Where to eat in Caye Caulker: Vegan Friendly Spots

Eating cheap and healthy on the island is hard, but I found some spots for you

Caye Caulker can be expensive compared to the mainland, but it's possible to eat cheap and healthy. In general, eating at small local food stalls will be a lot cheaper and authentic than eating at popular touristy restaurants.

When deciding where to eat, remember that spending your dollars at locally-owned place means you're closer to directly supporting the local Belize economy.

Any Food Shack

Since the whole pandemic started, many of the locals have turned their homes into fast food shacks and fruit & vegetable stands. That means street food is now everywhere. So now you don't have to go hunting all over the caye for cheap and good food.

Just look for a small food stall with hand-written menus on a chalkboard with a small table at the front. Explore the backstreets as well instead of the touristy front streets.

Vegan Option: The easiest fast food you can order is a burrito without the meat. The vendors are more than happy to sell you this.

• Average Price: $1.50 USD
• Opening Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Errolyns House of Fry Jacks

Before this small shack was famous on trip advis0r, only locals bought food here, at least from what I recall. I ate here because it was the cheapest place to eat at the caye. It had all the Belizean staples including fry jacks for breakfast and rice & beans for lunch.

Keep in mind this place opens super early and closes before midday. It's a breakfast joint.

Vegan Option: Just get a big old fry jack with beans. No veggies found here haha.

• Average Price: $2.50 USD per serving
• Opening Hours: 5:00 AM to 11:00 AM daily (Closed on Monday)
• Location: Pasero Street

Namaste Cafe

This was the first cafe that caught my eye when I arrived the caye. It's not the cheapest, but it offers good plant-based options including puddings, sandwiches, salads and even hummus!

It also has wifi and power outlets to get some work done while recharging your electronics. As a bonus, they are eco-friendly and even offer donation-based yoga classes daily.

Vegan Option: Almost everything is vegan! And there's hummus. Yum.

• Average Price: $6.00 USD per serving
• Opening Hours: 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM daily (Closed on Sunday)
• Location: Pasero Street
• Website: Namaste Cafe
• Wifi: Yes

Juice Dive

After visiting Caye Caulker recently, I was happy to see more restaurants open after the big covid shutdown. I got a chance to try the Impossible Burger here at Juice Dive, and it was spectacular. I felt guilty eating this meaty burger as a vegan. The sauce tastes like bacon. Seriously....

The main branch is located in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye if you want to try more.

Vegan Option: Don't let the small staff fool you, they have a solid menu with a lot vegan and non-vegan options to choose from. I went for the Impossible Burger.

• Average Price: $10.00 USD per serving
• Opening Hours: 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM daily
• Location: Avenida Hicaco, Belize
• Website: Juice Dive

Street food is probably the absolute best way to experience local food

All the listed restaurants above are local, but there are even more local places you can't find on g00gle maps. These are the street vendors that have tiny shops or setup their tent or umbrella on a daily basis. I hope you enjoy these places as much as the locals do!

Chef Kareem's UnBelizeable Lunch

The guy that runs this small food stall was so chill that we stayed to chat with him and ended up coming back to try his food.

Unfortunately it's not the cheapest with prices starting at $6.00 USD all the way up to $12.50 USD, but the experience was authentic. The only downside was that they used foam plates and plastic to serve the food.

Vegan Option: Try the vegan coconut curry. It's very good.

• Average Price: $10.00 USD per serving
• Opening Hours: 11:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily
• Location: Front Street

Pupusas Lady

Everywhere I go in Belize, I try to find pupusas, and I'm glad there's a lady selling it in Caye Caulker. Each pupusa costs $1.50 USD, which is perfect for any time of the day. They sell burritos and will sell you huge handmade tortillas for $0.50 each in case you want to make your own burrito at home. I don't think there's anything tastier than fresh flour tortillas made on a hot grill by latin women.

Vegan Option: Pupusas are traditionally made with cheese and meat but you can ask for it to be made with beans only. Aask for more cabbage and tomato sauce.

• Average Price: $1.50 USD per serving
• Opening Hours: 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM daily
• Location: In front of the basketball court (Main Street)

Any Food Cart

While at the caye, we saw many vendors selling pastries on bicycle. A famous vendor is Cake Lady, and it's even marked on trip advis0r that way haha. If Cake Lady doesn't have coconut products, you'll find other vendors on bikes selling banana cakes and other sweet treats.

Vegan Option: I recommend trying coconut crusts or coconut tarts which are unique to the country.

• Average Price: $1.50 USD per serving
• Opening Hours: 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM daily
• Location: On the main streets