Discover Belize: The Best Foods to Try on Your Next Visit

Feb 17, 2025

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While Belize may be best known for its spectacular landscapes, Mayan temples, and some of the world's best snorkeling and diving, it's also renowned for its mouthwatering cuisine. When visiting this country you can tantalize your taste buds by savoring delicious eats everywhere from bustling street markets to local restaurants serving traditional dishes, including lots of fresh seafood and fish along the coast. With a unique blend of Caribbean, Maya, Spanish, and Creole influences, you can expect a diverse and enticing mix of flavors wherever you are in the country.

Whether enjoyed independently or with a guide, sampling these top 10 must-try drinks and foods in Belize that embody the vibrant culture is sure to make for a memorable culinary adventure.

Ceviche

Ceviche comes in a variety of flavors that can serve as a light main dish or an appetizer. It’s becoming increasingly popular around the world but some of the best can be enjoyed right here in Belize. Belize ceviche is typically made with fresh, raw conch and shrimp that’s marinated in a mix of cilantro, tomatoes, onions, habanero peppers, and lime juice. Other ingredients like garlic may be used with chefs often adding their own unique twists. The lime juice “cooks” this dish by denaturing the proteins in the seafood, firming the flesh, and making it opaque, similar to what cooking with heat does. On a hot day, there’s nothing like enjoying Belizean ceviche with homemade chips and a Belikin beer, especially outdoors by the beach at Lily’s Treasure Chest in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye.

Conch Fritters

Conch is one of the most delectable types of seafood you’ll find in Belize and throughout the Caribbean. The meat is tender and slightly sweet, enjoyed in everything from stews to fritters. Conch fritters are made with minced conch that’s tossed in a batter of flour, eggs, spices, and onions before being deep-fried to golden perfection. Soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside, fair warning, these bite-sized morsels are addictive! Elvi’s kitchen is a great place to try them in San Pedro, often while enjoying live music.

Rice & Beans

The national dish of Belize is rice and beans. A staple deeply rooted in the country’s culinary heritage, it reflects the diverse influences of multiple cultures, including Caribbean, Creole, Mayan, and Garifuna. Often using kidney beans, cooked with coconut milk and served with stewed chicken, El Fogon, specializing in authentic Belizean foods, offers a friendly and laid-back atmosphere for enjoying it as one of the most popular eateries in San Pedro.

Johnny Cakes

One of the most popular breads served at breakfast, sometimes used in a breakfast sandwich, Johnny cakes are often split and filled with refried beans and leftover stewed chicken or ham and cheese. Celi’s Deli on Front Street in San Pedro is one of the local’s favorite spots to pick them up, but you’ll need to arrive before 10 a.m.

Fry Jack

Fry jacks are a traditional Belizean dish made of deep fried pieces of flour dough that are typically shaped into triangles or circles. Fluffy, crispy, and versatile, they’re a popular part of a Belizean breakfast, available in both sweet and savory flavors. The Fry Jack House offers a wide variety in signature gourmet styles, with a menu featuring everything from the Nacho Jack and Pepperoni Pizza Jack to the Strawberry Jack.

Tamales

Tamales are one of the world’s oldest foods, traced all the way back to the ancient Maya who often prepared them for feasts. In Belize, they originated with the Maya and Mestizo culture. They’re made from masa, a corn dough, which is filled with seasoned meat, typically pork or chicken, wrapped in waha leaves from the Calathea lutea plant (or banana leaves if waha isn’t available) and then boiled or steamed. For some of the best tamales in San Pedro, try the highly-rated Sweet-Tutz & Delights Restaurant.

Empanadas

Belizean empanadas are also known as panades. Also made from masa, they’re typically filled with beans, chicken, or fish and then deep fried and served with an onion or cabbage sauce. Brianna’s, one of the best places to dine on Belizean comfort foods in San Pedro, offers some of the tastiest authentic empanadas.

Fresh-Squeezed Lime Juice

If you’re one of the fortunate who are invited to Sunday dinner with locals, something that grandmas typically prepare in their households, you’ll probably be served fresh-squeezed lime juice to go with it. The typical meal includes rice, beans, and stew chicken with a side of potato salad.

Many bars in Belize serve drinks that use fresh-squeezed lime juice too. That includes the national cocktail, rum punch that you’ll see on every drink menu throughout the country, including San Pedro. In addition to lime juice, it includes white rum, coconut rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine. You’ll find some of the tastiest at Wayo’s Beach Bar and Palapa Bar and Grill.

Fresh Coconut Water

Coconut water (known locally as coconut wata) can be found throughout Belize at roadside vendors, shops, and gas stations. You might have tried this refreshing drink high in electrolytes and rich in nutrients out of a can, but it can’t be beat enjoyed fresh at Lydia’s Fresh & Pure Coconut Water in downtown San Pedro on Front Street.

Belikin Beer

The national beer of Belize, Belikin is a European-style lager, with the name derived from the Mayan language, translating to “Road to the East.” It has a 4.8% alcohol content and while good on its own, it’s even better with Belizean food, including ceviche, alongside fresh-made corn chips and hot sauce.