Top 10 places to eat while in San Ignacio Belize

Here are my top 10 places to eat while in San Ignacio Belize. These are in no particular order. While there are so many amazing places to eat these were the places that stood out not only with the food but also with customer service.

1. Hodes, had something for everyone traveling in our group. But the biggest reason it is on my list was the customer service the people that work here were so friendly. I had such a lovely time talking to the servers and getting to know them. We really enjoyed the seating area and the Ambience of this restaurant. the location was easy to get to. Which made coming back a lot easier. We had food here multiple times during our stay. Try the corn taster platter. I cannot wait to go back for more.
2. Montero’s BBQ, The first day here we took a walk down from our airbnb and saw a large group of people lined up for what looked like BBQ. We decided to get in that lineup. We were so happy we did. The food was delicious. (shoutout to Rhyan from Wine Smith for giving me the name of this place because it really deserves to be on my list)
3. Booze and Branches, Hands down the best ceviche I have ever eaten. The Ambience of this place is beautiful. It’s an open air restaurant with a bar that wraps around a large tree. whimsical is a word I would use to describe it. Really something beautiful here.
4. The Bluffs, What can I say about this place… Rustic country vibes, Amazing customer service, Delicious food. We felt at home here. One of the best steaks I have had. The baked potato melted in my mouth. They even have a fire in the evening where you can sit around and have a drink.
5. Crave, Introduced me to basil hummus, The hummus board we had here was delicious. We stopped here one afternoon for a drink and ended up ordering the hummus board after Humberto the bar tender suggested it. He did not lie when he said it was delicious. I will certainly be back. Yu can sit right outside at the bar and have something to eat.
6. The Spot, Spent a Saturday afternoon here. Started with iced coffees and a delicious meal of stewed chicken, rice and beans. The ambiance here is very laid back. We opted to sit out in the back area. Here they had comfortable chairs and tables outside under a canopy. You could also sit inside if you liked but we loved the back area. The staff were really friendly and made the visit even more fantastic. I loved the map on the wall where you can add a pin to where you are travelling from.
7. The Aquada, Recommended by a friend that stated they have the best potato salad, so Ray and I made a detour one day after being up to the property mapping out where we wanted things to go. We popped in and unfortunately, they were closed for a function. We started talking to the staff about our visit and that this was a recommendation and guess what they did? You got it they went in and asked the kitchen staff if it was possible for us to get stewed chicken with rice and beans accompanied by the potato salad. I was surprised they did this for us. Now that is customer service. The meal was so delicious. I cannot wait to go when they are open to try something else off the menu.
8. Amy’s kitchen, My first stewed chicken rice and beans meal. A small food hut up close to Xunantunich the owners are a lovely couple and the food was very tasty. When my plate arrived at our table I was unsure on how I would manage to eat everything. I did eat as much as I could. The vegetable medley that was with my meal was my favorite thing.
9. Nelson’s, I ordered Pupusa’s here for the first time and they were amazingly delicious. I had beans and cheese in mine and I still crave them. A little hut located on the side of the street in Santa Elena. This will be one of my first stops when I go back.
10. Any Eatery at the Saturday Market, Go enjoy the outside and explore the different food options here. Try the Salbutes, Empanadas, Garnaches, Pupsusas, Stuffed fry jacks. There are so many options here and all of them equally delicious in their own way. Grab some fresh fruit, or check out the butcher huts. There is a little bit of everything here.

Honestly while there we never had a bad experience in any of the places we went to. There was always something new to try and the customer service was amazing. Just the ones I mentioned stood out a little bit more to me. We loved trying more of the places the locals like to go to. Keep in mind this is my list yours may be different. Also there are so many more places I want to try when we return for 2024.