Pounce on one of the six streetside tables if they're free when you enter. (They probably won't be available: a regular expat crowd holds court here.) The passing parade on Avenida Central is yours for the price of a cup of coffee. Breakfast and dinner fare is hearty, but the café is most popular at lunchtime and cocktail hour. You can get a Caesar salad and other American dishes here. Inside, the wrought-iron chairs, wood beams, and brick walls give the place an old-town tavern feel—framed newspaper front pages hang on the wall trumpeting D-Day, Pearl Harbor, and John Glenn's first space mission. The café is on the first floor of the 1960s landmark Hotel Presidente.
Reviewed by thisblonde from Bethlehem, PA, USA on 9/7/09
As mentioned in an earlier review, if you need a break from the gallo pinto, join the Americans at Cafe News. Although there are many ticos dining, there is a heavy European / American crowd. The streetside tables are definitely a hot spot, but inside dining is just fine.
We settled in for a cheeseburger and spaghetti carbonara and were not disappointed. The menu is pretty extensive and they make a mean burger
It's centrally located and right down the street from 7th Street Books - a gem of a local bookstore, great if you need a book for the plane ride home.
Reviewed by JCinSanDiego from California on 4/10/07
The breakfast buffet was nice with a lot of options. I also return for lunch and had the cesar salad. It was a nice break from the gallo pinto.
Friendly, talkitive waitress had some good advice on things to see and do while in the area.
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