About Us
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Asad & Nermeen, August 2009
“maurice! thanks for the best belizean food ever! we enjoyed coming by
your place a few times last week. give us a ring if you are ever passing
through NYC!”
asadh79 NYC, August 2009
“Best food on the island”
The most authentic and delicious food you will find in Caye Caulker.
Maurice is the guy who owns this place and cooks...went to culinary
school in Chicago and been back in Belize for the past 10 years. Totally
laid back - its basically the backyard to his home with a grill outside and
the kitchen in his home.
If you go at night, don't worry about the baby lizards on the ceilings or the
crabs running around on the sand...they won't bother you. Just enjoy the
best food in Caye Caulker. My wife and I hung out with Maurice and ate at
his place at least 3-4 times over the weeklong vacation we took in Caye
Caulker.
“maurice! thanks for the best belizean food ever! we enjoyed coming by
your place a few times last week. give us a ring if you are ever passing
through NYC!”
asadh79 NYC, August 2009
“Best food on the island”
The most authentic and delicious food you will find in Caye Caulker.
Maurice is the guy who owns this place and cooks...went to culinary
school in Chicago and been back in Belize for the past 10 years. Totally
laid back - its basically the backyard to his home with a grill outside and
the kitchen in his home.
If you go at night, don't worry about the baby lizards on the ceilings or the
crabs running around on the sand...they won't bother you. Just enjoy the
best food in Caye Caulker. My wife and I hung out with Maurice and ate at
his place at least 3-4 times over the weeklong vacation we took in Caye
Caulker.
AnnieBBoston, july 2009
“loved it”
The food was great. Maurice was very personal and funny. It is very relaxed.
We did not have a long wait, but we got there on the early side for island
time. The food is all fresh and we found spices and vegetables there that
we did not find in other places. I would higly recommend it. I agree that the
atmosphere may not be for everyone, but I found it delightful
Scott Newdick, May 2009
“Willy Man! I got bored a while ago and remembered my trip down to Belize
and the one that struck me the most was. Wish Willy, Just wanna Thank you
man, you treated me well. Maybe next time u can show me how to really
fish. haha.”
“loved it”
The food was great. Maurice was very personal and funny. It is very relaxed.
We did not have a long wait, but we got there on the early side for island
time. The food is all fresh and we found spices and vegetables there that
we did not find in other places. I would higly recommend it. I agree that the
atmosphere may not be for everyone, but I found it delightful
Scott Newdick, May 2009
“Willy Man! I got bored a while ago and remembered my trip down to Belize
and the one that struck me the most was. Wish Willy, Just wanna Thank you
man, you treated me well. Maybe next time u can show me how to really
fish. haha.”
The beams, february 2009
I’ve read numerous reviews on the restaurants of Caye Caulker, and
“Wish Willies” was definitely one of the places I wanted to visit. I was glad
to see that it was just right around the corner from our house. In addition
to being a colorful character, Willie was described by many as one of the
best cooks on the island and his food was bargain priced. One reviewer
said once they ate their first meal there and didn’t go anywhere else the
rest of their stay.....
.......when we returned to our table Willie was playing golf in the sand and
he invited the girls to join him while he waited for the lobsters to be
prepared. We had a great time hanging out and chatting with Willie while
he entertained the girls playing golf. Paige even managed to get a hole-
in-one. When the fire was just right he buttered up two lobsters and
slapped them on the grill. Ten minutes later he brought out two delicious
BBQ’d lobster dinners with coconut rice and julienned veggies.
Everything was great. Even more amazing was the sweet and tender BBQ’
d shrimp that he brought for the girls. They’ve had a few bites of shrimp
before, but I never saw them devour any like this. They cleaned the plate
and even asked for more. It was an all around fun experience. We’ll be
back for sure.
I’ve read numerous reviews on the restaurants of Caye Caulker, and
“Wish Willies” was definitely one of the places I wanted to visit. I was glad
to see that it was just right around the corner from our house. In addition
to being a colorful character, Willie was described by many as one of the
best cooks on the island and his food was bargain priced. One reviewer
said once they ate their first meal there and didn’t go anywhere else the
rest of their stay.....
.......when we returned to our table Willie was playing golf in the sand and
he invited the girls to join him while he waited for the lobsters to be
prepared. We had a great time hanging out and chatting with Willie while
he entertained the girls playing golf. Paige even managed to get a hole-
in-one. When the fire was just right he buttered up two lobsters and
slapped them on the grill. Ten minutes later he brought out two delicious
BBQ’d lobster dinners with coconut rice and julienned veggies.
Everything was great. Even more amazing was the sweet and tender BBQ’
d shrimp that he brought for the girls. They’ve had a few bites of shrimp
before, but I never saw them devour any like this. They cleaned the plate
and even asked for more. It was an all around fun experience. We’ll be
back for sure.
Jos Offermans, September 2009
“Sawadee (our Dutch travel organisation) recommended Wish Willy and we
stayed there all evening enjoying the excellent food. 10 persons had the
same diner, everything for everybody. Compliments”
Lyndon, August 2009
“Hey it is lyndon, was there a few week ago. Hope all is well with u guys.
thanks for the nice food and great vibe... miss the combo plater. tell ras
creek we said hi and thanks for the ride around the island.
take care !”
“Sawadee (our Dutch travel organisation) recommended Wish Willy and we
stayed there all evening enjoying the excellent food. 10 persons had the
same diner, everything for everybody. Compliments”
Lyndon, August 2009
“Hey it is lyndon, was there a few week ago. Hope all is well with u guys.
thanks for the nice food and great vibe... miss the combo plater. tell ras
creek we said hi and thanks for the ride around the island.
take care !”
Travelblog, february 2009
While on Caye Caulker, some people I met suggested we go to eat at this
place called wish willy’s.
The restaurant was just a guys front lawn with benches to sit down. He
grilled in the front yard and your menu was whatever he was cooking that
day. That food was in some ice chests outside and the grill looked like the
last time it was cleaned was when this island was still a British colony. I
wasn’t happy. But I didn’t want to be a pain to my new friends and cause a
scene. I played it safe and got the chicken. It was one of the best meals I had
ever had. I went back the next day for more.
So don’t be afraid to try new things. You never know what you are missing
by judging on appearances. I almost missed good food and you should
never miss good food.
While on Caye Caulker, some people I met suggested we go to eat at this
place called wish willy’s.
The restaurant was just a guys front lawn with benches to sit down. He
grilled in the front yard and your menu was whatever he was cooking that
day. That food was in some ice chests outside and the grill looked like the
last time it was cleaned was when this island was still a British colony. I
wasn’t happy. But I didn’t want to be a pain to my new friends and cause a
scene. I played it safe and got the chicken. It was one of the best meals I had
ever had. I went back the next day for more.
So don’t be afraid to try new things. You never know what you are missing
by judging on appearances. I almost missed good food and you should
never miss good food.
Brett, february 2008:
If you were to eat at only one place in Caye Caulker, it should be Wish Willy.
Truth be told I didn't have lobster at this funky gem, a place so unassuming
and informal I hesitate to call it a restaurant. There is no written menu, and
you dine seated at mismatched picnic tables scattered around a grill outside
the chef's bungalow, all while listening to a delightfully eclectic playlist. I'm
confident that anything that the dreadlocked local celebrity chef Maurice
Moore cooks — lobster included — will be as delicious as the gingery shark
he prepared for my travel companion and me. To give you an idea of how
laid back this place is, when I mentioned that I was opening a restaurant,
Maurice put me to work julienning the chayote, pumpkin, and carrots that
served as our dinner's side dish. Off Front Street near the Split.
If you were to eat at only one place in Caye Caulker, it should be Wish Willy.
Truth be told I didn't have lobster at this funky gem, a place so unassuming
and informal I hesitate to call it a restaurant. There is no written menu, and
you dine seated at mismatched picnic tables scattered around a grill outside
the chef's bungalow, all while listening to a delightfully eclectic playlist. I'm
confident that anything that the dreadlocked local celebrity chef Maurice
Moore cooks — lobster included — will be as delicious as the gingery shark
he prepared for my travel companion and me. To give you an idea of how
laid back this place is, when I mentioned that I was opening a restaurant,
Maurice put me to work julienning the chayote, pumpkin, and carrots that
served as our dinner's side dish. Off Front Street near the Split.
Saanddk, february 2008:
Our second favourite place was a restaurant (and I have to use that term
"restaurant" loosely) slightly off the beat and track, called "Wish Willy´s". It
was basically set in the back yard of a local Rasta guy´s (called
"Maurice"?!) house, consisting of a few benches and tables in amongst
the usual stuff you´d find in the back garden (like old cars, washing lines,
kids toys - things like that). Maurice would basically walk up to the table
and tell you what he was cooking that evening, you´d accept and provide
input on any cooking preferences (spices, fried, grilled, etc), and then
wait in anticipation to see what was presented before you. We ended up
with more lobster but it was done to perfection and cost us a fraction of
what our valentine meal had cost us. A completely different eating
experience, but would def recommend it to anyone who plans on visiting
this place.
Our second favourite place was a restaurant (and I have to use that term
"restaurant" loosely) slightly off the beat and track, called "Wish Willy´s". It
was basically set in the back yard of a local Rasta guy´s (called
"Maurice"?!) house, consisting of a few benches and tables in amongst
the usual stuff you´d find in the back garden (like old cars, washing lines,
kids toys - things like that). Maurice would basically walk up to the table
and tell you what he was cooking that evening, you´d accept and provide
input on any cooking preferences (spices, fried, grilled, etc), and then
wait in anticipation to see what was presented before you. We ended up
with more lobster but it was done to perfection and cost us a fraction of
what our valentine meal had cost us. A completely different eating
experience, but would def recommend it to anyone who plans on visiting
this place.
Al & Sue Johnson, 2006:
That evening we had dinner at Wish Willy. We'd walked by there a few times
and always decided to pass. Beer bottles still on the tables in the
morning. Chairs and tables looking like they might collapse. All in all not
impressive. We went anyway. Willy (turns out his name is really Maurice)
came out to wait on us. He doesn't have a menu and we didn't know what to
get for an appetizer. He said he'd make us something and left. He came
back with Red Snapper in a tangerine sauce with pita bread. Tasted
wonderful.
Presentation was good too. Dinner was lightly battered, grilled conch. Also
very good. We found out later that there's more to Willy than meets the eye.
He's actually been trained as a chef! All together, it was a very good dinner
at a more than reasonable price. At one point, they ran out of Belikin and
had to send the beer bike out to replenish the stock. Shortly after, the beer
bike came back with a case of beer on the handlebars. I'd never seen a
beer bike before but we were sure happy to see that one.
Al & Sue Johnson, 2007:
The food was good everywhere we went. We ate at Wish Willy twice and
had great meals both times. We’ve gotten to where we tell Maurice to fix
us something and just go with it. New paint on the tables and some new
chairs. Pretty much the same ambience as before.
That evening we had dinner at Wish Willy. We'd walked by there a few times
and always decided to pass. Beer bottles still on the tables in the
morning. Chairs and tables looking like they might collapse. All in all not
impressive. We went anyway. Willy (turns out his name is really Maurice)
came out to wait on us. He doesn't have a menu and we didn't know what to
get for an appetizer. He said he'd make us something and left. He came
back with Red Snapper in a tangerine sauce with pita bread. Tasted
wonderful.
Presentation was good too. Dinner was lightly battered, grilled conch. Also
very good. We found out later that there's more to Willy than meets the eye.
He's actually been trained as a chef! All together, it was a very good dinner
at a more than reasonable price. At one point, they ran out of Belikin and
had to send the beer bike out to replenish the stock. Shortly after, the beer
bike came back with a case of beer on the handlebars. I'd never seen a
beer bike before but we were sure happy to see that one.
Al & Sue Johnson, 2007:
The food was good everywhere we went. We ate at Wish Willy twice and
had great meals both times. We’ve gotten to where we tell Maurice to fix
us something and just go with it. New paint on the tables and some new
chairs. Pretty much the same ambience as before.
Question posted by harhailla.harhaluuossa to food & drink:
So Taksi Putra has challenged me to a 'chili-off' in Central America
(Mexico, Guatemala, Belize) this summer. What should we eat and
where? Higher on the Scoville the better. Anything east of Baja is fair
game. If it sounds tasty and is super-hot, we'll hunt it down. Specific
restaurants / neighborhoods to go to? We're not looking only for Central
American food; simply the hottest. Note: We're pretty resilient to capsacin
and super-mobile - suggest away!
Answer posted by picklebird April 15:
I got it. We just got back from Belize and on Caye Caulker, there is a chef
by the name of Maurice who has a restaurant called Wish Willy's. He
makes his own hot sauce with fresh local chilis. He brings it to the table
in a large bottle. It's different every time (we had one red and one green.)
You would think because the bottle is so big that it can't possibly be that
hot-- but it is (the red one especially). We actually saw someone run out of
the restaurant because she was in so much pain. Maurice is a great guy
too. I am willing to bet that if you told him about this he'd concoct
something for you. Oh, and the food to put the hot sauce on is great too.
It is an outdoor place where he just grills fresh fish, etc. in his front yard
and all meals are <$10 ($15BZ, I think). Wash it all down with a Belikin or
two or three.
So Taksi Putra has challenged me to a 'chili-off' in Central America
(Mexico, Guatemala, Belize) this summer. What should we eat and
where? Higher on the Scoville the better. Anything east of Baja is fair
game. If it sounds tasty and is super-hot, we'll hunt it down. Specific
restaurants / neighborhoods to go to? We're not looking only for Central
American food; simply the hottest. Note: We're pretty resilient to capsacin
and super-mobile - suggest away!
Answer posted by picklebird April 15:
I got it. We just got back from Belize and on Caye Caulker, there is a chef
by the name of Maurice who has a restaurant called Wish Willy's. He
makes his own hot sauce with fresh local chilis. He brings it to the table
in a large bottle. It's different every time (we had one red and one green.)
You would think because the bottle is so big that it can't possibly be that
hot-- but it is (the red one especially). We actually saw someone run out of
the restaurant because she was in so much pain. Maurice is a great guy
too. I am willing to bet that if you told him about this he'd concoct
something for you. Oh, and the food to put the hot sauce on is great too.
It is an outdoor place where he just grills fresh fish, etc. in his front yard
and all meals are <$10 ($15BZ, I think). Wash it all down with a Belikin or
two or three.
rshields, december 2007
"outstanding"
Eating at Wish Willy's is like going to a friend's house for dinner. Only
instead of eating at the dining room table, you eat in the front yard. The
chef/owner, Maurice, cooks up a wide range of seafood dishes, always
fresh, and never more than $10 US. Over the course of a week, I had
lobster teriyaki, chilled stone crabs, and grilled snapper, lobster, and
amberjack, among other things. Not once was I disappointed.
"outstanding"
Eating at Wish Willy's is like going to a friend's house for dinner. Only
instead of eating at the dining room table, you eat in the front yard. The
chef/owner, Maurice, cooks up a wide range of seafood dishes, always
fresh, and never more than $10 US. Over the course of a week, I had
lobster teriyaki, chilled stone crabs, and grilled snapper, lobster, and
amberjack, among other things. Not once was I disappointed.
Beth & Lauren, July 2007
For our second night in Belize, we decided to go to Wish Willy’s, one of our
favorite “restaurants.” Wish Willy’s is owned by a guy name Maurice who
grew up in Chicago but moved to Belize 8 years ago and never plans on
leaving. The restaurant is actually at his house, where he has several
tables set out for people on his lawn. For $7.50, he barbecues, grills,
marinates, and cooks up a variety of foods depending on what he picked up
in the market that day. His newest happy addition was all-you-can-drink free
rum drinks from 6-8pm.
Lauren and I rushed to get there early for the rum drinks, and we were
pleased when Maurice recognized us. He brought us some rum punches
and we relaxed, knowing that dinner might be a while. The dinner was, as
always, amazing. It included whole shrimp that were marinated in
molasses, rice and steamed veggies (which meant we could eat them!),
whole fish that was incredibly tasty and tender and BBQ chicken.
The next night, our last night in Caye Caulker, we went back to Wish Willy’s
for dinner. Maurice sat down and chatted with us for a while. When we
shared our sadness about the forever-lost Bailey’s Coladas specials, he
told us he’d make us his special Pina Colada. He returned with the most
smooth, creamy pina colada we ever had, and he shared his secret recipe
with us!
For our second night in Belize, we decided to go to Wish Willy’s, one of our
favorite “restaurants.” Wish Willy’s is owned by a guy name Maurice who
grew up in Chicago but moved to Belize 8 years ago and never plans on
leaving. The restaurant is actually at his house, where he has several
tables set out for people on his lawn. For $7.50, he barbecues, grills,
marinates, and cooks up a variety of foods depending on what he picked up
in the market that day. His newest happy addition was all-you-can-drink free
rum drinks from 6-8pm.
Lauren and I rushed to get there early for the rum drinks, and we were
pleased when Maurice recognized us. He brought us some rum punches
and we relaxed, knowing that dinner might be a while. The dinner was, as
always, amazing. It included whole shrimp that were marinated in
molasses, rice and steamed veggies (which meant we could eat them!),
whole fish that was incredibly tasty and tender and BBQ chicken.
The next night, our last night in Caye Caulker, we went back to Wish Willy’s
for dinner. Maurice sat down and chatted with us for a while. When we
shared our sadness about the forever-lost Bailey’s Coladas specials, he
told us he’d make us his special Pina Colada. He returned with the most
smooth, creamy pina colada we ever had, and he shared his secret recipe
with us!
