Top 10 Restaurants in Belize
San Ignacio
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Hannah's
Contact:
- 824-3014
Location:
- 5 Burns Avenue
Description:
Don't be put off by the humble state of this small restaurant, with simple furniture and half walls with steel grating substituting for windows. The menu is massive, with a host of curries and vindaloos and other Indian staples, mixed with a hefty dose of Chinese and Thai cuisine. Heck, you can even get burgers, burritos, Belizean fare, and big breakfasts here. Still, I recommend you come for the Indian and Thai cooking. The chef here is not shy to spice things up. The vindaloos and other spicy dishes can blow your head off if you're not accustomed to authentic cooking. This is a great restaurant for vegetarians, with ample options to choose from.
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Running W Steak House & Restaurant
Contact:
- 824-2034
Location:
- 18 Buena Vista St
- In the San Ignacio Resort Hotel
Description:
This restaurant is located in the San Ignacio Resort Hotel and is affiliated with Belize's largest beef and cattle operation, its namesake. Try the Mayan Steak, marinated strips of tenderloin grilled and served with fresh tortillas. If you want something more traditional, order the 16-ounce porterhouse. There are also fish and chicken dishes, as well as some Belizean standards. The dining room is large and comfortable, with plenty of varnished wood. A few wrought-iron tables line an outdoor patio and make a great place to have lunch with a jungle view, or dinner under the stars.
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Café Sol
Contact:
- 824-2166
Location:
- Far West St
Description:
This simple, downtown restaurant and coffeehouse features an eclectic menu ranging from a Thai noodle salad to jerk chicken to soy burgers. You can also get burritos and quesadillas, and a range of pasta dishes, as well as hearty sandwiches on freshly baked focaccia. Be sure to check the chalkboard for the daily specials. I like the tables on the covered front porch. You can also head inside, where you'll also find a small Internet cafe and a helpful corkboard with a variety of tour and hotel brochures and information. This is a great place for everything from breakfast to a coffee break to a filling meal.
Dangriga
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Riverside Café
Contact:
- 523-3499
Location:
- S. Riverside Dr
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Map
Description:
This simple cafe and bar is funky and perennially pretty run-down. Still, it's popular with the local boatmen and one of the best places to get travel information in Dangriga. It opens early and serves food throughout the day. You can get a full meal of fried chicken, beans, and rice for BZ$8 (US$4/£2.10). Breakfasts are hearty and inexpensive. This is the place to ask about rides out to one of the nearby cayes, to set up a tour around the region, and to pick up some brochures from the wall-mounted racks. You'll find the cafe just east of St. Vincent Street on the south side of North Stann Creek.
Belize City
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Harbour View
Contact:
- 223-6420
Location:
- Fort St., next to the Belize Tourism Village
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Map
Description:
This is probably the most expensive and creative restaurant in town. The menu here features some fusion touches you won't find at other Belize City restaurants. I like the Parasol of Reddened Shrimp, which are coated in an Asian-style sweet and pungent glaze and served atop a rice palau. Another excellent choice is the Picasso Pork Tenderloin, which comes with a delicious jalapeño relish. You can also get thick cuts of steak and a host of other dishes. The main dining room is a second-floor space with large picture windows opening onto Belize Harbour. However, when the weather's right, I recommend grabbing one of the outdoor tables on the wooden wraparound veranda, which will put you even closer to the water. There's often live jazz music in the evenings. During the day, they feature a more modest menu with a selection of salads and sandwiches.
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The Smokey Mermaid
Contact:
- 223-4722
Location:
- 13 Cork St
- In The Great House
Description:
I love the open-air brick courtyard setting of this semi-elegant yet relaxed restaurant. There are a couple of raised decks and gazebos and a few fountains, spread out amongst heavy wooden tables and chairs under broad canvas umbrellas in the shade of large seagrape and mango trees and a wealth of other lushly planted ferns and flowers. An equally pleasant choice for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the menu here ranges from Jamaican jerk pork to shrimp thermidor to chicken Kiev. I recommend the yuca-crusted catch of the day. The desserts here are excellent, with their signature sweet being the Decadent Ecstasy, a chocolate-coconut pie swimming in ice cream, nuts, and chocolate sauce.
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Wet Lizard
Contact:
- 223-5973
Location:
- 1 Fort St
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Map
Description:
Boasting a prime setting on a second-floor covered deck overlooking the Swing Bridge and Belize City's little harbor, this raucous restaurant is one of the most popular spots in town. The menu here is simple, with an emphasis on sandwiches, burgers, and American-style bar food. Start things off with some coconut shrimp, conch fritters, or fried calamari, before tackling one of the hearty sandwiches or wraps. You can also get tacos, nachos, fajitas, and quesadillas, as well as a daily special or two. If you like sweets, save room for the banana chimichanga. The best seats here are the small tables and high stools ringing the railing and overlooking the water. Everything is painted in bright primary colors, and the walls are quickly being covered with graffiti and signatures from guests. The practice is actually encouraged, so be sure to ask for a magic marker and add to the wall art. When the cruise ships are in town, this place is overrun and even serves a separate menu, so be sure to ask for their full menu.
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Riverside Tavern
Contact:
- 223-5640
Location:
- 2 Mapp St
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Map
Description:
One of the most popular spots in Belize City, this large place has both indoor and outdoor seating on a spot overlooking Haulover Creek. The restaurant also specializes in hefty steaks and delicious ribs. But you can also get seared tuna, grilled snapper, coconut shrimp, or jerk shrimp. The lunch menu features pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and rolls. The burgers here are rightly famous and served for both lunch and dinner. There are TVs showing sporting events, and at times this place can get quite boisterous. There's actually a bit of a dress code here: Shorts, sleeveless shirts, and sandals are discouraged after dark.
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Jambel's Jerk Pit Too
Contact:
- 223-1966
Location:
- 164 Newtown Barracks Rd
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Map
Description:
With a new location, on Barracks Road, this simple, long-standing restaurant continues to serve up spicy curries and jerk concoctions, alongside local specialties. The coconut curry chicken is excellent, and there are several vegetarian options. Still, the spicy Jamaican jerk is the signature here, and you can get it served over fish, shrimp, chicken, or conch. The restaurant is housed in a two-story converted home located across the street from the water just a little way north of the Princess Hotel. The walls are painted lavender, and there are large picture windows overlooking the BTL park and harbor. When the weather's cooperative, try to grab a seat on their outdoor patio-balcony.
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Macy's
Contact:
- 207-3419
Location:
- 18 Bishop St
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Map
Description:
For authentic Belizean cooking and a down-home funky vibe, you can't beat this tiny local place. The food is good, the service is friendly, the prices are right, and the dining room is cool and cozy. Order a fish filet with rice and beans, or curried chicken, or be more daring and try one of their daily wild-game chalkboard specials, which could feature anything from armadillo and deer to wild pig or gibnut. Macy's no longer serves turtle or other endangered species, and there seem to be fewer wild game options than there were in the past. There are only five tables, and each is set with a plastic tablecloth and plastic place mat, under a strategically placed overhead fan.
