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Breakfast on the Caribbean coast is much like that of inland cities—rice, beans, tortilla, egg and cheese, or perhaps a baleada (similar to a quesadilla). Dinner is essentially the same, adding a piece of spicy fried chicken or tough beef to the plate. Lunchtime, however, is the delicious exception. Seafood is the natural meal choice, as fishermen haul in fresh fish, shrimp, conch, and lobster just about every day.
The coastal speciality is pescado frito, a fried yellowtail fish served—head, bones, and all—with sides of lettuce, tomato, and slices of fried plantains (tajadas). At many beachfront restaurants, the catch of the day is cleaned and gutted right outside the kitchen before it hits the fryer. Seafood soup (sopa marinera) is flavored and thickened with coconut milk, and filled with yuca, platano, and other local vegetables. Garlicy breaded conch and lobster dishes are equally as popular, although some restaurants decline to serve either of these shellfish as they're locally overharvested. (We recommend not purchasing either for this reason.)
Some kitchens pride themselves on their ola de mariscos (literally, "wave of seafood") platters, which pile every sea critter imaginable onto the same plate, sometimes adding steak. Sometimes conch and lobster are included; if so, you can ask if it's possible to have an ola de mariscos without these overharvested items.
The majority of locally owned restaurants have strikingly similar menus of seafood, fried chicken, and pork chops. Expat-run eateries tend to offer alternative fare such as pastas, pizzas, hamburgers, and Tex-Mex dishes. Both types open early for breakfast, around 7 or 8 am, and close around 10 pm.
Although the northern coast was once the domain of major foreign and local banana companies, coconuts are more prevalent today. Beach vendors slice open the fruit with a machete as loungers gulp the sweet water from the shell. Coconut milk flavors rice dishes, soups, and fish fries. Some local farmers have replaced livestock with exotic orchards full of fruits like the Southeast Asian rambutan; the spiky, fire-red sphere is sold roadside by the bag. Peel back the furry exterior to suck on the chewy, milky-white fruit surrounding a seed (the Chinese lychee is similar but with a smooth exterior). It's not graceful, but it's tasty.
If the rows of seafood champas (shacks) lining the beach don't manage to entice you, then this casual open-air restaurant should. Just a step away from the water, the eatery offers delicious ceviche, king crab, and lobster dishes. Doña Pancha herself is often around to help with serving heaping portions of diners' favorites, like garlic-soaked shrimp or breaded conch.
Crispy brick-oven pizzas served in five sizes (try the meter-wide pie!) and savory panzarotti pastries keep this kitchen, owned by Italian expats, busy all evening. Vito churns out homemade dishes from the back, while Sissi flits busily between diners, who she says enter as clients and leave as friends. Indoor, terrace, and sidewalk seating offer a warm and inviting atmosphere, and the bar is stocked with local beers and Italian wines and liqueurs. They open at 4:30.
A grassy lawn with shaded tables and patio seating offers tasty tapas, imported wines, and gourmet lunches. Fish, chicken, and pasta dishes drizzled with bold sauces are served with salad during the day. At night, the menu includes mango and strawberry canapés and well-seasoned beef brochettes. Signs next to the bank at the Parque Central point diners up the road toward this pleasant hilltop eatery.
This cheery little restaurant is a popular evening hangout for tourists, especially since it has a bookstore and a small art gallery. Casa Azul is known for Italian dishes such as pizza and spaghetti and meatballs. The staff is justifiably proud of the "big clean salads." Honduras Caribbean Tours has its office in the front of the restaurant.
Sambo Creek's best-known restaurant fills up with patrons from La Ceiba on weekends. Once you try the king-crab soup or the shrimp salad, you'll understand why. As a bonus, there's a spectacular view of the Cayos Cochinos. Because the restaurant is so huge, it feels a little deserted on weekdays.
This tin-roof beach lodge serves up pizzas, pastas, and Omoa's seafood staples. Sit at a wooden picnic table or in a giant armchair and try an enormous plate of spaghetti in a tasty red seafood sauce. Slices of Canadian pizza come loaded with gooey cheese, ham, salami, and mushrooms. Henry's even does delivery (use the delivery-specific phone number). In the back of the restaurant is a double room ($) with a private bath, air-conditioning, and Wi-Fi. They also have a public laundry service, and Three Amigos Tours is based here.
Masapan is a small group of eateries on a downtown corner. The cafeteria has a long, campy, fun buffet that serves many Honduran favorites, including tamales, baleadas, and typical breakfast and lunch plates. It's a great way to sample a variety of local cuisine at one time. Whatever you choose, try a natural fruit juice drink to wash it down. On Saturday, the cafeteria holds a seafood festival; available fish dishes often include a very good sopa marinera (fish soup). Two doors down from the cafeteria there is a Masapan Chicken, with fried chicken and fries, and around the corner is the Masapan bakery, for cakes, breads, sandwiches, and more baleadas.
Come to this busy restaurant for a quick bite of local fare at an unbelievable price. Baleadas (flour tortillas filled with re-fried beans), pasteles (meat-filled, deep-fried pastries), and the typical local breakfast of ham, eggs, beans, and tortillas are served on plastic tables in a no-frills setting.
