LIVING IN BELIZE – “Hopkins, Belize Restaurant Reviews”– 6/16/12

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On our vacation to Hopkins last week, Nige and I really did enjoy some amazing meals.  Frankly, I was surprised by how many wonderful little restaurants are hiding in this small Garifuna village.  Being a foodie from the States, I love any occasion to try somewhere new and indulge in tasty gastronomic delights!  Even though our hotel had a meal plan, locals aren’t allowed to participate (although they do give you a 20% food discount), and that was just fine with me. If you’re visiting Hopkins, here’s what I have to say about the following places: 

Driftwood Pizza Shack in Northern Hopkins-that's the view from the inside bar!!

Driftwood Pizza Shack – please see my blog from yesterday (http://www.wealthships.com/2012/06/15/living-in-belize-the-lebeha-drummer-group-feeling-like-a-local-in-hopkins-61512/) – quite possibly the best pizza in Belize!

Love on the Rocks – located smack dab in the center of town. This is the only “non-beach” restaurant we ate it, and boy am I glad we did. LOTR has nabbed my favorite restaurant in ALL of Belize (replacing my former favorite, Rumfish y Vino, in Placencia).  This location used to be occupied by Chef Rob, who moved down South (review coming up).  They opened December, 2011, and already have created quite a name for themselves. The name stems from their cooking style. They actually cook fresh fish (lobster, red snapper, etc) on a 700 degree lava rock, right at your table, just like the Maya’s used to.  It gives the fish an unbelievable flavor and aroma. All of their food was fabulous (Nige had the Alfredo Pasta, although he coveted my fish). Micah, the general manager, is incredibly friendly and accommodating – he never rushes you and aims to please.  Please be aware if you go, however, that they have a limited bar and dessert menu, but everything else makes up for it.  We did enjoy an incredible bottle of Blanc de Blancs vin de France (white) wine, which Micah brings in from Wine de Vine on the island ($35 usd).

 

The dining room at Love on the Rocks

Here's my Red Snapper cooking on the lava rock at Love on the Rocks!

Barracuda (located at the Beaches & Dreams Inn) – Tony and Angela are fellow expats who run both this hotel and restaurant (he cooks, she serves), also down South in Hopkins. It was a quick walk from our hotel, and we were lucky enough to score a couple of comfy stools right at the “dock table” (kind of a raised bar table). You’re only 30 feet from the ocean, so you have awesome views and breezes.  You order off of a chalkboard menu, which leads me to believe they change the menu up frequently (which I always enjoy).  I got the stuffed grouper, and it was amazing – Tony really can cook.  We also had a fabulous chocolate cake for dessert.  This is the place to go if you want to have a gourmet dinner in your shorts and sandals (although none of the restaurants in Hopkins really have a dress code). 

Really unique sign at this beach front restaurant

Me at Barracudas!

Chef Rob (located at the Parrot Cove Lodge) – Also located on the beach at the South end of the island, we tried to get into this restaurant on our third night in Hopkins, however, we were quite rudely informed by the bartender/maitre‘d that “Oh no, you ain’t getting in tonight!” Apparently, they had a private party and were booked, but someone needs to teach the front of the house manners, because many folks would never want to come back after that greeting. But we persisted, made reservations, and showed up the next night. Yet again, we were met with a cool greeting by our waitress. We found her to be either unfriendly or disinterested, or maybe both. Absolutely zero personality. Luckily, the food had more pep than she did. I had a Pineapple & Basil salad that was inspired, and a Shrimp & Pork Thai, which was mouth watering.  The Chocolate Mousse was only so-so. At one point during dinner, a gentleman came to the table and asked how things were. He was dressed like a chef, so I said, “I love your flavor combinations. Are you Chef Rob?” To which he replied, “Good guess,” and walked off.  Well, now I know where the attitude in this place comes from (always starts from the top down).  Still, I’d recommend you go, because the food and location are great – but be aware the service stinks! Update 6/19/12: Chef Rob saw my review and personally called me to apologize! He was sincerely sorry and offered us a free meal the next time we are in town. Very classy move, in my opinion, and your apology is accepted, Chef Rob!

Chef Rob is known for his unique advertising style in Hopkins

We enjoyed a bottle of Fat Bastard Cab at Chef Rob's

There are a ton of other little local spots we didn’t get to try, like Innie’s, Iris’Sunnyside Up, King Cassava’s, and Thongs.  But there’s always next time.

Does crappy service tick you off enough to not go back?

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  • http://profiles.google.com/emilys7 Emily Smith

    Absolutely. Service is as important as the food, I think. Will skip “Chef Rob’s” when we go to Hopkins as there are plenty of other places to eat where we will be welcomed, from the sounds of it. Thanks for all the reviews!

  • Sharon Hiebing

    Yeah, pretty short sited on their part. After all, you never know when a blogger will show up to review you :)

  • http://profiles.google.com/emilys7 Emily Smith

    Exactly! ;-)

  • Sharon Hiebing

    Oh, and I meant “sighted” – oops!!

  • Cory Stokes

    I’m really enjoying this thread about Hopkins. We visited a couple of years ago. The restaurant at Hamanasi resort has exquisite service and is quite possibly the most romantic beach dinner location in all of the Carribean.

  • Sharon Hiebing

    Yes, I agree – Hamanasi has a wonderful location and is quite beautiful. I’ve never eaten dinner there, just lunch (twice). Wasn’t real happy with the service this time around. Very slow, hard to get the waitress’s attention, and the ladies bathroom was broken – but you didn’t know that, because they didn’t have a sign – so it appeared to be in use – i went back several times to see if whoever was in there was done before they informed me it was broken. Then they finally put a sign up. But I’d still recommend it, I just thought their service was off this particular time. Thanks, Cory!

  • desertmanfred

    Breaking down the different types of services that we observe at restaurants, I would say restaurant service is a part of the meal’s whole experience.

    Dull, rude or impersonal wait persons affect the meal’s enjoyment and I usually don’t judge the restaurant by the actions of one wait person. I just don’t give them much of a tip.

    As a walk in, waiting too long to be seated makes me irritated because I have hypoglycemia. I would consider the length of time verses the volume of the patrons and the popularity of the restaurant.

    Overall cleanliness of the dining area and the restrooms gets a big thumbs down and I won’t go back, nor will I recommend that restaurant to friends.

    Poorly prepared and cooked food could just mean that that cook won’t be there the next time I go back.

    So, I think that having one bad experience would not necessarily keep me from going back.

  • Sherry

    We had dinner at Chef Rob’s on opening night. His wife was acting as maitre’d and was quite pleasant. Our waitress was brand new and very inadequately trained. Chef Rob came by to see what we thought and we told him the food was very good but his staff needed training. He was very nice to us and we spoke for quite awhile.

    Love on the Rocks… rocks! We loved it! I’d have mentioned it sooner but just couldn’t remember any of the names:-( The local garifuna drummers came by to serenade the dinners about mid-way thru our meal. What a terrific treat that was! Everyone was swaying and clapping to the music – a total joy:-)

    King Cassavas was a big place with almost no one in it when we were there but the food was, again, delicious and the service was fine.

    I *think* Iris’s is the one owned by a South African gal (the one I mean is just a couple of doors south of King Cassava). Food is superb but a tad on the pricey side. The owner/chef is very nice and friendly and her wait staff are wonderful! Funny and well trained.

    Lunch at Hamanasi was a high point for gorgeous setting with excellent food at surprisingly moderate prices!

    All in all, dining in Hopkins is delightful!!!

  • Sharon Hiebing

    Yes, Sherry, the Garifuna drummers have a couple of different “troupes” that get sent out on Saturday night, and they try to hit most of the big resorts or more popular restaurants. Usually by the time you leave Hopkins, you have seen them somewhere at some point, and it is a real treat. I don’t know if you read my blog about me getting up and dancing with them – it was a hoot!

    Yes, Iris’ Sunnyside Up is a few doors South from Cassavas. I guess you got a more engaging Chef Rob than we did (at least he stayed and talked to you), but I don’t think he took your advice. Too bad his wife wasn’t around the night we were there-maybe things would have been different?

  • Sharon Hiebing

    Yes, if it’s a big restaurant, I won’t let a server keep me from going back either, because the odds are high you won’t get them next time. But in some of these small Belize establishments, you’re stuck with them, so it can factor in.

    Thankfully in Belize, most restaurants you can just walk in and sit down and get served; unless they are having a big party and turn you away, like happened to us above at Chef Robs. It’s all in the “way you say it,” though, and I really wouldn’t have minded being turned away at all if they’d just been polite about it.

    Clean restrooms are a big problem in Belize – very hit or miss. That gets a big thumbs up from me too when they get it right here. All of the restaurants I reviewed above were clean, but Chef Rob’s had no paper towels, which I hate! Thanks for your feedback, Fred!