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Great information here. I would like to know where the good places to eat are located. I know you are going to ask in what city but we don’t know yet. I can tell you we are arriving on June 22nd and will venture out to see as much of CR as possible within 10 days. We are not interested in the typical American restaurants as we would like to experience the CR culture. We will have along one person who speaks limited spanish and two children. Thanks.
Fantastic country for a great variety on the menu.
My best suggestion for you and your family is to drive the back roads and highways and look for the small eateries called “sodas”.
You will find excellent beef, seafood and chicken. My favorite being the rotisserie chicken. Generally you will see these beside the sodas with a wood fire blazing and many chicken on the spit. Even if you see a rotisserie in it’s idle state, stop in and ask…Pollo.
Stop in towns where you see the most people. On the autopistas, stop where you see the people stopping.
There will be many fruit and vegestable stands you will see, also. I have never had a problem with the water. So eating the roadside fruit has been a favorite of mine. Pineapple is fantastic.
Find a small, pocket size translation book and take it with you… My first experience with the great smell of a rotisserie chicken was pollo entero… to much to eat… the entire chicken…
Happy eating
Bill MaesI have to second Bill Maes’ recommendation of the “pollo de lena” (wood-cooked chicken). It’s pretty much everywhere and it’s all good.
You can also get a “taste” of Costa Rica anyplace that advertises “tipico”. They’ll serve the local fare.
And, if you’re serious about communicating and don’t know much Spanish, invest in the best model of Franklin Translator. It’s a pocket-sized “computer” that permits you to type in words in English or Spanish and have them translated. The larger model has a larger vocabulary and also does metric conversions. Sometimes, we give the Franklin to whomever we’re not communicating with and have them type in what they’re saying in Spanish. Either way, it works pretty well.
Like he said, there are many “sodas”, I recommend “soda tapia” which is the most famous soda, I’ve seen one in san jose and another one in santa ana. For picky eaters like me, I would prefer to go to a restaurant. soda can’t really be called a restaurant, they’re like costa rican fast foods.
I personally enjoyed a lot a restaurant called “chubascos”, they serve costa rican food and they have a delicious list of desserts. My fiance is from Costa Rica so he knows the good places to eat. I do not know where exactly is located but you could ask, I’m sure most people know because it is a very famous restaurant and it’s also a family environment rest. that you would enjoy with your family. all i know is that it’s located in the mountains on the way to volcan poas and la paz waterfalls. there are also restaurants called “miradores”, also located in the mountains where you can sit, eat and have a beautiful view of the mountains or the city, very romantic at night. I’ve never eaten at any of those, but my fiance talks a lot about tiquicia and mirador ram luna which i believe it’s located in escazu hills. Another great restaurant we visited is “Lluna de Valencia” in Heredia, it’s not easy to get there but after so many curves and dead roads, we finally found the rest. the owner is a crazy spanish who decided to open a spanish restaurant in the middle of nowhere in costa rica (BEST paella i’ve had by the way) if you look at the photo gallery of welovecostarica, you will see the photos I posted with the chef/owner of the Lluna de Valencia and I also posted photos from Chubasco restaurant, I will post some more photos I took from Chubascos so you see what it looks like from the outside. There also some nice restaurants in plaza itskatzu, for example tapas de manuel, that’s a good one too.I would give you and endless list of restaurants to eat but it will take me the whole day, just e-mail me if anything at sepulveda.tatiana@gmail.comIt’s not Tipico, but if you get down to Jaco go a little further south and eat at Jungle Surf in Playa Hermosa. Some of the best and freshest Ahi tuna ever and great mash patatos, if you have room get the frozen key lime pie. It’s just a little outdoor restaurant but just amazing food! I have heard people from all over the world at this little spot say it was the best fish they’ve eaten.
Well it depends on what you want!
If you want food with incredible views you can find many resturants that are in the central valley that serve great food. One of the last resturants that my brother in-law showed us is called BaalBek. I had a great big steak and they had live music.
You all are great and your suggestions are wonderful. I can’t wait to get there. A good restaurant with a view is a plus but the food is the most important. We want to go to some places that are local and not necessarily the same places the tour guides go to. The chicken or polo is a definite stop -or two. Thank you very much.
Chubascos is great. It’s in a town called Fresas on the way to Poás. Mostly tourists and pricier than the real “típicos”, but big portions and very much worth it.
Ram Luna is a mirador above Aserrí. Nice restaurant/bar and great view, although the food’s not the best and the prices are high. Tiquicia above Escazú is a better bet, if you can get there. You’ll have to ask for directions as you go, and believe them when they point up an impossibly angled dirt road. The food is much better, there’s entertainment, and the owner is usually around to meet and greet. He even appeared at his establishment on the program “Wild On”, but he still remains a true Tico through and through.
I wouldn’t call a “soda” a fast food joint. This is where the most typical food is served, and the most inexpensive. Ask for a “casado”, a mainstay dish with a bit of everything. It’s fast because they always have everything prepared, even though it may take hours to do so. The Central Market in San Jose has some terrific sodas, just keep your wallet in your front pocket…
Jubert’s in Quepos is fantastic for seafood. Don’t be dissuaded by the less-than-attractive look to it, but do bring bug spray for the no-see-ums under the tables. Another great, and extremely inexpensive, seafood restaurant is “El Barco de los Mariscos” in Santa Barbara de Heredia. They have their own boats out of Quepos and they truck it up daily. Their place is huge to accommodate the crowds.
I’ve yet to find a decent typical restaurant in Puntarenas, or a good Mexican restaurant anywhere in Costa Rica, although Chinese restaurants are everywhere, and usually a good bet (but not always). Tin Jo in San Jose is exceptional.
On the way to Arenal there’s a good typical restaurant called “La Vaca Loca”, and another good one in Zarcero called “Doña” something or other.
On the road from Puntarenas to Liberia there are a few good typical restaurants on the right. The best of them has an Indian name for “communal thatched roof hall”, but for the life of me I can’t remember it. “El” something-or-other.
There’s a mirador above San Rafael de Heredia, but the food is not good. However, on the way there’s a great typical soda called La Casita. Just above that there’s a road that forks off to the left which leads to Las Chorreras, open for lunch only on the weekends. Their fajitas are to die for.
In Flamingo Beach try Maria’s. It’s typical fare, exceptionally prepared and generous servings, although outrageously priced like everything else in that Gringoland town (still my favorite CR beach though).
The pollo asado anywhere is great. The secret is the wood they use – from coffee bushes. Try the pickled onions that come with it.
Try looking on Costa Rica Eateries
http://eating.therealcostarica.comAfter you visit, be sure to post your favorites or not so favorites.
Jessica
OK I know this is a long thread but… has anyone ever eaten at the BBQ wagon in Coco? As you are heading out of town you take the road to Ocochal. Its there on your left and liteally a wagon that serves the best chicken and ribs I might have eaten anywhere at any price. Seriously, has anybody else esten there??? The owners desevere a resturant of their own. Its indescribaly delicious. Mounds of food too and resonable. Damn I’m hungry thinking about it. Only in CR…
For superb costarican type “bocas” try Shumis in Sto Domingo de Heredia, just past the Bouganvilea hotel next to a soccer field, there is a cantina type are and a family area, everything is spectacular, but try their chifrijo with mixed chicharrones…wow you will keep on going back, great fare great food….clean and affordable, old school tico bocas bar….
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