Ambergris Caye, BZ

A San Pedro institution that started as a burger window in 1974 and grew into a sit-down room with a sand floor and a tree growing through the roof. The menu runs Belizean and Caribbean: conch soup and fritters, mojo de ajo, whole fried fish.

Beachfront breakfast and lunch spot with tables in the sand just off the town centre. Known for fry jacks, Mayan eggs and Sunday barbecue ribs, with the water a few steps away.

Belizean home cooking done over a wood fire, on a back street near the airstrip. Stewed chicken, rice and beans and the day's specials draw a steady local lunch crowd in a sand-floored, no-frills room.

Family-run seafood kitchen on Pescador Drive built around the day's catch and build-your-own platters. Conch fritters, fish tacos, ceviche and grilled snapper, with cocktails from the bar.

Candlelit dinner-only restaurant tucked on a back street in south San Pedro, under a hardwood roof. The kitchen leans Latin American and Caribbean with local seafood and curries, and it is the island's go-to for a special-occasion night.

Long-running beachfront restaurant at SunBreeze in the town centre, with a broad menu of fresh seafood, wood-fired pizza and sushi on dedicated nights. The open-air dining room sits right on the sand.

Open-air bar and grill on a pier over the water just north of the town centre, with inner tubes tied to the deck so you can float with a drink. Burgers, ceviche, grilled fish and rum punch in a classic island-dock setting.

Lagoon-side wine bar and restaurant about a mile north of the bridge, facing the mangroves and the sunset. An American-Caribbean menu with strong vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options and a fire pit for after dark.

Waterfront cafe-bar in the Boca del Rio area north of the town centre, known for coffee, smoothies and a big breakfast and lunch menu including avocado toast and lobster Benedict. Casual seating right by the water.

Casual beach bar run by a Cayo District owner, with ocean views, micheladas and a short menu of bar food: steak bites, lobster tacos, ceviche. Live music and a regulars-and-travellers crowd.

Small taqueria in the town centre serving Mexican tacos with house aguas frescas and hibiscus margaritas, set in the owners' plant-filled garden. A tight, well-made menu.

Market-and-cafe north of the bridge with premium coffee, smoothies and baked goods, popular with the north-island residents. A reliable breakfast and lunch stop with a small-grocery side.

Town-centre dessert cafe known for layered cakes, cheesecakes and pies, including a coconut-cake cheesecake. A sweet stop and coffee break rather than a full meal.

Coffee house on Pescador Drive roasting its own beans, with a full breakfast-through-dinner menu and gluten-free options. A quieter, more local-leaning alternative to the beachfront cafes.

Japanese restaurant and sushi bar at Mahogany Bay, a couple of miles south of town. Beyond sushi the menu runs to ramen, curry and gyoza, in a polished room that is a change of pace from the seafood-and-Belizean norm.

The west-side stretch on the lagoon shore, reached by a roughly 40-minute golf-cart ride across the island from town. Shallow, still, clear water you can wade far out into, lined with beach bars and floating docks; the main place on the caye where you actually swim from shore.

The beach and waterfront path north of the town centre toward the river mouth, a flat walk past piers, bars and quieter sand than the central strip. A short, easy stroll that connects town to the Boca del Rio bars.

Protected land and sea at the far north tip of the caye, a UNESCO-listed area with mangrove and forest nature trails and Maya sites, reached only by a roughly hour-long boat trip from town. Rangers at the San Juan station and a small museum mark the start of the trails.

The town's waterfront promenade running the length of the central beach, past the park, piers and beach bars. A short flat walk that strings together the town's beachfront in one easy line.

Family-run dive and tour centre operating from the town centre since the 1980s, running Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley snorkel trips, reef and Blue Hole dives and certifications. One of the longest-established and most consistently rated operators on the caye.

PADI dive centre in the town centre offering snorkelling, scuba, fishing and sailing trips. Guides are noted for spotting marine life and keeping beginners comfortable, with twice-daily Hol Chan snorkel departures.

Locally owned catamaran operator running snorkel-and-sail and sunset cruises along the reef, in business for years with Belize Tourism Board-licensed guides. Bean-bag seating up front and drinks and snacks aboard.

Belize's first shipping-container food park, north of the bridge, with several food vendors, a beer garden, a lagoon-side deck and lawn games. A social hangout as much as a place to eat, drawing a mixed crowd of residents and travellers.

Beach bar at the Corona del Mar Hotel just south of town, best known for the Thursday-night Chicken Drop, a long-running local betting game where the crowd wagers on a numbered board. It moved here from its old downtown Spindrift home in 2022 and remains a loud, social island-night staple alongside drinks and live music.

Small beach bar with a pool and swim-up bar stools in the Tres Cocos area just north of the bridge, on the sea side behind Village Market. Weekly trivia and games nights make it a low-key evening spot rather than a late-night party bar.

The plaza at the heart of San Pedro town, on the beach side of the main drag, with the big coloured SAN PEDRO letters facing the water. By day it is vendors, a playground and benches; by night the surrounding bars become the centre of town nightlife.

The town's parish church, a short walk from Central Park near the waterfront. A working local landmark rather than a tourist sight, and a good marker for orienting yourself in the town grid.

Belize's first marine reserve, a cut through the barrier reef about four miles south of town where the channel concentrates turtles, rays, groupers and reef fish. Reached only by boat, it is the single biggest reason most people come to the caye.

Bean-to-bar chocolate shop and cafe in the town centre, making truffles, bars and cacao skincare on site. A small cultural stop tied to Belize's cacao history, with tasting flights and short chocolate-making sessions.