In San Ignacio, Eva’s is a little bit famous as a cool place to hang out, a place with cheap food, a place to catch up on the Internet, and a place to catch up on the gossip. Run by a British bloke and his Belizean wife, this couple know everyone and everything there is to do in San Ignacio and the surrounding areas.

I had read this café was a little over-hyped by the backpacking guidebooks and that the food really wasn’t all that great, but our experience proved otherwise.

Nettie was really sweet and gave us a spot by the fan, as she could see the sweat pouring off me after being outside for a while. I chose the veggie burrito, which was huge and nicely spiced. Karl had the Chillimole, which was a spicy soup in a chocolate (mole) sauce, which had pieces of meat floating in it, as well as (strangely) a single boiled egg !! It sounds weird, and indeed looked weird, but it was sooo good. The bill was just $9 for both.

The decor was café-casual, and the walls were full of photos from travelers, articles on Belize, and postcards from the far corners of the globe. It was busy, and though we just had lunch here, we walked past many times, and Eva’s seemed to be busy no matter what time of day or night.

Eva's is the place to hang out and meet fellow travelers, locals, or tour guides. The atmosphere is what this place is all about. Inside, it appears to be a plain pub with lots of tour guide info, etc, and then there are a few tables outside which are great for people-watching and getting a sense of what San Ignacio is all about. The owner, Bob Jones, runs around checking on people and even stops to talk to most people--in our case, it was 2-3 hours of chatting about everything.

The drinks are good--I had one powerful Panty Ripper and some pretty good Pina Coladas. I thought the food was good for pub grub. I recommend the chili for a meaty and spicy treat, served with yummy fresh corn tortillas. The quesadillas were just good--nothing to write home about.

Anyway, you should not leave Cayo without visiting; you might not be impressed, but it is all about the people and atmosphere. Also, there is a slate-carver there who is really sweet and goes out of his way to please. Support the local artists!