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One of the best things about San Pedro, Belize, is the food! Not a single McDonald’s or Starbucks exists on Ambergris Caye! Please let it stay this way. Every cuisine and budget is available on this island. Fresh food featuring local options offer the best pricing. Since we like to travel in the off-season, our visits coincide with lobster season, so we eat a lot of lobster! This post is divided into three categories of best restaurants in San Pedro Belize: Cheap Eats, Moderate Eats, and Special Treats.
Best restaurants in San Pedro Belize: Cheap Eats
Waruguma
Angel Coral Street (Back Street) – Website
This place is a must-try! We shared a lobster burrito – the stuffing contained at least one lobster tail, topped by another lobster tail, covered with a coconut cream sauce! And all for $8US! I overlooked the slightly over-cooked lobster, considering the price, the quantity, and the entire presentation. Like a lot of the local restaurants, the facility consists of an open space with dirt floors and wooden tables – nothing fancy. Expect it to be filled with locals. Don’t come when you’re hungry or when it is crowded as food is cooked to order!
Neri’s Tacos
The adventurous who want to try real local food, go to Neri’s Tacos, about two blocks from the airport. Foreigners rarely come. Since the workers spoke more creole than Spanish, even I had a hard time communicating here! Fortunately, between the picture menus and locals helping me, we ordered an array of items. The food is super cheap – we’re talking $1BZ for some items, so don’t expect huge quantities. Because of the price, you can buy many items and try it all (like we did above)! You must try the fry jacks (a local fried bread, often topped or stuffed with something like ham or beans). But be forewarned that when they run out of fry jacks, they are out!
Robin’s Kitchen
Across the street from our hotel, Robin sets up a grill on which he spends his afternoon grilling his jerk chicken. Don’t come here expecting to be served when you are hungry – the food is ready when it is ready and once it runs out, the place closes. Once finished cooking, Robin leaves and his wife takes over making plates. For a very decent fee, your plate is filled with jerk chicken, rice, beans, and a type of coleslaw.
The Truck Stop
1 Mile North – Website
Located on the north side of the bridge, The Truck Stop is worth a stopover for a bite and a drink. Transformed shipping containers form the buildings. Featuring a bar, an ice cream place, a Malaysian fusion, and an arepa place, something is sure to please everyone in a group. We enjoyed hot and spicy shrimp and a spring roll from the Malaysian place. There are plenty of tables in the middle and the back areas. You can lounge or play cornhole and other games. All Incredibly friendly and helpful employees recommended food and drinks based on your likes. Bring lots and lots of bug spray since you are outside!
Best Restaurants in San Pedro Belize: Moderate Eats
Caramba!
20 Pescador Drive (Middle Street – Can’t-miss it!)
You can’t beat the menu and the options. As you can see from the photos above, you go outside and choose your own fresh seafood. A friendly restaurant person will give you pricing before you select (so you’re not surprised at the end of the meal!) and will guide you on cooking suggestions if you like. The food is cooked to order (you picked the food and selected the cooking style, remember?) so the meal could take a while but you can’t beat the freshness!
Stella’s Sunset
1 Mile North
Located on the north side of the bridge, this romantic and elegant restaurant features a limited menu during the week. The night we went offered Robin’s Kitchen jerk chicken or grilled fish. We drank the bottomless sangria for $12US – which was dangerous because they constantly refilled our glasses! Someone from the restaurant picked up a couple from our hotel, in a golf cart, of course – door to door service!
El Fogon
#2 Trigger Fish Street – Website
Belizean food kicked up a notch and located about a half a block from the airport. We tried the conch ceviche and Belizean creole. Our waiter forgot our appetizer but we were full anyway! Considering we visited during the low season, the crowd showed the popularity of this place with locals and tourists alike. The decor features wooden picnic tables covered by a table cloth and sand on the ground for a laid back atmosphere.
Blue Water Grill
Beachfront, Barrier Reef Drive (across from Tropic Air) – Website
A fancier restaurant located across the street from the airport and facing the water. The menu changes every night with different themes. The fabulous location features a view of the boats and tours coming and going from San Pedro. The coconut shrimp skewers have a unique presentation – try the black bean sauce with it. Our empty plates proved how delicious the fish tacos, jerk chicken wrap, and falafel salad were!
Elvi’s Kitchen
Pescador Drive – Website
I dreamt of the Mayan Buffet featured on Friday nights from the time we booked our trip. Unfortunately, it was not offered during the off-season. We shared a big fried fish for $65 Bz and asked our waitress how to eat it! The jalapeños stuffed with chicken and cheese, which had a bit of heat, were a nice appetizer. The freshly made coconut pie was served warm with a scoop of ice cream (Finally! A place that offered dessert!).
Best Restaurants in San Pedro Belize: Special Treats
Palmilla at Victoria House
22 Coconut Drive (2 Miles South) – Website
This 2020 Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards Finalist luxury resort offers world-class dining too. Choose to sit in air-conditioned comfort or enjoy the breeze of the ocean as you taste the chef’s creations. Focusing on fresh and local ingredients whenever possible, your taste buds will thank you for the experience. This is one of two places that the locals kept telling us that they wanted to be taken to for their special celebrations. Those are the kinds of places we seek out, but that are, unfortunately, often closed during the off-season.
Hidden Treasures
Escalante Subdivision, 1.5 Miles South – Website
Popular with locals and tourists alike, Hidden Treasures offers fine dining in a rustic setting. For tourists, they offer free shuttles to guests staying in town or south and will pick up guests at the water ferry terminal for those staying north of town. Their menu focuses on Latin American and Caribbean Cuisine. Join them for live music on Thursday nights.
Mambo at Matachica Resort
5 Miles North – Website
This luxury resort located about five miles north of San Pedro features a well-reputed restaurant. We arranged a pick up at the dock from downtown San Pedro and enjoyed a moonlit boat ride. We were the only guests not staying at the resort, so we were rushed through the end of our dinner. The beautiful night created a romantic moonlight ride. The prices were out of this world (definitely not The Common Traveler approved!). I can’t remember if any of the entrees on the menu were less than $35US – a lot pricier compared to the fabulous food we enjoyed at other places. If you’re looking for a special treat, consider Mambo, because for me the ambiance and the ride made up for the prices!
You can read more about Belize here:
- One Week Itinerary: Adventure and Relaxation
- The Truth About Visiting the ATM Cave
- The Best Things to do in Belize
- Best Things to do in Caye Caulker
Please let us know what restaurants in San Pedro Belize you’ve enjoyed in a comment below!
Happy travels!
Annick, The Common Traveler
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Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. Now that the children are gone, but still saving for retirement, she enjoys traveling in an affordable way and wants to share those ideas.