Maya Beach Hotel Bistro

"Go to Placencia, Belize. Eat at this bistro. The Maya Beach Hotel's bistro is hands down one of the best restaurants in Belize—in fact, it's been named Belize 's restaurant of the year not once but twice. The food is a French spin on traditional Belizean fare, and the outdoor seating area is right on the beach, just steps from the Caribbean Sea. Order the coconut shrimp (served with a spicy mango sauce) and the roasted pumpkin-coconut-green chili soup to start, and lobster grilled cheese (with cheddar, brie, and brunoise) or layered veggies (roasted potatoes, onions, and plantains with a tomato vinaigrette and jalapeño-tofu aioli) for a main course."

"Go to Placencia, Belize. Eat at this bistro. The Maya Beach Hotel's bistro is hands down one of the best restaurants in Belize—in fact, it's been named Belize 's restaurant of the year not once but twice. The food is a French spin on traditional Belizean fare, and the outdoor seating area is right on the beach, just steps from the Caribbean Sea. Order the coconut shrimp (served with a spicy mango sauce) and the roasted pumpkin-coconut-green chili soup to start, and lobster grilled cheese (with cheddar, brie, and brunoise) or layered veggies (roasted potatoes, onions, and plantains with a tomato vinaigrette and jalapeño-tofu aioli) for a main course."

"John and Ellen left their home countries ( Australia and the United States) to build a life in Belize andopen a restaurant and hotel, thus giving them the time to connect with people in a meaningful way. Whether their passion for life makes the food at the Maya Beach Hotel Bistro so good, or whether John’s talent is simply deserving of a Michelin rating he might never receive, I don’t know. I do know that I can’t get the craving for their garlic and goat cheese appetizer out of my head, I can still close my eyes and taste the complex flavors of the lamb and feta salad that I enjoyed, and I have never tasted anythinglike John’s peanut butter ice cream pie. Other dinner standouts include leek flan with grilled conch, and shrimp French toast. Maya Beach Hotel Bistro is open to hotel guests and the public for three meals a day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m."