10 Best Restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica

Duck into the Teatro Nacional's sumptuous café, off the theater lobby, to sit at a marble table and sip a hazelnut mocha beneath frescoed ceilings. The frescoes are part of an allegory celebrating the 1897 opening of the theater. Coffee runs from $5 to $7, depending on how much alcohol or ice cream is added. Sandwiches and cakes are $6 to $9.

A scant two tables and a small counter are the only seating in this tiny converted garage. But the coffee, harvested from its own plantation in Tarrazú in the Los Santos region, is robust and flavorful, as are the cakes and ice creams. The main branch here in Barrio Otoya has very limited seating. A more spacious outlet operates in Escazú, out in the Central Valley.

This café blends and roasts its own coffee on-site which pairs well with the cakes and pies on offer. All coffees served here are also for sale in the shop, including samplers of eight different varieties from around the country in individual single-cup sachets.

The homemade gelato served at Dolce Gelato gives Costa Rica’s ubiquitous Pop’s ice cream chain a run for its money. These folks get adventurous with their flavors: maracuyá (passion fruit) and mango are two popular ones. Eat inside or in the pleasant garden with your gelato on a crepe or get it to go in a waffle cone.

Fashionable Franco serves gourmet beverages made from the country’s premium coffees. Your inner amateur barista may want to check into the slate of coffee workshops offered here.

We have to admit that Costa Rican baked goods tend toward the dry-as-dust end of the spectrum, but Italian-style bakery Giacomín, near the University of Costa Rica, is an exception—a touch of liqueur added to the batter makes all the difference. Stand European-style at the downstairs espresso bar or take your goodies to the tables and chairs on the upstairs balcony. You'll also find branches in suburban Moravia and Rohrmoser, as well as Escazú, Santa Ana, and Heredia out in the Central Valley.

This sleek, modern west-side coffee shop and store is an island of all-Colombian products, both beverage and souvenirs, in Costa Rica. They serve cakes, pastries, and delicious coffee milkshakes. We won’t tell anyone if you go here.

To sample the crème de la crème of locally made ice cream, head to Pops. After a long walk on crowded sidewalks, it may be just what the doctor ordered. Mango is a favorite flavor. You'll find several outlets downtown, as well as around the metro area and the country. This longtime Costa Rican institution is now Colombian-owned.

The baskets of fruit and vegetables at the entrance and the wall of herbal teas, health-food books, and fresh herbs for sale by the register signal that you're in a vegetarian-friendly joint. The bright and airy macrobiotic restaurant serves homemade bread, soy burgers, pita sandwiches (veggie or chicken), fruit shakes, and a hearty plato del día that comes with soup, green salad, and a beverage. The ensalada mixta is a meal in itself, packed with root vegetables native to Costa Rica. Shakti is an oasis in a mostly meat-loving country and is worth the detour a few blocks south of the standard tourist path.