will delight in the authentic and tasty dishes. 

More than a just pit stop, this cute roadside joint offers pick-me-ups in the way of creative smoothies, iced mochas, healthy and not-so-healthy shakes, and baguette paninis. It also stocks a small market with Belizean cheeses, jellies, cacao beans, meats, and fruits. Swing by on your way to Secret Beach or anywhere north.

Dining under fairy lights and a shaggy thatch roof is a wonderful way to conclude your day on Caulker. Seafood is the rage at this remodeled palapa restaurant, and there's an iced display of the catch of the day; choose from snapper, grouper, barracuda, or lobster and have it grilled on the spot. The bartenders have been known to make great things happen from dragon fruit and local rum. This spot is formerly Rose's.

Escargot and foie gras in Belize? Why, yes---the famous \"Pat the Frenchman\" has created a culinary experience so impressive you'll write home about San Pedro's sizzling food scene. Chef--owner Patrick Parmentier does marvels with butter, olive oil, spices, and all other good things in his succulent dishes. There is also a new bakery where you can satisfy your cravings for Italian sandwiches and fresh pastries. In the backyard, Le Jardin---a beautiful garden furnished with handmade tables under wooden pergolas---is ideal for a predinner cocktail. With so much imported, including the culinary style, this isn't your spot for local flavor; but it's fun for a change of pace. The food is out of this world, and so are the prices. Frenchy's is small; reservations are encouraged. 

Located in front of the sea, Frozen Paradise makes for an ideal dessert stop after lunch. Serving iced coffees, frappés, and other various drinks, the coffee place is mostly known for its savory drinks. Their chamoyadas are the most popular---a refreshing frozen drink consisting of blended mango, tamarind spice, and chamoy sauce. For those looking for a quick bite to eat, Frozen Paradise also serves nachos for less than $10.

Glenda's menu is on a chalkboard, short and sweet, and you place your order at the window of a pretty clapboard house. At breakfast, when this café is most popular, you can get a hearty meal of eggs, bacon, beans, johnnycakes, and fresh OJ, all for a pittance. Dine under the solemn eyes of a print of The Last Supper, or take it to go. It starts up at 7 am; get there early to snag a cinnamon bun. The hours are island style, so Glenda's may not be open when you want it to be, especially at lunch.

Count your lucky stars if you find Gomier’s open—these folks don't always follow posted hours—and enjoy an excellent vegetarian or vegan meal from organic ingredients grown locally, along with some seafood. Go with the vegetarian dish of the day, which could be stir-fried tofu or vegan spaghetti. Fresh seafood dishes, such as shrimp curry, sometimes are available. Garifuna hudut (green and ripe mashed plantains with fish and coconut stew) lunches are on Friday, and there's live music or documentary movies some nights. Prices are reasonable.

An established spot, Grace's has genuine value, a down-home feel, and hearty plates of beans and rice and other Belizean staples on the menu. Get a seat near the entrance and eye the town's street life. This is a good place for a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, fry jacks (a Belizean version of a Mexican sopapilla), and, of course, beans. For lunch and dinner you can always get chicken, but you can usually get fresh fish, too, plus pizza, chow mein, hamburgers, and several dozen other dishes.

Perhaps the brightest foodie highlight on Caye Caulker, Hibisca serves the kind of innovative dishes you'd expect in a cosmopolitan city. Don't worry, though---it's still casual Caulker. Chef--owner Darren Casson pushes for ambitious, genre-busting flavors, but he also dishes up loaded fries and an array of burgers (including a veggie patty). Most guests go gaga over flavor combos like red pepper romesco sauce paired with Belizean dukunu (a tamalelike dish), but some sniff at the avant-garde style. You'll have to try it to know where you land.

Hode's is often the busiest place in town, with its large shaded patio next to a citrus grove, swings, slides, and ice-cream bar (it's much bigger than it looks from the outside). The fried chicken with French fries is some of the best in the Cayo. Prices are very reasonable, and there's a full bar.

You come here for the lively atmosphere more than the food, although the menu of seafood, burgers, salads, and grilled chicken is certainly filling. Locals and expats alike enjoy the breezy, seaside location. There's plenty of safe, guarded parking, good drinks, and an abundance of cold Belikin. (The Bowen family, who owns the brewery, also own this place.)

Belize’s abundance of fruit ends up in a variety of flavors scooped up for you at the city’s best ice-cream parlor. You’ll probably have questions as you gaze at the blackboard menu—what are craboo and sapodilla?—and the good folks here are happy to explain the flavors. Rest assured that you'll find vanilla and chocolate if you're feeling more \"vanilla.\" Choose from standard or waffle cones, sundaes, or milkshakes, and enjoy the air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi. You'll find a branch in San Ignacio in the Cayo, too.

If you’re jonesing for a caffeinated treat—maybe a Nutella frappe or a cappuccino—look no further. Ice n’ Beans is your quick seafront coffee bar where tasty samples are dished out to anyone who walks up. Bagel sandwiches and tasty smoothies are also on offer. You can get your coffee here until early evening.

Lush palms, lamplight, and blooms of burning love flowers all make for a seductive ambience on an island where you expect picnic tables and sand floors. Il Pellicano features classics like risotto, gnocchi, and margherita pizza (not fresh mozzarella, but better than the island's average), with imported rarities like capers and porcini mushrooms. The menu changes frequently and the desserts change daily. Il Pellicano is celebrated by some for its atmosphere more than its food quality, but it remains a choice spot for a romantic evening. 

At Innies, as at most local restaurants in the village, you're eating in a spot that was once somebody's house or back porch. Here you can dine inside or outside and get the full flavor of village life. The food is authentic (though some dishes cater to the taste of tourists), delicious, and inexpensive. Traditional Garifuna dishes such as hudut (fish cooked in coconut milk and served with mashed plantains) and ereba (grated cassava bread) with bundiga (a gravy of grated plantains and coconut) are available, but more familiar dishes like fried chicken and rice and beans with stew chicken are also served. You'll find the staff very friendly.

Vancouverite Tammy fell so in love with Sarteneja and its people that she decided to stick around and open up a restaurant and lounge the locals would be proud of. Perched right in front of the water, the beloved hangout is decked in bright pink and dark blue, with the upper level offering lovely views of the sunset. The prices of the ceviche are an eyebrow-raising BZ$45, which is surprising for an eatery in this location. Still, the ceviche continues to be a hit, and the burgers and pizzas are not too shabby, either. 

Named after the owner's three children, Jo-Mel-In has been a pillar in the Corozal community since 1987. Guests will be happy to learn recent renovations have led to a closed-in, air-conditioned dining area, which is much needed in the summer months. You will want to come here if you're craving real Belizean food with that unmistakable influence from the Mestizo and Maya cultures. Daily lunch specials include a classic rice and beans with stew chicken that won't be outdone by any other one in town. Jo-Mel-In serves breakfast on Sunday every mid- and end of month. 

Seating is on the front deck of a simple wooden structure here. Choose from a bench, a picnic table, or low tables and enjoy a variety of gourmet coffee drinks. If you need something more fortifying, sandwiches, waffles, and quiches are on the menu, too, with gluten-free options available.