BELIL SABORES DE CHIAPAS — Restaurant in Chiapas

We chose to eat here as it was the nearest restaurant to our hotel on our list of recommended places in San Cristobal.

We're very glad we did.

The waiter was extremely helpful when we explained that I had a back problem and immediately provided me with a cushion to make me more comfortable.

We ordered sopecitos to share and these were excellent. They came with a salsa that was unlike any I or my Mexican partner had had before. The staff explained that it was made with morita chiles and slow cooked tomatoes, tomatillos and onions. It was absolutely delicious and on hearing how much we liked it they gave us some to take back to our hotel.

We both ordered soup - my partner had a cream of elote which was excellent and I had sopa de tortilla negra. I've had sopa de tortilla many times in Mexico City and it was interesting to see that some of the expected ingredients (chicharron, crema, lime wedges) were absent but the broth had a depth of flavour that I hadn't experienced before. Genuinely the best I've had.

For a main course I had chile relleno which was recommended by the waiter as their best vegetarian dish (there was a good variety of vegetarian options which is not always the case in Mexico). Again, this was somewhat unlike the dish I'd enjoyed in Mexico City, but again, it surpassed it. The poblano was stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and black beans and came in a delicate saffron sauce (apparently traditional in Chiapas) which took it to a whole new level. My partner had a local speciality of pork in adobo sauce which was succulent and delicious, and came with outstanding blue corn tortillas which were fresh, handmade and with a beautiful soft texture.

If you're looking for an authentic and delicious taste of Chiapas then I highly recommend this restaurant. Exemplary service, good prices, and delicious food. We couldn't have been happier with our experience, and although we're only in San Cristobal for another 2 days, we're definitely returning to Belil...

Best meal we had in Chiapas! We spent a week in the state and really enjoyed a lot of good food but this place was next level. Our server Lorenzo was really passionate about guiding us through the menu and it’s connections to ancient Mayan culture and tradition. Example: belil means “food” in Mayan and he was so happy we asked about the cool abstract symbol next to t restaurant name on the menu. He told us that it was the Mayan gliph for a frog. When the frog sings, rain is on the way. When it rains the crops grow and ultimately provide food. I highly recommend the artisanal cheese appetizer, the first two non-alcoholic drinks on the menu which are ancient Mayan recipes and come served in bowl-like gourds and are made of ground corn, cane and cacao; and the “ciudad real” degustacion option which has a bread soup served in an earthenware bowl with a lid followed by an incredibly rich chicken mole; and don’t miss out on the rich fresh cream in-house ice cream dessert! Don’t miss this spot when your in San Cristobol...

Terrible overall experience here. The ambiance was decent and the service excellent so I thought I was in for a treat. Started out with a bread soup that was tasty but the next dish was a culinary disaster that the restaurant wouldn’t remedy. Before my second this arrived, I asked for a side of avocado. But they brought was clearly rotten avocado that was more brown than green. To make matters worse, the chicken mole was the most disgusting chicken I’ve ever had- comparable only to the chicken I had back in 2000 when I was treking through the jungles of South China, and the cook brought two live chickens that were so chewy my jaw hurt after three bites. This was that same chicken. I asked the waiter very kindly if it was possible to change the dish for something else. He said no that’s the way it is so I thanked him and asked for the check and left. I felt bad for him because he did a great job, but whoever runs this restaurant is completely clueless and has no idea what customer services. So...