Located inside an elegant beachfront hotel, the Maya Beach Hotel Bistro offers daily breakfast, lunch and dinner with the exception of Mondays. Despite the small size and isolation of Placencia, this gourmet bistro succeeds in obtaining an impressive array of ingredients that you won't find in your typical fish shack, and the space is airy and clean. Start off with an order of coconut ribs, bacon-wrapped shrimp or fresh ceviche to whet your appetite. For your main course, try the cocoa-dusted pork chop with tropical papaya-coconut sauce serve over risotto, fresh fish with roasted vegetables and green onion cream sauce or classic Italian cioppino seafood stew with five different types of onions.
Maya Beach Hotel Bistro
Maya Beach, Placencia
Belize, Central America
011-501-520-8040
mayabeachhotel.com
Featured in the March 2009 issue of GQ magazine, this newer addition to the Placencia dining scene offers an impressive wine list and variety of tasty comfort foods with a local Belizean flair. Rumfish y vino overlooks a cricket field and provides both indoor and outdoor seating, including a large rectangular bar. Sample a wide range of flavors from the tapas and small plates list, including spiced plantain chips, shrimp ceviche with pineapple and pico de gallo, beer-battered fished tacos or Lebanese mankousha pizza topped with garbanzo beans, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. You can also order customized pasta dishes with your choice of clam, marinara, alfredo and other sauces.
Placencia Village Square
Placencia, Stann Creek District
Belize, Central America
011-501-523-3293
rumfishyvino.com
French Connection offers the "best meal in Belize," according to Conde Nast Traveler, and Fodor's travel guide calls it "a sophisticated addition to Placencia dining." Opened in 2005, this upscale European bistro occupies a Mayan-inspired thatched roof structure outlined by organic gardens and sugar cane plants. Reasonably priced dishes like the lyonnasie onion and stilton tartlette served with apple salad and cashew serve as lessons in contemporary world cuisine, while the pan-fried grouper filet with lobster crushed potatoes and Creole buerre blanc help remind you where you are. French Connection also offers an early bird three-course set menu from 5 to 6 p.m. that changes daily.
French Connection
Main Street
Placencia, Stann Creek District
Belize, Central America
011-501-523-3656
frenchconnection.bz
