Fodor's Expert Review Benny's Kitchen

This little open-air restaurant near Xunantunich has won many fans who come for hearty Mayan, mestizo, and Creole dishes at rock-bottom prices. You'll find mostly locals here, many from San Ignacio, Benque Viejo, and other parts of Cayo District. Most items on the menu are BZ$12 or less, including chilimole (chicken with mole sauce), cow-foot soup, Belizean escabeche (marinated fish or meat), and stew pork with rice, beans, and plantains. You can make a meal of the mestizo appetizers including salbutes (puffed fried tortilla with meat), tostadas, and empanadas, most under BZ$2 each. The classic Mayan pibil (pork cooked in an underground oven) is sometimes on the menu. The banana and mango licuados (milk shakes) are delicious, and you can also enjoy the official national drinks of Belize, Belikin and Fanta.