"GREAT HEAPING PLATES OF FOOD , POP 'N TACO RESTAURANT BELIZE CITY"
Written: Jan 08 '02 (Updated May 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great food, better prices.
Cons: The place only seats four or five, but really that's not a con.
The Bottom Line: It may look like a hole in the wall, but don't pass it by. Especially on a Saturday Night.
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| JAMES23's Full Review: Belize City |
My stomach had startled to grumble. I was sitting on the front porch of the Seaside Guest House in Belize City my first night in town along with most of the other guests. Everyone was enjoying cold beers and good contestation. It was kind of like some extended family get together after dinner on the porch. That is except for the fact I hadn't eaten yet.
The last thing I'd had to eat was a burger at Houston airport and that seemed like hours ago. Actually it was hours ago, about eight to be exact. Fortunately I wasn't the only one suffering from hunger pains. One of the others pointed out he too was hungry and asked if anyone knew a good cheap place to eat close by.
Most of us on the porch were new arrivals, however one of us was not and as in everything else he was a wealth of knowledge on Belize and Belize City. He pointed out there was a great little Chinese restaurant just up the street. In fact he was heading there now if anyone else wanted to go.
Another guest pointed out he'd ben there earlier and it was overpriced and the food was bad. A quick aside here. Most of the other guests were back packer types. Young people fresh out of university or whatever and off exploring the world, for months at a time. As such they were on very strict budgets hence why we were all sitting around, and staying in, this dump. Quality of the food may not have been paramount, but how much it cost was.
Our resident expert asked the new guy for directions to the place and when he had them pointed out that wasn't the place we were going to. He also agreed that it was a dump, located south of the guest house on Regent Street. We were heading north to Pop' N Taco.
Another quick aside here. Belize is a lot different than the other countries in Central America. First of all it's a former British possession, British Honduras, as opposed to a Spanish one like the other nations. The first difference is of course the language, English as opposed to Spanish, although to be frank, the latter is fast becoming an unofficial second language in the country, especially in the south.
More importantly is the fact that British traditions have been adopted. Laws, Government and social structures are similar to those in the "old country" as is the case in many of the other former British colonies and territories in the Caribbean. In fact Belize is more akin to a Caribbean nation than a Central American one.
One of the main things that one immediately notices is the multi racial mix of the inhabitants of the country. This is most visible in Belize City, the largest city. The largest single ethnic group are the Creoles, and Garifuna, the Black or Africans who are descended from slaves originally brought to the Caribbean in the 16th to 18th centuries and eventually were settled here.
The next most populous group are the Mayans and other original indigenous peoples. Finally there are the Indians and Chinese. As elsewhere in the Carribean and the rest of the old empire for that matter these two groups of industrious peoples immigrated here in large numbers. Here too they have taken up the roles they have in other places and form the back bone of the mercantile and commercial class.
Belize City is full of tiny shops and restaurants, for the most part family run business. While not all are owned and operated by those of Indian or Chinese descent, a good number are. One of these is the tiny little hole in the wall restaurant on Regent Street between King and Church Streets, Pop' N Taco.
Like I said, back packers are often concerned with finding the cheapest places to eat. The guide books they drag around like bibles, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide et all, are full of listings on where to get large portions of food and the best possible cost. Usually these are where the locals eat, and that's an added plus I find.
Pop' N Taco really doesn't look like a restaurant, in fact to be honest it really doesn't look like much at all. A tiny little hole in the wall perched on the corner with an open door leading to a long wooden counter. At first glance you think it's a corner store, one of hundreds like it scattered around the city. Only when you step inside do you notice the four stools pulled up by the counter, and the small table and two chairs off to the side.
Behind the counter are racks of merchandise like you'd see in any variety store, and in fact it is one. Customers are always coming in and buying this and that. Beside all this though is a large menu on the wall, and if you grab a stool and sit down, you'll be handed smaller printed copies.
Of course the main menu choices are Chinese food, although that universal staple the hamburger is also there. The food is simple but good and it doesn't take long to arrive. You'll barely finish off your first bottle of Beliken before it is delivered.
The portions are unbelievable, a serious consideration for those on a budget. One meal here and you can subsist on a couple of snacks for the rest of the day. Prices are as frugal as the portions are large. Dinner cost me $7.50 US including a couple of cold beers (@ $1.50 each) to wash down my immense order of sweet and sour chicken and side order of rice.
The owners are a friendly lot and quite helpful. Like many other Belize merchants they'll accept payment in American Dollars. In fact they'll even exchange money for you at the approved official rate of 2 to1. Banks in Belize exchange it at 1.97 Belize Dollars to 1 US Dollar.
There's even entertainment of a sort one night a week. Well actually there's entertainment every night. That is if you consider the never ending parade of local characters that stroll in to buy something to while you're eating there.
However Saturday nights are special. The husband and wife owners clear away the large table loaded with candies and cigarettes and other items in the centre of the room behind the counter. Then they drag out and unfold a ping pong table and proceed to get their weekly exercise. The counter of course provides ring side seats to the competition. Order first though as service may tend to slow down a bit if the game become intense.
My final verdict on Pop' N Taco. Well when I arrived back in Belize City two weeks later after my tour of the surrounding countries, care to guess where the first place I went was after checking into my hotel?
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Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
JAMES23
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Member: James Smith
Location: Toronto Ontario CANADA
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