nycsarah

Hi y'all - looking for last minute Costa Rica honeymoon restaurant recs - good and in the less expensive is best, but pricey will be taken into consideration if fabulous! Going to the following areas:
Arenal (lost Iguana)
Monteverde (Monteverde Lodge)
Montezuma (El Sano Banano)
Thanks!

Sbustobante

I can't honestly say that food in Costa Rica is fabulous - the only truly excellent meal I had was at the Marriot in San Jose, but I'm pretty sure you need to be a guest to get in. Food is fresh and healthy, but fine dining just isn't their thing.

In Monteverde, I recommend Pizzaria de Johnny - food is decent, waitstaff excellent, and tables in the side room are romantic. Avoid the "natural food" restaurant at Sapo Dorado - our travel agent raved on and on about the place but it was hugely overpriced and not that great.

dfarmer

I am of the "Love Costa Rican Food Group". Actually make black beans and rice with a cabbage salad, every now and again, I guess just for comfort food. Thinking of making a cafe flan tonight. The fresh veggies are so delicious. I don't tend to go for the exotic meals, you know where someone attempts to cook something they know nothing about. Certainly try the casados, very tasty, filling and less expensive.

Oh well !!!

Monteverde - a bit on the pricey side but excellent and delicious - Restaurante De Lucia.

There is a recent trip report with some good recs for La Fortuna and the Arenal area.

Montezuma - we found several things on the El Sano Banano menu to be very tasty. Montezuma Cafe' had a good menu with some lesser expensive choices. There was another restaurant on the beach that was good - can't recall the name. Are you staying in town or in the beach bungalows?

nycsarah

Yeah, I had read on this board that the food is not super, but i did recall that there had been a few mentions of good spots. and ironically it seems that all the places that people recommend are pizza or italian! but that works for me. maybe i should ask what places to avoid!

nycsarah

Staying in a bungalow at El Sano Banano - can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dfarmer

nycsarah - you will love the bungalows at ESB!!!! So nice to have the beach just steps from your door, with waves crashing, monkeys playing, howlers calling in the distance, hammocks strung in the trees. The gounds are very nice, pool a nice treat. When we were there last year the restaurant near the bungalows was not open, that should be a very welcome addition.

One suggestion (you may have already gathered) - before heading down the beach to your bungalow, stop in at the market and get Imperial, wine, snacks, whatever. ESB takes you in the back of a pickup to your bungalow - for your other trips back and forth to town, you will be walking.

Have a great trip!

sean420

Montezuma had some of the tastiest food I've had in all of Costa Rica!

You must go to La Playa de las Artistas!
It's an intimate restaurant located right on the beach with a sand floor. We had an appetiser of smoked cheese with shrimp, salad, bread, a huge fresh fish that fed four, fillet mignon, along with cocktails and beers for about $20/person!

For the best pizza in Costa Rica go to Pizza Net next to Chico's Bar.

Cocolores restaurant on the north end of town is excellent as well. The pineapple chicken is really good!

El Parque Cafe on the south side of town is also great for cheap casados and guacamole and chips.

We stayed at El Sano Banano in town and ate their complementary breakfast in the restaurant. The food there was pretty average. I liked the banana pancakes and the fruit with granola and yogurt was pretty good as well. The mocha chillers there are awesome!

nycsarah

Thanks for the indispensible advice. Wow am I getting excited - and HUNGRY.
Good tip on picking stuff up in town dfarmer - we will do that! Thanks!

allison04

I second Playa de los Artistas in Montezuma--that was the best meal of our trip!

The best food we had in Monteverde (Santa Elena) was Morphos Cafe. Pizzeria de Johnny was good but not excellent.

You'll have such a great time. We've only been back from our second trip for a few months, and we're itching to go back again!

marknrachael

Can highly recommend Sophia's in Monteverde. 4 of us recently ate there,
4 different entrees. All were excellent. One of the best meals we had in CR.