Local Eats In Hopkins Belize: Vegan Friendly

While Hopkins doesn't have a huge selection of restaurants, almost every single spot sells popular local Garifuna dishes. The food found here is among the best in Belize.

Hopkins is loaded with tradition and food is very important to the people. Many of the dishes here are prepared over a wood stove locally known as fire heart.

What To Eat

To say it simply, try everything you get your hands on while in Hopkins. If you ask just about any local in Belize, they will likely tell you one of their favorite dishes is Hudut — which is Garifuna of course.

The secret ingredient used in most of the dishes you'll try here is coconut milk. The staple ingredients in Garifuna cuisine include: cassava, plantain, fish and other sea food.

Popular Dishes

1. Hudut: coconut milk soup, plantain, fish
2. Bundiga: seasoned fish, grated banana, coconut milk gravy
3. Darasa: green plantain in tamale form, fish/chicken

Local Snacks

1. Cassava Chips: akin to potato chips but made from the traditional ingredient, cassava - found at most supermarkets.
2. Coconut Cassava Ice Cream: a fantastic combination local to the area - found at Nice Cream.

Hudut Dish

Locally in Belize, Hudut is referred to as a popular soup dish made with coconut milk served with mashed plantain and fish.

The plantain is prepared by using a traditional hand-carved large wooden mortar with a 4-foot-long pestle. The most popular restaurant serving Hudut is Ella's Cool Spot.

Where To Eat

There's no short of restaurants in Hopkins. Almost every household in the main street has been converted into a business place. As always, it's best to go where the crowd. Homemade food is the best in Belize so always food from locally owned shacks if you can.

Here's a short list of my favorite places to eat: 👇

Street Food

BBQ Stalls

Price

$5.00 USD

During weekends, it's common to see many BBQ vendors pop up selling roasted food. This is usually paired with local rice & beans or tortillas.

• 🏆 What To Try: Classic BBQ
• 🌱 Vegan Option: Roasted veggies

Restaurants

Innie's Restaurant

Price

$7.50 USD

Because of my intimate love affair with pupusas, my friends recommended me this food spot. Their specialty is pupusas, which are small tortilla-looking food that is packed with one of a combo of these fillings: beans, cheese, mora, eggplant chipilín, or meat.

• 🏆 What To Try: Hudut
• 🌱 Vegan Option: Veganized hudut

Siomara's Restaurant

Price

$5.00 USD

This tiny restaurant is a classic. Every time I come to Hopkins I go grab the usual Belizean breakfast. If I'm not mistaken, the owners are immigrants from Honduras. And... the food is good, fast and cheap. Well, cheap for Hopkins at least.

• 🏆 What To Try: Fry jack with beans & eggs breakfast
• 🌱 Vegan Option: Fry jack with beans only

North Side Kitchen

Price

$5.00 USD

Like many of the local restaurants in Hopkins, the business location is merely an extension of the people's home. And that's not a bad thing, it means that the cooking is just like mom's cooking. Bundiga, a traditional dish with fish, coconut, and green plantains as ingredients is normally a special of the day.

• 🏆 What To Try: Special of the day
• 🌱 Vegan Option: Stew beans with rice and veggies

Tugucina Gloria

Price

$5.00 USD

Chef Gloria is quite the cook in Hopkins. So much so that she has prepared meals for Prince William and Kate Middleton. She offers authentic Garifuna cooking classes if you're interested in the cuisine as well.

• 🏆 What To Try: Hudut
• 🌱 Vegan Option: Rice & beans with steamed veggies

Cafes

Nice Cream

Price

$2.00 USD

After walking around the village for a while, we found dairy-free ice cream with coconut & cassava! This place is found in a colorful little verandah with a homey feel because it's actually someone's home converted to an ice cream shop.

• 🏆 What To Try: Coconut vanilla
• 🌱 Vegan Option: Coconut cassava

About Author

Everything written on this blog is based on first-hand experience or knowledge as a local living in Belize. No fluff, just honest information.