-
$$ | Fort George |
One of the city’s best vegan/vegetarian restaurants holds court in an early-20th-century colonial waterfront building with great views of the harbor. Begin your day with a fruit bowl, accompanied by avocado toast or a spinach and cheddar quiche. Lunch and dinner might give way to an Open Face No Tuna—really curried chickpeas with a balsamic guava vinaigrette or a Buddha Bowl, homemade hummus with veggies and brown rice. The entire production comes courtesy of the relaxing, slightly trendy Harbour View Cottages across the street. Two notes: it’s a climb of several steps to get up to the second-floor restaurant; and shoes are left at the door if you dine inside, but not if you eat out on the wraparound veranda.
14 Fort St., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Vegan and vegetarian options in a meat-eating city
- Dining with a view
- Traditional "namaste" greeting from the friendly staff
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
-
$$ | Fort George |
The large dining courtyard here is shaded by breadfruit, mango, and sapodilla trees—you’ll see the staff cutting down those fruits to put in your dish—and big turquoise umbrellas. The solid Belizean menu contains dishes with whimsical names like “Not your mamma’s waffles, unless she’s vegan,” which designates plantain waffles with scrambled tofu. Service is attentive: 501 doubles as a training facility for workers in the hospitality industry. The proceedings all take place on the ground floor of The Great House hotel, although it’s a separate business. (Belize’s international telephone code is 501, hence the name.)
13 Cork St., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Good variety, including vegan options
- Attentive service
- Pleasant garden setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
-
$$ | Commercial District |
One of the city's most popular and agreeable restaurants serves up dependably good food, with friendly service and safe parking. The signature hamburgers, which come in several sizes from 6 oz. to enormous, are arguably the best in Belize. Try one with the stacked onion rings. The Tavern has steak and prime rib dishes, from cattle at the owners' farm. Sit inside in air-conditioned comfort, at tables set around a huge bar, or on the outside covered patio overlooking Haulover Creek. This is one of the few restaurants in Belize with a dress code—shorts aren't allowed at night (at least in theory). The fenced, guarded parking lot right in front of the restaurant makes it easy and safe to park for free.
2 Mapp St., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Best burgers in the city
- Friendly staff
- Gated parking lot
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$$ | Commercial District |
This longtime local seafood favorite is an open-air seaside bar and restaurant on the little islet at the south end of Regent Street, also called Bird's Isle. The thatched-roof spot is a great place to sip tropical drinks and eat local seafood (the fried snapper is a favorite) or other dishes at lunch, away from the hustle of downtown. You'll like the prices, too. Always take a taxi after dark, as the neighborhood can be sketchy at night.
9 Albert St., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Solid seafood offerings
- Saturday-afternoon barbecue
- Cool sea breezes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.–Wed.
-
$$$ | Marine Parade Harbor Front |
Visit at lunch or dinner almost any day and you'll see a cross-section of Belize City's movers and shakers—attorneys, businesspeople, politicians—enjoying the restaurant's large menu of U.S.-inspired seafood, steaks, pasta, and salads, along with Belizean comfort food. If you can get past the flamboyant wallpaper in the main dining room and the fairly basic selection of drinks and wine, you'll enjoy it, too. This is a dressier restaurant. No ties and evening wear are needed, but shorts and T-shirts are out of place. There's a guarded parking lot.
Marine Parade Blvd., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Lobster hollandaise
- Attentive service
- The place to see and be seen in Belize City
-
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
-
$ | |
Long a fixture near the Belize Zoo, Cheers has a good open-air restaurant that attracts local farmers and lots of zoo visitors. You won't go wrong with any of the local dishes, such as stew chicken with rice and beans, but it has good breakfasts and, for lunch, burgers, sandwiches, and daily specials. If you want to stay in the area longer, there are three simple cabins for rent on the property's 37 acres. Book ahead to get the lowest rates on lodging; walk-in rates are a little higher.
Mile 31.25 George Price Hwy., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Hearty breakfasts
- Stew chicken
- Tasty burgers
-
$$ | Commercial District |
Locally adored for four decades, Chon Saan Palace is the best Chinese restaurant in Belize City, which is otherwise full of 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.
1 Kelly St., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Dizzying menu
- Chinese-style crab legs
- Weekend sushi and sashimi offerings
-
$$ | | Latin American
We don't often include airport restaurants, but Global Spice, a no-frills restaurant near the "waving gallery" on the second floor of the main terminal, will leave you with a nice taste of Belize. It's not a gourmet restaurant, just a good place to get that farewell plate of stew chicken with rice and beans and a cold Belikin.
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, 2nd level of main terminal, Ladyville, Belize District, Belize
-
$$$ | Marine Parade Harbor Front |
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.)
1 Princess Margaret Dr., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Lively patrons
- Cool sea breezes
- Good drink selection
-
$ | Commercial District |
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 more exotic flavors. Rest assured that you'll find vanilla and chocolate if you're feeling more "vanilla." Choose from standard or waffle cones, sundaes, or milk shakes, and enjoy the air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi. You'll find a branch in San Ignacio in the Cayo, too.
17 Eve St., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Exotic flavors
- Whimsical seasonal offerings
- Atmosphere of a stateside ice-cream parlor
-
-
$ | Commercial District |
Often packed, Nerie's is the vox populi of dining in Belize City. The many traditional dishes on the menu include fry jacks for breakfast and cow-foot soup for lunch. Stew chicken with rice and beans and a soft drink is always an economical choice. There's another location on Douglas Jones Street. You're in the heart of the Commercial District, so a taxi to and from is a must if you come here for dinner.
Queen and Daly Sts., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Solid Belizean food
- Lively local crowd
- Great prices
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$$ | Northern Suburbs |
This nondescript Mediterranean/Lebanese restaurant in the Northern Suburbs has good kebabs, kofta, falafel, and hummus, with many vegetarian options. Service isn't always perfect, but the food is consistently good.
Mile 3, Philip Goldson Hwy., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Solid Middle Eastern menu
- Several vegetarian offerings
- Good variety of kebabs
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
-
$$ | Marine Parade Harbor Front |
Tasty northern and southern Indian food is created at Sumathi in its authentic tandoori oven—a large clay oven with intense heat—which cooks meat and seafood quickly, leaving it crispy on the outside and juicy inside. Try the tandoori chicken, with cumin, ginger, and minty yogurt, served with naan. There are many vegetarian options, too. Portions are generous. Service is sometimes a weak point.
19 Baymen Ave., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
Known For
- Lots of vegan and vegetarian options
- Generous portions
- Good value at lunch buffet
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
-
$$ | | American
Located in the Tourism Village, overlooking the boardwalk where cruise-ship tenders drop off passengers, there's no question of the target market of the Wet Lizard. Don't expect more than a bar with average bar food. The Wet Lizard, which focuses on lunch on days there are cruise ships in town, has expanded with a gift shop and a tour operation.
Fort Street Tourism Village, 1 Fort St., Belize City, Belize District, Belize
