We’ve found it. Our favorite local hangout watering hole here in Belize.

Gimlets? No. Mint Juleps? Sorry. Apple Martinis? Not a chance. 

It’s just not this pub’s style. Let’s try again.

How does this sound to you? The coldest Belikin beer in Belize with a side flask of Caribbean Rum…with your name taped on it. Or throwing darts with a group of locals and expats that make you feel like family. Maybe incredible Belizean cuisine sounds yummy to you.  Or how about an ex-pat proprietor that knows his way around everything Belize and has the charm and larger-than-life wit of a Vegas headliner. Maybe you’re into that “bar around the corner” atmosphere…the place that feels like home.  

It doesn’t matter. You’re going to fall in love with Remo’s Roadhouse. We have.

Here’s why.

Darts

Here in Belize, for us, Wednesday is “Darts Day.” I even have it recorded each week in my Planner Pad, as if we’d ever forget. Duh!

We’re what you’d call “casual” players, which means that, we have played mainly at home or in small bars, with friends and family.  We’re definitely not full-fledged “circuit” players. Before hitting the road as house sitters, every now and then, we’d come across a pumped-up strip mall in Dallas that was a neon-lit gaming mecca, having 30+ dart boards lined up, all in perfect condition. Yikes!  We never went in. After all, as any good player knows, you need a crowded, smoky pub for proper darts. A place where the dart boards are not just another wall decoration.  

That’s Remo’s, sans the smoke.

The place is open air and really respects the tossing of the feathers. There are two dartboards that are positioned in a special alcove at the front.  All of the tables and bar stools are set up so that everyone that is involved with the rousing weekly competition  can see what’s going on.  

Cricket is the game of choice.  There is a designated “commish,” and, as folks arrive, he places them on one of four teams that will vie to be crowned the champions of the day.  Upon arriving everyone gets their darts ready for action, as well as, loosens up with a few practice tosses, shoulder rolls and a cold beer.  All this is done between hugging friends that haven’t been there in a while and catching up on what’s going on in everyone’s lives. 

The two boards are used simultaneously and a team must win two games to advance to the finals. These initial games are somewhat casual, but when someone is lucky enough to throw a bullseye, everyone in the room is informed before play continues. 

Once the final teams have been determined, the competitive air bumps up a few notches.  In fact, there have been a few weeks that the intensity was so great that Elvis could have walked in and no one would have noticed.  

Most of the time the last game is close.  It’s not for the weak-willed or faint of heart. It requires the keen eye of a falcon, the smooth aim of a startled porcupine and the physical prowess of a mighty gorilla. It’s a perilous ordeal and only the very toughest come through it and emerge as champs. Of course, to the casual observer, the dangers appear only to be ducking an occasional stray dart, but once you’ve basked in the glory of being on the winning team, you know that you have boldly gone where very few have been, and have really accomplished something great…until next week…when you can’t hit the side of a barn, much less the dartboard.

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Food

Most people don’t realize how much a grueling game of darts can work up an appetite.  Again, Remo knows how to take care of his people.

Remo’s daughter, Kasey, is a wonderful chef and with the help of her brother, John, they make eating at Remo’s Roadhouse a delightful culinary experience that you won’t want to miss. She makes a Belizean pulled pork that is scrumptious and a chicken salad to die for. Yum!

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Remo

Everyone that “lands” permanently in Belize has a story. Before arriving here we’d heard how this place can grow on you and make you never want to leave.  That’s what happened to Remo, the owner/chief bartender/proprietor of Remo’s Roadhouse.

Born in Baltimore and raised in New Jersey, Remo, as an adventuresome twenty-something guy, had a burning desire to “see the world,” especially the parts that were not brutally cold and involved no shoveling of snow.  So he headed south, by way of Mexico, working for a lumber company that put him in charge of their Belize operations.  Of course, back then, it was untamed and crazy wild, much like the American old west. 

Yee Haw!

When the lumber enterprise soured, he started Belize’s first canoe and water taxi business called Float Belize, opened Sandcastle Bar & Grill in San Ignacio and even lived in the bush for about three years. Again, this man knows his way around Belize.  

Finally, seeking a great place to raise his kids, twelve years ago he built and opened Remo’s Roadhouse in Bullet Tree Falls. His goal was and is to provide a safe, clean place with cold beer, great food, and wholesome camaraderie. Mission accomplished! 

We have both become completely enamored with this man and his kids too.  I mean, what’s not to love? He sees us pull up and has an ice cold Belikin, in a coozie, waiting for John and a cranberry/club soda for me. Any time we want a history lesson about this area of Belize, he’s our go-to man. If we’re not sure exactly how to get to a certain area, Remo is better than Google Maps. He loves comics and cartoons (a man after my heart) PLUS he watches Jeopardy every day!!! We had to travel all the way to Belize to find our brother. Go figure.

So, every Wednesday, while we’re here in Belize, Remo’s Roadhouse is where we will be. But, why limit happy to an hour? Remo’s is open every day! It’s a definite MUST if you are visiting Belize.

Everything about Remo’s Roadhouse ROCKS!   

~ • 0 • ~

“Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name

And they’re always glad you came

You want to go where people know

The people are all the same

You want to go where everybody knows your name”
-Gary Portnoy
Cheers Theme

Contact Remo on Facebook

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Mondays:  11am – 7pm
Tuesdays through Sundays: 11am – 9pm

MAP TO REMO’S ROADHOUSE