On restaurants, I ate my way around Belize this summer and rarely had a bad or even a mediocre meal. Here are some highlights:
SAN PEDRO
A lot of new places have opened on Ambergris Caye, including these:
Pinocchio's, open less than a month, is attracting a local crowd and, I suspect, will soon get a bunch of hungry visitors, too. It serves authentic Italian food (the owners are from Rome), including antipasto with salami and cheeses imported from Italy (BZ$30). I loved the fettucine with Italian sausage (BZ$28) -- complimenti al cuoca! Good pizza, too, from a wood oven. (Note: It’s closed until October for vacation.)
Aji, on North Ambergris near Grand Caribe about 2 1/2 miles from the center of town, has delicious tapas, along with other dishes, not to mention a lovely al fresco setting on the water.
The Lazy Croc, also in the same area, serves real slow-cooked barbecue. It's open only on weekends.
With its minimalist decor and cold air-conditioning, Red Ginger could be in Los Angeles instead of San Pedro, but I enjoyed dinner. Just wish the chef would leave well enough alone. My beautiful, tender, and huge grilled lobster tails with mashed potatoes and broccoli (nicely priced at BZ$55) would have been wonderful if served as nature intended rather than overloaded with herbs.
Hidden Treasure, which has been open for a year or so, has amazing ribs and a lot of other good dishes. The setting at night, with kerosene lamps on tables and lit sconces, is delightful.
I also revisited some old favorites, including Rojo Lounge and Market (always hip and fabulous), El Divino (always comfortable and friendly, with good steaks) and Blue Water Grill (best coconut shrimp in the world, BZ$22). Our appetizers at Wild Mango's also were pretty good.
One place I'd avoid: Warugama. It has the reputation for being a good, cheap local place. But success must have gone to its head. Its new larger space two doors down from the original hole-in-the-wall on Middle Street felt like a tourist trap. The menu on the wall doesn't have prices, which should have warned me. We learned that basic dishes such as tacos and burritos were priced at BZ$20 to $30 for lunch. Food was pretty good, but hardly worth the prices.
CAYE CAULKER
Rose’s is small but special. You can’t go wrong there. Habaneros is still good, and it now has a less pricey outpost down the street. For good food and a sea view, Femi’s and Rainbow Grill & Bar are good choices.
ORANGE WALK TOWN
Nahil Mayab in Orange Walk Town -- what a great new place! Lovely and not overdone Maya-themed decor, good service and the best ceviche I've had in years, only BZ$6 for an appetizer serving of shrimp ceviche, beautifully presented and really big enough for two.
COROZAL TOWN
Y Not at Tony's Inn in Corozal Town (Tony's spelled backwards, get it?) Always the best fajitas in Belize, in a pleasant, breezy bayside setting.
Patti's Bistro in Corozal Town -- where you can eat your fill of fried chicken, pork chops, stew chicken and other local dishes for literally almost nothing. What a bargain!
HOPKINS
Barracuda Bar & Restaurant at Beaches and Dreams, Hopkins -- the restaurant was closed the night we were there, but Tony invited us for appetizers, which were delicious. Local spots like Innies and Iris’s are a bargain, and if you want Indian food you won’t be disappointed in Taste of India.
PLACENCIA
Bistro at Maya Beach Hotel, Maya Beach -- still one of the best restaurants in Belize, with lots of interesting new things on the menu. The Bistro has been expanded, with more seats with a view of the beach and the new hotel pool.
French Connection, Placencia Village -- their new location next to the police station is going to be terrific. We loved the snapper and grouper. Tha-ank you!
Chef Frank DaSilva at the Inn at Robert's Grove in Seine Bight turns out consistency at a high standard. Everything is perfectly prepared, and that's something you rarely can say about a restaurant in Belize. And the Saturday night barbecue, with heaps lobster tails, shrimps, fish, chicken and all the fixings, is unsurpassed.
We only had drinks at Rumfish y Vino, Placencia Village, but the food looked enticing, and the setting was appealing.
Wendy’s, in its new location, is still pretty good but a lot more expensive than it used to be. Omar’s also has a new spot on the main road.
Tutti Fruiti, Placencia Village -- it's worth a trip to Placencia just to try the gelati here, the best between at least New York City and Buenos Aires, maybe the best anywhere outside Italy.
CAYO
Mystic River Lodge, Cristo Rey Road near San Ignacio -- one of the best jungle lodge dinners I've ever had in Belize.
Another delicious jungle meal I enjoyed was at Pook's Hill near Belmopan. Here it's serve buffet style, but it's healthful, well-prepared and in bountiful quantities.
In San Ignacio, Hannah’s is now called Ko-Ox Han-Nah and remains one of my favorites in town, along with Hode’s. Mom’s is also good.
PUNTA GORDA
Hickatee Cottages -- we had the best breakfast on the entire trip. Kate is a wonderful cook, and Hickatee is a wonderful place to stay, at very reasonable rates. Earth Runnin’s has reopened and has a nice Rasta vibe. Gomier’s is great if you can find it open. Mangrove Inn has a homey atmosphere (you enter the restaurant literally through the owner’s home), and Marian’s Bayview has good food but a very limited menu, with only a couple of dishes on a given night. I still like Grace’s, especially for breakfast.
BELIZE CITY
And I can't overlook the cheeseburger and fries at Riverside Tavern in Belize City. In my book, and I know my beefburgers, this is the best burger in Belize. Even the 6 oz. version is a mouthful (BZ$16 with fries). And of course the beer is fresh and cold.
Coldest beer in Belize: Pedro's Inn in San Pedro (Full disclosure: Owner Peter Lawrence bought me a Belikin.) Cheapest beer this trip: A 12 oz. Bravo at a little cafe in Flores, Guatemala -- 6 quetzales or about 78 U.S. cents. Cheapest local rum drink -- BZ$2 at Wish-Willy's on Caye Caulker.
Speakin' of drinkin', don't miss the new Traveller's Rum Museum or Heritage Center on the Northern Highway in Belize City. It's small, and free, but it's full of history and interesting displays, and you can get free samples of all kinds of Traveller's offerings.
Best French fries: At Pelican Beach in Dangriga. Crispy on the outside, soft and with a real potato taste inside. And the ketchup was thick, not the watered stuff you get at some restaurants.
--Lan Sluder
Fodor's Belize 2010
http://www.belizefirst.com
