4 Healthy Cheap Food Options From $3 – $15

I often get emails from readers planning their trip and wanting to know where to find cheap local food. Aside from mentioning a few places, I always tell people to look around for the “hole in the wall” spots.

Although generally, people consider it moderate to slightly expensive, you can eat well at a healthy price.

All four low-cost meals I am going to mention today can be eaten onsite but I often opt for takeout. Another thing they share in common is that they are all located right in the middle of town. (Pricing in Belize currency.)

Albertina’s

A $3 a piece, Albertina’s shrimp tacos are a great Central Park street meat deal. I also like her $2 pork tacos. If you are hungry, go for 3 or 4 otherwise 2 is a good starter number. I guarantee you will not be able to stop at 1 – so tasty. You can enjoy park food in the late afternoon or evenings.

Norma’s Deli

$5 vegetarian or chicken burrito is a good size for the price. There is no sign but you will know this Back Street spot as it is brown and green, and has barstools out front and a picnic table to the left side. It is common for smaller restaurants like this one to break in the afternoon and then re-open for dinner.

Feliz Pollo

This is a great spot for lunchtime rotisserie chicken. You can by a whole, half, or quarter. My piece of chicken and two good sized healthy sides cost me $15. It usually comes with corn tortillas and a small bag of salsa but I usually leave that out. Located right beside Waruguma at the north end of Back Street they are easy to find. This one has a very short window of opportunity, get there by 1:00 pm and they are usually all closed up. I like to recycle their containers (see pic below). At night they morph into a pupuseria (also pocket-friendly and tasty).

Juvinies Ceviche Bar

At $10 their panko breaded chicken fingers and fries are yummy if you want to make that more tropical they do shrimp too. This one is just off the Back Street on the south side of the old football field. It is fun to eat at their second story bar to watch the world meander by. While it does not fit the cheap category, it is still not expensive ($20 and up) and worth mentioning, this is a must do spot if you like ceviche.

Laguna Azul Deli

Back in the beginning, I had not planned to add this last one. However, when I went to pick up my tattoo artist friend Madison at Belizean Ink for lunch, she promptly blurted out she had taken a picture of ‘Alan’s balls’ before he started eating.  Then she went onto tell me how the small white building next door made a great daily lunch special for $10 BZ. That day it was meatballs with rice and slaw. 😀 They do not have a sign either but are easily findable on Nurse Shark Street (or Back Back Street) in a white building with yellow trim, beside the gray and black tattoo shop. (These pics are larger than all the others because I shot landscape for the buildings and Madison did portrait for food.)

Now that you are visually full of a few delicious options, I will leave you with a couple of downtown San Pedro construction shots. Covintec is going up on Middle Street, so is a new building for (one of the way too many) golf cart rental companies on the island.