A Tasty Beef Burger at Enell’s Grill and Meeting San Pedro’s Big Mc

Yesterday, I enjoyed a big tasty burger at a spot that I pass by almost daily – Enell’s Grill.  This was my first time stopping in – usually, I’m raring to get to town or get back home.  Enell’s is located at the very cute little outdoor “mall” across the street from Belizean Shores and CocoBeach Resorts – just before the paved road ends (about 3.5 miles north)  And I’m glad I stopped.

But let me back up just a wee bit.  Yesterday an Instagram friend posted that she’d tried a great burger and…due to some sort of scientific-umami-born-in-the-USA-property that a good burger possesses…I COULD NOT stop thinking about eating a cheeseburger.  I was craving a burger.  Just like I did when I was a vegan for a year or so just before I moved to Belize – it was a fine way to live. Great in fact.  But there is something about a burger…it was my vegan Achille heel.

And let me back up a tiny bit more…but I’ll make it quick.  Ambergris Caye and Belize and really, the tropics in general, are not renowned for their beef.  Good beef is a fairly new development – beef cattle (and…well…juicy Porterhouse steaks) are generally associated with wide-open grassy spaces and temperate climates. But even in my last 14 years in Belize, beef has made leaps and bounds and you can even find a great local steak!

Take a look at my visit to Reinland Meat in the Heartland of Belize:  Blue Creek, Orange Walk – and…if you are shopping for a steak…consider the Reinland’s Hanger steak (Hanger Steak, also known as “Butcher’s Choice”, is the most tender steak after the tenderloin).  It’s REALLY good.

So I pulled into Enell’s Grill yesterday on my way home from town and found a seat.

I ordered a bacon cheeseburger – NO lettuce (it’s a throwaway and not good warm in my opinion) and no pickles.  Mustard? Ketchup?  Mustard?  Yes. All three.

I then took a look at the menu and…yum.  A burgerito!?!  I love the idea of ALL of these options!

There was one delicious sounding special but I was all about the burgers.

I chatted with the owner while I waited for my burger.

His name is McLeish (WHAT A COOL NAME!) and he is the Big Mc behind the restaurant.

And it’s pronounced Big MACK not Big Mc.

SOOOO reminiscent of the famous scene in the classic comedy “Coming To America”! Here’s the clip…

McLeish was born and raised in Punta Negra, Belize – a spot I’m dying to visit.  Just south of Placencia and Monkey River village – it’s a tiny spot with a beautiful broad beach AND an enclosed lagoon (called Punta Negra Lake) renowned locally for snook and tarpon.  AND I have friends who own an amazing lodge down there – IS THIS THE PERFECT PANDEMIC SPOT OR WHAT!??!  (Check out Sabal Beach Belize – what am I waiting for?)

He moved to San Pedro about 20 years ago with his mom and….what I learned?  He makes a very good burger.

I’ll most certainly be back.  This little area/mall is very easy to spot.  Three very cute palapa-ed mini-restaurants, a bakery coffee spot that I love but hasn’t reopened yet and an art studio.

Muffins and More at the Uber-Cute Sol Cafe

Stop in…maybe on the way home from Secret Beach?  Business has been slow for everyone and who wouldn’t enjoy a tasty burger or a fried chicken burrito?  YUM.   While CocoBeach Resort IS open, Belizean Shores is not.

Say hi to McLeish for me.  And tell him I’ll be back!