It is without a doubt that the San Pedro Holiday Hotel is a pillar amongst the tourism industry here on Ambergris Caye. The hotel was the first on the island, established in 1965, which opened the gates to tourism in San Pedro. Back then, the hotel’s restaurant only catered to its guests, giving our visitors a taste of Belize. But since the 1980’s Celi’s Restaurant has been open to the public and has established itself as an exemplary restaurant amongst the many on the island.
The restaurant may not exude the surroundings of a five-star establishment, as Celi McCorkle likes to keep a cozy and laid back feeling to her restaurant. What is ‘five-star’ is the food. The Ambergris Today staff got quite a treat for lunch as Holiday Hotel’s manager, Kim Reyes, and the staff of Celi’s Restaurant brought in the best dishes the restaurant had to offer for us to savor.
To start off, waitress Antoinette brought us some delicious conch fritters with a spicy mango sauce and tartar sauce. While we waited for our main dishes we cooled off and enjoyed the beautiful scenery which Celi’s Restaurant has to offer while sipping to our fresh drinks which included Banana Coladas, Strawberry Daiquiri, Piña Colada and Rum Punch.
Kim offered us the best plates which the restaurant had to offer, Dorian had the Fish Roulette stuffed with cream cheese, spinach and bacon bits served with Stir-Fried Rice, Debbie had the Broiled Lobster tail sprinkled with garlic, lime and butter served with Potato au Gratin (cheese and ham) and a small salad. Perlita had a treat with the Shrimp Quesadillas served with refried beans, sour cream, fried tortilla chips, pico de gallo & tomato salsa; while Sofie went Italian with the daily special of Spaghetti and Meat Sauce served with garlic bread.
After having enjoyed these delectable dishes, there was still room for dessert! Dessert included, freshly baked Caye Lime Pie, Cheese Cake and Caribbean Surprise (rum cake served with vanilla ice cream).Yum, yum, yum!!!
Celi’s Restaurant has a variety of local dishes, such as Shrimp Creole, Fried Conch, Chicken Rotisserie, Stron Crab and Dejonghe Lobster served with the side order of your choice and a dinner roll, to mention a few.
We cannot fail to mention the restaurant’s Daily Lunch specials which include Conch Fritters on Mondays, Salbutes on Tuesdays, (Restaurant closed on Wednesdays), Spaghetti with meat sauce on Thursdays, Cajun Fish served with rice and beans on Fridays, Shrimp Tostadas on Saturdays and Escabeche on Sundays. Wednesdays are reserved of Bar-B-Que on the beach for dinner.
Celi’s Restaurant is located on the beach side of the hotel where you can sample their excellent menu inside, or choose to dine in a screened porch, right on the sand. The cozy atmosphere allows you to watch as beachcomber’s stroll in front of the hotel and marvel at the busy waterways of Ambergris Caye. So for great dining by the sea, visit Celi’s Restaurant and when you get there do not forget to tell them that Ambergris Today sent you! You can also visit their website at www.sanpedroholiday.com/celis.html.
