Don Corleone Caribbean Trattoria, Caye Caulker

We were looking for a nice place to eat out on New Year's Eve 2009 and found Don Corleone's. Very happy with the amount and quality of the food. A neat Carribean-Italian cross. We each had a different meal and loved the pork loin special from that night. Also has awesome drinks and a nice mood to the restaurant.

Considered one of the premier dining experiences on Caye Caulker, this restaurant is steps above the rest in terms of ambience and quality of service. The interior dining room features recessed lighting and an impecably classy bar. Wooden tables and chairs, along with hardwood floors, finish the look. We dined outdoors, on the patio that featured 3-4 tables, and appropriate amount of privacy was provided with a few choice potted plants. Service was quick and attentive, which was a welcome change from the laid-back service you grow accustomed to on this island.

Italian bread with olive oil is served. Choice of Italian fare is extensive, and extremely good. We tried the lasagna which was rich and flavorful, and also the gnocchi in pesto. I don't think you can pick a dish here and go wrong!

On our second night on Caulker, we had intended to try the Rasta Pasta, which had good reviews from a number of sources! However, it turned out that it was reserved for a wedding reception for the entire weekend. Instead, we decided to go upscale and give the highly rated Don Corleone Caribbean Trattoria a go! Darkness was just starting to fall as we arrived, amongst the first customers, so we were able to get a romantic outside seat along the street front. We celebrated the view of the full moon shining through the palm trees with US$4.50 Margaritas while we had a look at the menu. The restaurant has a great selection of items, but we both decided that this was going to be a fish night!

Favorite Dish: Sue really enjoyed her Hot Red Fillet meal, consisting of a Snapper Fillet sauteed in extra virgin olive oil with black olives and capers in a medium spicy tomato sauce (US$15). My Pesce Catalaina meal was OK, another Snapper Fillet sauteed in olive oil and topped with diced tomato, celery, red onion and black olives (US$16). Both dishes came with slices of Pineapple, Watermelon and Canteloupe and we each had two US$6 glasses of Pinot Grigio as we lingered over the meal. Well we said we were going to celebrate, and it cost us US$63 in total!

This restaurant is not your typical Belizean fare, you will not find any rice and beans on the menu, but it does have fabulous Italian dishes and it was my favorite spot for breakfast.

Favorite Dish: They have an excellent granola with yogurt and fresh fruit. That plus a glass of fresh squeezed fruit juice will cost you 15BZ.

If you feel like splurging one night, as I did, this is the place. I had a fabulous Pasta Carbonara and a piece of Tiramisu. The Tiramisu was huge and delicous but it alone cost as much as my whole grilled snapper did the night before! My dinner incl a glass of red wine and dessert cost 56BZ. Be aware that gratuity is automatically included in your bill.

I wasn't expecting to find such an authentic Italian restaurant on a little island in the Carribean, but here you have it. Pasta cooked al dente, Italian wines and all. This place is a little more upscale - it actually has a floor, unlike some other restaurants in town, and of course it has a poster of Don Corleone from The Godfather. It may be the most expensive place in town, which only means it costs as much as a typical nice dinner out in Seattle.

Our meal cost $55US, which included a Cesear salad, two pasta dishes, a glass of Chianti, two Mai Tai's, tax, and the 10% gratuity which they add to the bill. I was craving something different, which on CC means NOT seafood, so I had the spaghetti carbonara and it was super.

The restaurant is very nice inside. Perhaps dinner would be a good meal, but the lunch menu is very limited. I had a simple Margherita pizza that I could've made at home. Heck, it wasn't even DiGiorno.