San Ignacio: Lodging, Meals & Outdoor Market
San Ignacio is located close to the Guatemalan border. It’s a convenient jumping off place for a variety of tours and ideally located if you plan to enter Guatemala. There are daily tours of all variety’s located in the old town city center, which is adorable. Even a long day tour to the Tikal ruins in Guatemala, though we chose to drive ourselves. A warning, the border crossing is a hassle if you enter independently.
Where We Stayed
For this area we stayed in an AirBnB for five nights within walking distance to the main area. We chose the Belizean Colonial Upper Flat for our stay and it was my favorite stay in Belize. Our hostess lives across the street, was very friendly and helpful. The flat had a washing machine, which after slogging around in the rain and mud, came in very handy. That being said, watch the settings. I chose a high spin and it mangled a bra I had thrown in (my fault, it wasn’t in a lingerie bag). Bummer.
We spent Christmas in town, which was full of holiday decor (weird to see a Christmas tree in the tropics) and lively with fireworks to celebrate. The general atmosphere was jovial and I felt safe. As always, be aware and smart in your surroundings.
Restaurants
Our temporary home came with a full kitchen and all the basic’s. We utilized it well for breakfasts and made most lunches to go. But there is something I love about eating out for dinner. When I return (often muddy and wet on this trip) I just want to clean up and have something fabulous made for me. Consequently, there are a lot of eateries to choose from in San Ignacio. Whether or not the establishment will be open or is even still in business is often a guessing game. I suggest finding a few places that sound good and seeing if you can get in.
Favorite: Ko-Ox Han Nah (Let’s Go Eat)
Hands down, this was our favorite. We ate here twice. All of the dishes were fabulous. The shrimp quesadilla was the most massive thing I’ve ever seen. I ordered it the second night after coveting all the quesadillas I saw being handed out on night one.
The only weird thing is portion sizes are nowhere near equal on dishes. The quesadilla is one of the less expensive items and is enormous. Seriously, no one could possibly eat the whole thing, at least without making themselves ill. The more expensive items, while heavenly, were significantly smaller. Doug ate quite a bit of the quesadilla and we still had leftovers for lunch. I’m not complaining.
The restaurant is small and very popular. Meaning the first night we lucked out by arriving very early for dinner and had a short wait to be seated. And then watched group after group arrive and attempt to get in. The second night we were smarter and made reservations. You’ll still wait, but you’ll have priority in being seated.
I always love eating outside of the USA, simply because you won’t be rushed. At all. Same was true here. There was no rush to vacate our seats or eat quickly and get out. We were simply given whatever time we needed to enjoy our meal and drinks. Once done I wont unnecessarily linger if there’s a wait for tables. If not, sure, why not chat a bit longer?
Pro’s
- Excellent food
- Variety of dishes
- Good selection of beer
- Takes reservations
- Friendly staff
Con’s
- Very busy, can be difficulty to get in
- Portion sizes are variable
- Limited staff, you may wait a lot even after being seated
Other Eateries
Running W Restaurant
The Running W Restaurant, part of the San Ignacio Resort Hotel, is nestled in a lovely jungle-esque setting on a hillside just off the river. The grounds are lush. There’s a lovely cocktail lounge outside the restaurant and, as we arrived early, we were able to enjoy a well made drink. There’s a Tamarind drink that was out of this world good.
We dined here on Christmas, as most places are shut down for the holiday. Being one of the few places open, reservations were required. We chose to be seated outdoors on the large patio. It was beautiful. I went in excited, having already looked at the menu online. I knew exactly what I wanted. And therein lay the problem. Never go to a place with stars in your eyes. Turns out, they were doing a small Christmas menu only. My dreams were dashed. The options were not at all what I wanted. So I settled. Albeit, not happily. Our waiter was most apologetic and kind. Still, it would have been nice to know this detail a month prior when we made online reservations.
The experience took a sharp turn for the better with dessert. They had more options. Enter my first ever piece of key lime pie. Hello, new love of my life. How have I never met you before? So very good. I did not want to share.
In other news, I did behold the second largest rat I’ve ever seen run along the staircase and adjoining outdoor corridor. The largest rat award goes to Florence, Italy. The river rats there are massive. The joys of the outdoors.
Overall, great setting. It’s a resort, so tons of fellow tourists. The desserts and drinks are highly advised. Sadly we did not take any photos.
The Burnz
A small place with a pub like feel located within the main tourist area of San Ignacio. Friendly service. The drinks were good. We were able to walk in without reservations. Menu was massive and the food was tasty enough. Don’t think they have an official website but there’s a facebook account.
Eva’s Seafood & Steakhouse
Ironically, we ate neither seafood or steak here. They happened to have a special holiday Indian menu. We chose off this menu and if they ever have it again, I suggest ordering a dish as they were quite good.
We sat in the large outdoor seating area, where we were one of only a few patrons initially. It’s more of a local feel here. There was a local gentleman who was doing his best to drink the whole bar. I think he was having a grand time and he was never obnoxious. Just out for the night.
There was a random cat hunting among the chairs. And a random dog that was obviously a frequent scammer as the staff knew it by name and kept half heartedly shooing it away. I’ll give doggy credit. He certainly tried to convince me he was starving despite appearing very well fed. I am fairly immune to puppy eyes. The cat would have had better luck but it wanted nothing to do with us. I belong to team cats.
Outdoor Market
The outdoor market of San Ignacio is a large market full of typical touristy trinkets and shops as well as a local Farmers Market and plentiful eating options. Think local fare for the most part.
It is often (well) suggested to visit this market for an inexpensive and tasty meal. Options are plentiful and the crowd is a pleasant mix of locals and tourists.
Here we fell in love with Pupusa’s at the Pupuseria Damaris. The delightful meat and cheese stuffed pan fried cornmeal “pancakes” topped with a cabbage slaw and optional habanero sauce had us stopping back in on our return from Guatemala. They were that good.
The stall is family run. It appears grandma, mom, daughter, son and a few more are all in it together. The kids spoke English well, and were most helpful.
Good Spot For A Sandwich 
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