Costa Rica Restaurants Guide: Where To Eat in Costa Rica

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Costa Rica

Restaurants

A wide variety of dining choices, from humble sodas (cheap but often good rice-and-beans joints) to truly fine cuisine we’d stack up against nearly any in New York or London, are scattered all over San Jose. On the upper end, our favorite is La Luz (Carretera Vieja Santa Ana; 282-4160; daily), in the Alta Hotel (see above), serving stylish nouvelle Latin and international fare, and the charming restaurant at El Grano de Oro (Calle 30/Avenidas 2 & 4, 255-3322; daily) comes a close second. Slightly less expensive, yet atmospheric, tasty, and more centrally located, Café Mundo (Calle 15 at Avenida 9, 222-6190; daily), attracts an artsy and young crowd with varied multi-culti morsels dished up in an old colonial wooden house.

For affordability and local color, check out the Costa Rican home cooking at Nuestra Tierra (Avenida 2/Calle 15; 258-6500; daily) and the newish Típica (Avenida 2/Calle 10, 226-5296; daily), open-air eateries mimicking rough-hewn country houses. For people-watching and views of the historic National Theater, try the light local fare served on the portico of downtown’s classic Gran Hotel Costa Rica (Plaza Mora Fernández, 221-4000; daily). Or catch the 1001 Arabian Nights vibe at Barrio Amón’s recently opened Café Moro (Calle 3/Avenida 11 & 13, 223-3116; daily), with Latin and Middle Eastern fare in the courtyard of an old neo-Moorish townhouse.

Manuel Antonio
The top tables in this neck of the woods are those at the better resorts (see above) but several stand-alone spots do merit mention as well. Along the beachfront road, we like the atmosphere and Latin/international/Tex-Mex food at Marlin Restaurante (777-1134); just down the street, the local chow is also good and the prices even better at Mar y Sombra (777-0510), in an idyllic tree-shaded setting right on the sand (at night it turns into a popular disco). Up the hill, the happy hour with boffo sunset views and hopping nighttime scene at Barba Roja (777-0331) are popular with gringos. Finally, Quepos is the place for sturdy budget repasts, and you’ll have no trouble getting well fed for a pittance in plenty of sodas throughout town. We’d be remiss, though, if we didn’t mention a local institution called El Gran Escape (777-0395), another gringo-flavored spot on the waterfront featuring great fresh seafood.

Arenal
As in other resort towns, the best and priciest restaurants hereabouts are at the uphill resorts (see above), especially Los Tucanes (519-1900; open daily) at Tabacón and Acuarelas (460-1220; open daily) at Montaña de Fuego, both of which do a delicious job of fusing local ingredients and elements with sophisticated international flair. In La Fortuna, much of the dining tends toward the local and inexpensive. Good choices include La Choza de Laurel (479-9231; daily), built to evoke a traditional native hut; Rancho La Cascada (479-9145; daily), under a soaring palapa roof, on the park in the center of town; and Los Nenes (479-9192; daily), on a side street off the main drag, more of a local than tourist joint.