Saraba Belizean Cuisine

🇧🇿 BELIZE/GARIFUNA

📍 3655 S. Grand Avenue, South Central, South Los Angeles

(Inside Mercado La Paloma)

🅿️ The market has a parking lot, street parking when that is full.

🥤 No Alcohol

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since officially opening in the market a couple months ago, Saraba has kept a very "loose" schedule. Hours seem to have stabilized, but please call ahead to ensure they are open.

While as many Garifuna people live in the United States as Honduras, the nation with the most in native Central America, the west coast sees quite a small sample of that number. The Bronx has churches and festivals with the yellow, white, and black Garifuna flag waving everywhere, but the outward expression of this culture and people is a bit more hard to find in Los Angeles.

The only Garifuna chef around has been here and there since back in 2015, when a food truck and pop-up operation was formed, but times were very irregular and the cuisine was extremely difficult to track down at times. Thankfully a permanent location has finally been settled, and it could not be at a better spot than the wonderful Mercado La Paloma.

Garifuna culture spans the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua but this chef's takes come from the northernmost of these in Belize. Setting up shop in the mercado gives it the perfect neighbors in Chichén Itzá and Holbox, who serve foods from neighboring Yucatán that have been similarly influenced by centuries of Mayan culture.

For now the menu and the vendor seems focused on introducing "standard" Belizean fare to the market, with offerings similar to that of other restaurants in this part of South Los Angeles. The one dish listed on the menu that is specifically Garifuna is hudut, but takes an hour to make and therefore will not be available to customers on their lunch break unless they have planned ahead.

It is a shame that the word Garifuna itself has been scrubbed from the name of this business, which used to be called Gusina Saraba Garifuna Cuisine, but the hudut ($25, above and below) is definitely worth calling ahead for if you are planning to come. The softball-sized sphere of yellow it comes with is called machuca, made by mashing sweet plantains and used like the various starches in West African cuisine like fufu.

If you sat down at a Garifuna table, everyone would have a bowl of the soup in front of them and a large ball of machuca would be placed in the center for everyone to pinch off pieces while they ate, creating a very communal atmosphere. Garifuna people all live near the Caribbean coasts of their respective countries, and as such a big portion of their diet is based on fish and seafood.

The fish here was less beautiful than usual because it suffered from a brief transport home, the sweet and rich coconut milk-based sauce covering some of its top. But this is how it looks once you tear into it anyways, so some mixture ahead of of time did not hurt any of the enjoyment.

In the coconut soup there are many onions and still crunchy okra along with quite a few sprigs of thyme. Chop up some of the orange scotch bonnet pepper you can see peeking out if you would like to set the dish on fire. If you enjoy this one, it might be worth speaking to the chef about other Garifuna dishes he has in his repertoire to see if anything else can be pre-ordered.

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Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

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Joan & Sisters Belizean Restaurant

🇧🇿 BELIZE

📍 3709 S. Western Avenue, Exposition Park, South Los Angeles

🅿️ Street Parking

🥤 No Alcohol

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: An updated version of this article (12 December 2025) is available as part of the Free Friday Favorites section of our Substack page. Check that out here: 

https://eattheworldla.substack.com/p/joan-and-sisters-belizean-restaurant-los-angeles 

There are some places in Los Angeles that have been part of the city's fabric for so long that the pandemic came along and never even phased them. They can measure their existence in the amount of times fresh blue paint was needed to apply to the morning sun-soaked facade and have survived so many milestones before this latest.

The generations who have been part of the 40 years or so existence of Joan & Sisters on Western Avenue have adapted to a lot more before COVID-19. They took the pandemic in stride, moving the few tables to storage and focusing on takeout, which was the bulk of their business already. Their dining room is now just open space but is still surrounded by bursts of color on the walls and the feelings of tropical coastal Belize.

Newcomers will direct their eyes to the handwritten menu board to the left of the counter, but note that many items are only available on certain days of the week. Cowfoot soup and boil up will need to wait until the weekend, while other things are available Monday or Thursday only. It is a rhythm that has been in place for years if not decades, so asking for a dish that is not available on the day you walk in is an immediate way to stand out from the loyal patrons.

But do not let that stop you, as the friendly folks here that run the place will be smiling behind their masks and are always really welcoming. Some things do not have any description and some foods have names you may be unfamiliar with, but do not hesitate to ask about anything. This is food they are proud to make for their community, and are happy to describe to people that are new to the cuisine of Belize.

Belize is a country that identifies more strongly with its Caribbean island neighbors than with the other countries of Central America or México, but that does not mean that their food is not clearly rooted on the mainland. It has the distinct influences from precolonial Mayan cuisine that are familiar to those that enjoy foods from Guatemala, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Chiapas. But since it was eventually colonized by the British, it also shares the names, shades, and spices that many of the English-speaking islands do, and some of the food mashups like meat pies.

Joan & Sisters is open at 09:00, the best time to show up for these and other baked goods and pastries which you will see in the case at the counter. Some of these will still be warm, while others are wrapped in plastic from the previous day like the jam roll seen at the top left of the photo above. Either way, by lunchtime a lot of these will be gone for the day.

You will see the "e" at the end of tamale in English-speaking Belize.

The Belizean tamale (above, also called a bollo but not here) is probably the way their food culture most intersects with the other neighbors in Central America. This large banana leaf-wrapped and steamed beauty is full of on the bone meats, sometimes pork but here a full chicken drumstick in spicy stew first encased in spicy masa and then a plain one. Grab at least one of these two-toned tamales each time you go, it is just about big enough for a meal for one person but more fun to share.

Available daily are stew beef and stew chicken (below), which is ready in both dark and light meat versions. Either way, ask for a little extra juice as you will hear other customers do and always say yes to the question of whether you want potato salad and onion sauce. The latter might remind you of Salvadoran curtido but is laced with habanero peppers and should be applied with care.

Each plate is always available with your choice of white rice and stewed beans (above) or the common combo (below) of rice and beans which Belizeans consider part of their national dish. This combo has rice browned from stewing with chicken broth and the whole thing is thickened by coconut milk and tastes most of garlic and onion.

The price of oxtail has skyrocketed everywhere, but a plate of Joan & Sisters oxtail (below) is worth every penny. They load their takeout containers with far more than it should ever hold, so be mindful to keep your bag upright or there could be trouble. The pieces they use are all grade A and very meaty with just the right amount of fat. The gravy is addictive and will make you wish you had an extra container to drench everything else in your refrigerator with.

The biggest influence from the British Isles comes in the form of a meat pie (below), but instead of being in the form of a patty as seen in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, the meat pies in Belize resemble those in England, Australia, and New Zealand or look more like a muffin like this one.

Inside of the crisp exterior is a beef and potato mix that certainly has the touch of grandmas everywhere, but this one would never be found in Britain as it would kill them with spice. In Belize you will often eat these for breakfast, and the heated case at Joan & Sisters will only have a few left at lunch, but if you grab them for warming up later they are just as delicious at night.

A few tarts pop out the most visually from the case in the counter, and ordering and eating one will cement the fact that this restaurant is doing great things with their baked goods. The coconut tart (below) is a great option for a sweet tooth, filled with sugar, condensed milk, and nutmeg.

It must be obvious by now that nothing is disappointing, so go ahead and order those conch fritters and whole red snapper if you are more in the mood for seafood than chicken and beef. The recipes that have survived everything Los Angeles and the world has thrown at them for the last 40 years are always going to satisfy new and old customers alike.

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I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

Thank you!

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Tracey's Belizean Restaurant

BELIZE 🇧🇿

🇧🇿 BELIZE
📍 3810 S. Western Avenue, Exposition Park, South Los Angeles
🅿️ Street Parking
🥤 No Alcohol

EDITOR'S NOTE: An updated version of this article (15 December 2023) is available as part of the Historical section of our Substack page. Check that out here:

https://eattheworldla.substack.com/p/traceys-belizean-restaurant

 

There is a certain amount of envy that must be cast towards the folks that have figured out the daily rhythms of Tracey's Belizean Restaurant on Western Avenue. Without knowledge of this rhythm, wandering in is more of a crapshoot. Certain things are available on certain days, sometimes Sundays, sometimes Wednesday through Friday. Is there any way to verify all of this? If you did would it take away the charm?

Either way, Tracey's has been around since 1984 and shows no signs of going anywhere so you still have time to figure it all out. What is clear is that no matter what day of the week you find yourself inside, a delightful meal and a full belly are certainly in your future. You are best off approaching the back counter to first to get your order in before sitting down. Behind this area a sign with seahorses and elephants reads "Welcome to Tracey's" while underneath the counter are plastic wrapped round loaves of Caribbean breads and tarts.

Despite being unapologetically Belizean, Tracey's has a pan-Caribbean feel and a crowd to match. Dishes like the stew oxtail ($14, above and below) satisfy the needs of expats from Belize and just about any island nation in the area. These fatty pieces of tail would be described as luxurious by a serious food writer, but on this day were picked up and gnawed on until clean.

A plate comes with rice (always demand extra gravy as others around you will be doing) and a salad, which on this day was a creamy yet light potato salad. A couple fried plantains were laid over it all for good measure.

Sitting at one of the four tables with booth-style seating is an enjoyable time even before the food comes, as most of the restaurant is open space but full of people picking up orders for takeout. Those in the booths are taking their sweet time with the day, drinking the Jamaican DG Pineapple Sof Drink and relaxing in each other's company.

On some days you can grab bollos, a Belizean-style tamal, and definitely never pass up garnaches on days they are offered. These staples of the country and southern México are similar to what is called a tostada further north. Usually eaten from a city street vendor, these are finger food snacks at their finest, with black beans and pickled cabbage on top along with meat sometimes. On Sundays come for boil up, the national dish of Belize and a descendant from Garifuna kitchens. Now if only they had the Belikin Beer to go along with everything...

🇧🇿🇧🇿🇧🇿
 

I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

Thank you!

VENMO: @JAREDCOHEE

CASH APP: $JaredCohee

PAYPAL: (no account necessary, use link)