9 Best Restaurants in The Cayo District, Belize

Next door to the Hibiscus Hotel, Corkers is run by the husband-and-wife team of Geoff Hatto-Hembling and Sam Buxton from the United Kingdom. To catch any breezes, sit in the covered, open-air patio, or you can dine inside in the cozy air-conditioned dining room. The menu is eclectic, ranging from classic English fish-and-chips and a grilled American cheeseburger with fries to Indian curries, plus pasta, steak, pork ribs, fried chicken, and a nice variety of salads.

Inside the Sleeping Giant Lodge, you'll find a gastronomic delight. In a beautiful setting, The Grove House serves up fresh-from-the-field, homemade meals that look amazing and taste even better. Start with homemade bread and fresh churned butter; for breakfast, try the stuffed fry jacks. At dinner, the coconut shrimp is a surefire hit.

Located in a remodeled colonial framehouse on the far end of Burns Avenue, Guava Limb Café serves an eclectic mix of delicious soups, seafood, salads, and local and American dishes that have given it a reputation as the best restaurant in San Ignacio. Run by the owners of The Lodge at Chaa Creek, there's open-air seating and a bar on the first level, while a second-level veranda overlooks Macal River Park. You'll enjoy fresh, artful dishes like herb and garlic pan-seared shrimp with butternut squash bisque and jasmine rice, or glazed spare ribs with potato croquettes.

From the Mayan language, Ko-Ox Han-Nah roughly translates to "let's go eat." It's far from fancy—you eat on simple tables in what is essentially a large open-front building on busy Burns Avenue—but service is cheerful, and the food is inexpensive and well prepared. Much of the food is raised on the farm of the Zimbabwe-born owner. In addition to the usual Belizean beans-and-rice dishes, Ko-Ox Han-Nah serves fusion food influenced by Mexican, Southeast Asian, and North and South Indian cooking, with salads, sandwiches, burritos, Burmese dishes, Cambodian and Korean chicken dishes, and Indian lamb curries.

In business since 1984, the Caladium is one of the oldest businesses in this young capital. Most Belizeans know it, since it's next to the bus station at Market Square. Here you'll find many of the country's favorites on the menu, including fried chicken, tender barbecued pork ribs, traditional rice and beans with chicken, beef, or pork, and conch soup. It's authentic, clean, affordable, well run, and air-conditioned.

San Ignacio's take on gourmet dining serves up elevated fare like lamb chops in a chocolate balsamic glaze and short ribs risotto. Chef Alejandro cooks the steaks so they melt in your mouth but his chimichurri sauce is the real MVP. For foodies, this quaint little spot is not to be missed. 

Nothing fancy here, just down-home Belizean dishes at moderate prices, and that's exactly why it's popular. Go for the traditional beans-and-rice dishes or a fish platter; the ceviche is good, too. If you're in the mood for something else, you can get a pizza. It's a couple of blocks off the main drag, so it's quieter and more relaxing here, whether you dine on the veranda or inside in the homey dining room.

With sizzling spices, this restaurant transforms basics like chicken or pork chops beyond standard fare. Try the pork in brandy-mustard sauce, the coconut chicken, or the piña colada fish. Eat in the casual dining room or out on the covered deck, with views through the vines and flowers. In a residential area off Benque Road, the place can be hard to find, especially after dark so consider taking a taxi.

What's a Sri Lankan restaurant doing here? The original Ceylonese owner and his wife came to Belize with the British Army, and like many other squadies (enlisted men), decided to stay on and open a business. Over the years, the menu here has migrated more to Belizean, Chinese, and American dishes such as rice and beans, burgers, grilled fish, and fried chicken. The new owners are a Belizean-American couple, but you can still get authentic Sri Lankan curries (you choose the heat level) and a choice of teas. The conversion of part of Burns Avenue to a pedestrian mall has given Serendib an appealing location, and there's outdoor dining in a patio out back.