Other restaurants in Costa Rica
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Koki Beach
Doing its best to channel Miami Beach, this sleek spot cranking reggae-lite classics has fruit-colored paper lanterns and Adirondack chairs that face the ocean from an elevated wooden platform. There’s a decent selection of Peruvian-inflected ceviches, meat and seafood dishes as well as some watery cocktails. If you’re going to snack, the yucca chips and guacamole are quite good.
reviewed
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Colbert Restaurant
Two kilometers east of the Poás Volcano Lodge, you’ll find this charming French restaurant with nice views and a chef that looks like he’s straight out of Central Casting: Joël Suire is not only French, he is bequeathed with an ample moustache and wears a toque. Expect a menu loaded with traditional French items such as onion soup, house-made paté and beef tenderloin grilled with green peppercorns. There is a good wine list (bottles from ₡7800), strong on vintages from South America and France. Don’t miss the fresh bread or to-die-for lace cookies.
reviewed
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Trio
From the same people who brought us Chimera and Sofia comes this amazing new fusion restaurant. We were in heaven after savoring the camarones mojitos – grilled shrimp drenched in a garlic, cumin, onion, rum and orange-juice sauce, served on a bed of potatoes, veggies and avocados. Follow up the flavor explosions with to-die-for desserts like the mango split sorbet. The contemporary, stilted building is oddly located in a dark corner behind the SuperCompro supermarket. It may not have the ambience of its sister restaurants, but this is hands-down our favorite dining experience in Monteverde.
reviewed
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Chimera
Latin-infused tapas are complemented by an excellent wine list featuring robust reds like Chilean Syrah-cabernets and crisp whites like pinot grigio. Dine alfresco at the trellis patio or the big-windowed dining room with beautiful jungle views. Charming staff will lay out a spread of cocktails (like kiwi caipirinhas, with lime, sugar and rum) and tapas like sea bass with passion-fruit cream and spicy mayo, or fried yucca with chipotle garlic aioli, all on white tablecloths.
reviewed
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Sabor Español
She’s from Barcelona. He’s from Ibiza. And together, Heri and Montse have created one of the most authentic and lovely Spanish restaurants in Costa Rica. The couple specialize in paella, fresh fish, meats and chicken. We loved the stuffed avocado appetizer, followed by shrimp flambéed in whiskey. Wash it down with some of the best sangria this side of the Atlantic. The ambience is super tranquillo and well worth the trip 2km north of downtown.
reviewed
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Maravilla
Just about the cheapest and most authentic restaurant in Santa Elena, this charming soda serves typical Costa Rican specialties including excellent casados. The menu also features American favorites such as fajitas, pancakes, French toast and 12 kinds of milk shakes. This place gets very crowded during lunch hour, so plan accordingly.
reviewed
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Como en Casa
This Argentinean grill is a popular weekend lunch spot, serving a comprehensive round-up of grilled meats and a strong selection of pastas (including vegetarian options). There is a good wine list (from ₡6600 abottle), as well as desert crepes stuffed with local strawberries.
reviewed
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La Pizzería de Johnny
Woodfired, thin-crust pizzas will warm you right up after a long hike through the cloud forests (or up the hill from Santa Elena). The warm atmosphere and lovely dining area makes it feel as though you are having a nice dinner out without paying the price.
reviewed
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Umi Sushi
In the courtyard of the Centro Comercial Playa El Carmen, this sushi bar has a pleasant dining room and tables outside. If you’re lucky, it will have a surf movie projected on the outside wall while you savor your Mal País roll. Beer drinkers, beware: it only serves Japanese beers, at exorbitant prices.
reviewed
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Orgánico
When they say ‘pure food made with love,’ they mean it – this healthy cafe turns out all vegetarian or vegan dishes including spicy Thai burgers, sushi and noodles, nachos, burritos, falafel, smoothies and other meat-free treats you can feel good about.
reviewed
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Andre’s Beach Bar
The best pizza place in town also has one of the best breakfast spots, serving omelettes and eggs Benedict. English and French are spoken.
reviewed
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Pizzería Restaurante Lilliana
This great spot for Italian fare is proud to offer more than a dozen different kinds of pizza, all of which are made from scratch. The lovely mountain views and old-world environs make this a pleasant place to spend an afternoon.
reviewed
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Stella’s Bakery
Order your choice of sandwich on delicious homemade breads with a con-venient order form (one side is in English), and don’t skimp on the veggies, many of which are locally grown (and organic). You can also get soups, salads, quiches and lots of tempting sweet pastries.
reviewed
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La Esquina de Buenos Aires
Spanish-tile floors, bright white linens and the sound of old tangos evoke the atmospheric bistros of San Telmo – making this one of the top spots in the city for a steak and a glass of Malbec. Also tasty are the house-made empanadas (turnovers stuffed with meat or cheese) and the extensive selection of fresh pastas, including vegetarian options such as tender raviolis stuffed with mozzarella and fresh basil. There’s a good wine list (bottles from ₡4500), attentive service and flickering candlelight, making this an ideal place for a date.
reviewed
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Bar Morazán
Walk through the dim, smoky lobby casino of the Hotel Costa Rica Morazán up to the 2nd floor and you will be rewarded with one of the cheapest, most filling almuerzos ejecutivos (set lunches) in San José. On weekdays, the bar serves a rotating daily special that pulls in local office workers for platters piled with items like fried fish with lentils, rice and green salad. The price includes juice and dessert. The best part: you get to enjoy your meal before a sublime wall-sized mural of dogs playing poker.
reviewed
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Five Corners Grill
You’ll smell the wonderful barbecue aroma long before you even see this new restaurant, 4km east of Tilarán. The menu specializes in what owner Jim Aoki calls ‘gringo comfort food’ – eggs Benedict, nachos, bratwurst, peanut butter and jelly milkshakes, french fries and the best flame-grilled burgers on Laguna de Arenal. It’s only open for breakfast and lunch, but plans were underway to begin serving dinner. And if you decide to stick around (permanently), note there’s an onsite real estate agency.
reviewed
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Restaurante Whapin
If you don’t make it to the Caribbean, then absolutely make sure you eat here: an intimate corner spotpainted Rasta red, yellow and green, and serving up spectacularly delicious meals. Enjoy a steamy bowl of rondón (seafood gumbo cooked in coconut milk), a plate of rice and red beans, or fish simmered in spicy coconut sauce. Don’t forget the fried plantains and, in season, the crisp breadfruit. Wash it all down with agua de sapo, a zesty sweet ginger drink.
reviewed
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Machu Picchu
This locally renowned Peruvian restaurant will do you right if you have a hankering for all things Andean. A popular spot for a leisurely Sunday lunch, it has an encyclopedic menu featuring tasty Peruvian classics such as pulpo al olivo (octopus in olive sauce), ají de gallina (a nutty chicken stew) and causa (chilled potato terrines stuffed with shrimp and avocado), among many other things. There is also a children’s menu.
reviewed
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Tree House Restaurant & Café
Built around a half-century-old higuerón (fig) tree, this hip cafe serves up your favorite Mexican dishes from burritos to huevos rancheros (eggs served with tortillas and a tomato sauce), and has a healthy selection of salads and sandwiches. The burlap-bag ceiling and jungle-themed murals painted on the yellow stucco walls surround the airy atrium. It’s a cool, lively space to have a bite, linger over wine and sometimes catch good live music.
reviewed
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La Comida Típica Miriam
One of the first places you will pass in San Gerardo (about 6km from the Interamericana) is the cozy house advertising comida típica, or ‘typical meals.’ Eating is almost like receiving a personal invitation to dine in a Tico home: the food is delicious and abundant and the hospitality even more so. Miriam also rents a few cabins (US$35) in the woods behind the restaurant, which are a modest but comfortable place to spend a night or two.
reviewed
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Los Olivos
This bright corner spot facing the Parque de los Niños serves tasty café con leche (coffee with milk), along with a mix of international specialties, from burritos to steak. The best part: if you pick up fresh strawberries from the roadside vendors near the Poás volcano, the kitchen will clean them and whip them up into a delicious natural de fresa (strawberry shake without milk) – with the purchase of a main dish.
reviewed
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La Casona de Laly
At the heart of Escazú Centro, this much-loved restaurant-tavern specializes in country-style Tico fare. Locals and expats alike pack the joint for cheap, lip-smacking bocas, ice-cold beers and a soundtrack of merengue accompanied by the cackling of the owner’s pet birds, who inhabit the cages that line the entire west wall of the restaurant. Be sure to try the dados de queso (fried cheese cubes) – they are the best.
reviewed
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La Casona del Cafetal Restaurant
This charming lakeside restaurant is situated in the middle of a coffee plantation. It is popular with local families who arrive to dip into fresh river trout or grilled pork loins glazed with tamarind sauce. Don’t miss the coffee-laced deserts, such as flan and ice cream. There is a small playground for the kiddies, as well as short trails and a lagoon with paddle boats for rent (in high season). This is a popular spot on Sundays.
reviewed
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Pacific Bistro
This deservedly popular place is run by a gourmet chef from California who specializes in Pan-Asian–style fusion dishes. Whether you’re partial to Indonesian-style noodles and fiery Thai curries, or more refined Japanese soba and fish fillets topped with exotic Chinese sauces, one thing is for certain: this gem of a restaurant really hits the spot, especially if you’ve been craving fine Asian cuisine.
reviewed
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Tiquicia
This long-running hilltop Tico restaurant serves up bounteous platters, in addition to live folk music on weekends. Without a doubt, it’s a tourist trap – an expensive one – but you’re not here to eat, you’re here to admire the extravagant views of the Central Valley. The restaurant is 5km south of Escazú Centro on a paved road. It’s tricky to find; call for directions or check the website for a map.
reviewed
