Aba Isieni Takeaway Restaurant: My Best Bite of January 2024
Better late than never – my best bite of last month…my tastiest morsel while eating on the island of Ambergris Caye in January was…the fried conch at Aba Isieni Restaurant.
November’s Best Bite: Coconut Cake
I’ve been on a REAL Aba Isieni kick this month. Stopping by 2-4 times a week for curry chicken to go. Eating some for lunch and some for dinner. They are big big portions.
I get the chicken AFTER asking if they have any “caracol” or conch in. It’s an off-menu specialty.
But let me back up a bit….
Aba Isieni is a small lunch-only takeaway restaurant located on the main road north of town. Open Monday to Saturday.
It’s a family spot. Mr. Santos and his wife are originally from Tela, Honduras – a Garifuna town on the northeast coast of Honduras. They came to the island over 20 years ago. Their lovely son Leroy, who was born in Belize, is there taking orders and preparing food.
Aba Isieni means “One Love” in Garifuna.
If you haven’t eaten at Aba Isieni, you’ve definitely passed by. Perhaps you’ve seen a small crowd waiting to order or to pick up food. Aba Isieni is a BUSY spot. Serving takeaway only, they do up to 200 plates during lunch. LOTS of fried chicken and jerk chicken. People often asking for extra jerk sauce.
December’s Best Bite: Birria Tacos
The menu is surprisingly huge for this tiny spot. The food servings are very generous, the prices very reasonable. Fast and tasty. But the conch…the conch is SO delicious.
A few weeks ago, Mr Santos let me know that they would have conch the next day. So I made a point to be there for lunch.
After ordering it, I can hear him pounding the conch with a mallet. To make it tender and delicious. Dredged in seasoned panko…crispy and flavorful and delicious. $18bzd for a HUGE serving of conch, rice and beans and pasta salad.
Aba Isieni does juices as well. Carrot and watermelon are the regulars. Sometimes a delicious cucumber cooler.
The. Conch. Is. So. Tasty.
A good rule: Find a busy restaurant…frequented by locals…and it’ll be good food. That spot is Aba Isieni. You’ll join the crowd of tour guides, policemen, BEL workers…every day folks ordering food.
As the food is handed out, most folk pop open their food trays, cover the chicken and rice with sweet ketchup (it’s a Belize thing!) and hot sauce, and then bag it up to go…often with an ice-cold carrot juice.
Let me know what you think! I’ll probably see you there this week.
Say hi to Kiku, the family’s little cat that can sometimes be found napping outside. Careful with your fingers…like a good cat, she’s got an attitude.
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This place looks awesome! Cant wait to check it out when I’m in town again next month! Thank you!
When I lived in San Pedro for a year this was my go to lunch during the week. Delicious and VERY reasonably priced. You can’t get anything that is close to this in the US for the money.
It would be nice to know a more exact location than just “north of town.” How far north? I’m asking because I want to try out this spot when I’m on Ambergris in March. Sounds wonderful. Especially the conch!
It’s about 1.5 blocks south of the bridge. I’ll see if i can see more landmarks today…
Truth! They give hearty portions. Jeff and I will sometimes share one for lunch when we are not ravenous!
Now the cat is outta the bag. My friend Herman grew up with Santo’s in Tela and of course it is one of our go to places. It is located a couple of blocks south of the Boca del Rio bridge. I order my meal with what I call Jungle Juice…I no not what it is except spicy good. Wake up early…it closes at 2PM.