Central Valley Restaurants

Growing Escazú has become as metropolitan as San José and has the restaurant selection to prove it. Elsewhere, as befits this cradle of the country's tradition, typical Costa Rican cuisine still reigns.

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  • 1. La Casona del Cafetal

    $$

    The valley's most scenic and famous lunch stop sits on a coffee plantation overlooking the Cachí Reservoir. It's firmly on the beaten path, which means frequent visits from tour groups. The spacious indoor dining area has a high barrel-tile roof, but the most sought-after tables are out on the tiled, lakeside portico, draped with flowering vines framing gorgeous lake views. The menu has both Costa Rican staples and sophisticated dishes such as corvina guarumos (bass stuffed with mushrooms). Expect a wait on weekends, when diners come from miles around for the gargantuan $25 lunch buffet that ends with delicious, coffee-flavored desserts and the Casona's own coffee, made cup by cup in the old-fashioned Costa Rican way. After lunch, take a stroll down the garden path to the lake or check out the souvenir stands in the parking lot.

    Orosi, Cartago, 30204, Costa Rica
    2577–1414

    Known For

    • Immensely popular weekend lunch buffet
    • Yummy coffee desserts
    • Solid menu of típico food

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 2. Restaurant 1910

    $$

    The menu here at this upscale countryside spot is predominantly Costa Rican, with such traditional specialties as trucha (trout) and rice with chicken, along with some more sophisticated dishes, like corvina (sea bass) fillet with a coconut-liqueur sauce. The Sunday típico buffet is a great introduction to Costa Rican cooking. Decorated with vintage photos of early-20th-century buildings and landscapes, this upscale restaurant teaches a history lesson of the region. The photos also document the disastrous 1910 earthquake that rocked this area and all but destroyed the colonial capital of Cartago.

    Road to Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú, Irazú Volcano National Park, Cartago, 30101, Costa Rica
    2536–6063

    Known For

    • Variety of trout dishes
    • Pleasant rural setting
    • Vintage photo exhibit

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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