We equal parts planned for and stumbled upon a number of great places to eat, drink and be merry during our time on Belize’s Caye Caulker. These spots ranged from places to grab-and-go to more relaxed sit-down options, from locales with intimate settings to those with spectacular views.

Key to enjoying any dining or drinking establishment you visit is remembering the Caye Caulker motto, ‘Go Slow.’ As we discovered, it applies to restaurant service too!

Here are a few great spots we checked out during our time on Caye Caulker.

Breakfast on Caye Caulker

Errolyn’s House of Fry Jacks

We ate some tasty fry jacks in San Ignacio so I had an idea of what to expect the morning we walked over to Errolyn’s for her fry jacks stuffed with breakfast goodies. I thought the prices were reasonable and the fry jacks were a decent size, but I’m not sure I would say they were outrageously better than any of the others we had during our time in Belize.

Most people were picking up their orders to go but we placed our order at the walk-up window and then grabbed one of the very few bar stools on the porch in the shade to enjoy our breakfast.

Ice n’ Beans

Steps away from the place we stayed, Ice n’ Beans became our first stop of the day almost every morning we were there. This bustling breakfast joint has friendly staff who give you free tastes of their daily iced coffee special, loads of breakfast drink and food options, and killer outdoor seating along the water – picnic tables, hammocks, swings, oh my!

The bagels and schmear were great, Brian really enjoyed the cinnamon roll special one day, and my fruit smoothie was also tasty. My only word of warning is to be prepared to wait. On the days we had plenty of time, it was lovely sitting and people watching. But we were both getting antsy the morning we had a water taxi to catch when my bagel still hadn’t appeared after a 20-minute wait. I thought we were going to have to leave the bagel behind, but it finally appeared, we ran to the ferry, and I ended up inhaling it as we boarded the boat.

Dinner on Caye Caulker

Hibisca by Habanero

Hibisca was recommended by several bloggers so we popped in for dinner our first night. The service and entrees left a little to be desired and the prices were a little high, but the infamous creole voodoo cakes appetizer with the incredible wasabi dipping sauce was well worth it, as was my basil margarita.

The best part of the experience was the live music – there was an incredible guitarist/vocalist who I could have listened to all night. I’d say this spot is worth visiting for drinks and apps on a night they have entertainment.

Maggie’s Sunset Kitchen

After a full day of activities that culminated in a beautiful sunset, we were looking for a low-key place for dinner and decided to check out Maggie’s. This spot is off the beaten path and was recommended by the place we were staying.

We arrived at the right time – there were a few people finishing up drinks in the covered seating area along the water so we were able to sneak our dinner orders into the kitchen before people really started to arrive.

Both our dishes were very good – Brian had a somewhat spicy shrimp dish with rice, and I had a very yummy curry seafood bowl with a side of plantains. I’m pictured below with a drink Brian had been asking me to order throughout our trip called the ‘panty ripper!’ (the name in the menu actually had an exclamation mark after it). It was fine, but I think he enjoyed the name more than I enjoyed the drink!

Pasta per Caso by Anna and Armando

One of the best meals of our trip was at Pasta Per Caso. Not only was all of the food absolutely delicious, but Armando was the most accommodating and lovely host and the ambiance was relaxing and cozy-meets-intimate.

I was very nervous we wouldn’t get in because many things I read said you had to have a reservation. This was true and the place was packed throughout the evening, but we were able to make our reservation the same day, and in fact just 3-4 hours before we dined.

They make two pasta dishes each day – one vegetarian and one not. We ordered one of each and a beautiful salad to share as our appetizer. Anna’s famous artichoke spread on the freshly baked bread was as incredible as other’s said it would be. I would absolutely recommend finding a way to fit this spot into your visit to Caye Caulker!

Drinks and Snacks on Caye Caulker

Iguana Reef Inn

I had read that Iguana Reef Inn had a wonderful sandy beach and was the perfect spot for watching sunset – all true! It was fairly busy when we arrived about 45 minutes prior to sunset but we found spots in the outdoor bar area looking away from the people at the bar and out toward the water and sinking sun, which was perfect.

We were feeling festive so we ordered pina coladas and conch ceviche – all amazing, although Brian grabbed a small habanero in one of his conch ceviche bites and couldn’t drink enough water to clear the heat away!

Lots of additional people showed up for the actual sunset – there’s a nice pier extending into the water directly out from the outdoor bar and many people grabbed seats out there to watch the show. The multitude of chairs on the sandy beach were perfect viewing spots, too.

The Pelican Sunset Bar

Apparently we didn’t take a single picture at the Pelican Sunset Bar, which is a shame because we couldn’t find the place and I wanted to give it a special plug! I’m not sure what Google Maps said, but it had us wandering around a power plant until a friendly security guard came out and told us to walk all the way around to a dead-end road that would lead us directly to the bar.

This was another perfect spot for grabbing a drink and watching the sun set, although they have a pretty robust food menu too if you wanted to make this your evening destination.

The staff were very friendly, and we ended up staying well after sunset chatting with Graham, a Canadian from Vancouver Island who lives on Caye Caulker many months of the year. It was funny running into someone else from the Pacific Northwest at this relatively obscure bar – he couldn’t believe we had ridden our motorcycles around his island and knew spots like Sooke and Tofino! We had a great time chatting with him, people watching, and catching another brilliant sunset.

Likely you can’t go wrong anywhere you duck in for food and drink during your stay at Caye Caulker – just remember you’re on island time and go with the flow!