Wish Willy Bar & Grill — Restaurant in South Caye Caulker

Not sure how Willy's place even got such a high rating on here, as we were certainly fooled by the reviews ourselves!!!

First off there is no service at this place just kinda help yourself with everything here, then after reviewing the menu board in a dimly lit area, we've ordered a whole snapper and seafood gumbo, the dishes took a while to prepare which we understood since there was quite a few tables at the time, however when Willy brought the dishes to our table, we were quite surprised on the way it looked and tasted, the grilled snapper was completely burnt (seen in photo), over-seasoned, the gumbo had way too much salt in it that it wasn't even edible, he did not even care to ask us of any issues when we asked for the check right away.

I was curious and wanted to get some insights of how Willy's place got so high of a rating, and after going thru their website and intro, learning that Willy used to be from Chicago which is a major US city that has a pretty high standard for restaurant and service industry, but what happened to all the things learned???

To be quite honest, this has to be the worst meal I've had in my entire life and obviously Willy doesn't seem to give a damn about his business or his customer, if you decide to go into service and hospitality industry and make money off of people then effort needs to be acquired and implemented in order to do so, how do you run a business by yourself and expect it to be...

Wish Willy Bar & Grill is one of those places that captures everything good about Caye Caulker—laid-back vibes, unreal food, and that feeling like you’re just hanging in a friend’s backyard. Most nights, the sun’s going down, the grill’s fired up, reggae is rolling through the air, and Maurice is behind the scenes working his magic.

Grab a seat at one of the long picnic tables for a family-style setup, or tuck into one of the covered spots if it looks like rain. Drinks are self-serve—just keep your empties and square up after your meal, island-style.

The food? Chicken, fish, and lobster are all top-tier. If you’re lucky (or plan ahead), ask for the hummus plate—trust me, it’s something special. Portions are perfect, flavors are incredible, and the backyard vibe makes every bite better.

Maurice is a legend. Usually busy cooking, but if the pace slows down, take the chance to chat—and don’t forget to say hi to the dogs!

We kept coming back for the chill atmosphere, the consistently amazing food, and prices that feel more than fair (around $25 BZD per plate). Just ask if you’re unsure—Maurice will let you know what’s up.

A true island gem worth revisiting...

We arrived and got seated. When we hailed the staff (which we later realised was the owner) to place our order we we're told ''I will come to you when I come to you''. After 20min wait our orders were finally taken. Drinks were self-service and were kept in putrid stagnant water. I went to wash my hands after putting my hands in the water but there was no soap, and the toilets from what I could see were outhouses. It took a good 45min for us to get our food, the vegetable dish which was good. However while eating the owner of the ''restaurant'' (food shack) came over, stood next to our table, downed his beer, burped, put his bottle on our table, looked at us, and walked off. Clearly because the shack is in his back garden and there are plenty of new tourists every day he does not require manners to keep the place running. When we wanted to pay we got one of the 2 waiters, who was completely high, asking us what we ordered, and we had to tell him how much we owed, and how much he needed to give back because he was off his face stoned.

The worst service (even for Belize standards), we...