Churrería Manolo's

This restaurant is located in the heart of San Jose. In spite of its popularity among tourists, its food isn't great quality. Their churros are not the best, to say the least, and all you will find there are loud tourists and old expats. Moreover, that part of town isn't the safest nowadays, as pick pockets and petty thieves know that plenty of foreigners go there. If you want proper Costa Rican food I bet there are better places to go that would not only serve better food and provide a more typical seeting, but also be located in a safer place away from all the panhandlers that will certainly ruin your stay there. 
If you want proper Costa Rican food, I recommend you go to one of the Sodas in town. They serve "Casados" (Rice, beans, chicken, beef or pork, salad and a juice), Olla de Carne (Meat and vegetable soup), Gallo Pinto, etc. 

I must say that I used to enjoy long walks in San Jose’s downtown streets, but in the recent years, I have a growing feeling of insecurity. This restaurant gets its profit because its location…. In the central avenue (that is a pedestrian way only), you can find many different food options, but just a few are really typical Costa Rican food. 

This Spanish like restaurant with a basic menu and high prices. The sandwiches are not bad, but neither excellent. The “churros” are ok (but is difficult to damage a churro). If you go there, I recommend to you to enjoy a cup of local coffee.
 
You’ll never see locals seating there, only sunburned tourists, watching to the street and joking, talking and laughing loud.  It's a great point of encounter though, everybody knows where it is.