Hi everybody,

My wife and I are leaving next month for a week in Costa Rica. We'll be staying mostly in Quepos so that we can really see Manuel Antonio. We've been to CR once before, but only stayed on the Caribbean side. We've got a place to stay, but after our less than great culinary experience the last time we were in CR, I really want to make sure that we get some good food this time around! Does anyone have any suggestions for local restaurants that aren't touristy and that have great food? No more crappy casados for us!

Thanks,
Koji

Costa Rican food may not be for you! Many people who travel there love the casados! You might do well to ask what international restaurants are near Quepos so you can eat food from another country! Italian, Chinese, etc.

In Manuel Antonio, there are several excellent (at least to some!) restaurants--one of them being Karola's. If you have a guide book, you should be able to find good listings for this area that try to steer you in the right direction.

We have some friends to whom we would never in a million years recommend Costa Rica as a vacation destintion because their vacation food is critical and they would be miserable with Costa Rican cuisine, which is admitedly less than gourmet. They, too, would consider casados "crappy"!

How long has it been since you were on the Caribbean side? There is a new restaurant there now called La Pecora Nera (at least I think it is new--I didn't see it before). It is Italiano and very very good! It's not Tico food, but it has to be one of the best places in the entire country to eat! Next time you're over there, be sure to give it a try.

While I too love casados, there is a nice local alternative in Quepos. There is tasty-tasty open-air restaurant that serves up fresh latin-fusion dishes. I distinctly remember having a bowl of gazpacho that was the tastiest, freshest, most welcomed surprise to Quepos. Fresh fish done real nice treated with a gentle hand; definitely some thought and effort put into that place.

My wife and I stumbled upon this place last year during our (semi) annual visit. I just did a websearch to make sure I got the name right: El Patio. They actually have a pretty decent website too! (cafemilagro.com)

Check it out on your trip, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

C Ritch

I would recommend Karola's as well. We had a very good dinner there a couple of years ago. We also liked both restaruants at Si Como No.

Thanks for those quick responses, everybody! I really appreciate your insights.

I actually really love casados, too; just not the crappy ones! We did have some good ones that were really simple and delicious in Puerto Viejo last year but eating those every day gets pretty boring.

More than anything, being major foodies, we're just looking for restaurants do local food really well. I definitely don't want to eat anything other than Tico food while in Costa Rica!

We'll definitely check out Karola's, although I've read on some other message boards that it can be really crowded and kind of uneven. El Patio sounds good, too. Latin fusion, eh? Intriguing...

Thanks again! Keep those suggestions coming; we've still got five more nights to fill up!

yes yes- El Patio! it is a wonderful place. The dishes we tried were delicious and expertly prepared. The seafood was fresh and presented beautifully. We had such a lovely time there that we stayed all evening, and even got to meet the chef! He's great- obviously a culinary artist. Check it out for sure.

The best meal we had in all of Costa Rica was the lunch we had at the restaurant at La Mariposa hotel.

Thanks once again for all of the ideas! Looks like we'll definitely check out Karola's, El Patio and La Mariposa.

My wife just found a last minute airfare special ($350!) so it looks like we'll be taking off early to CR. I'll report back when we return about all of these restaurants!

Thanks again. This forum rocks.

Keep in mind, all the restaurants mentioned on this thread are going to be 'touristy' and are not "Costa Rican". They are very good, but do cater to tourist, not Ticos!

Hey Koji,
Where did you see $350 to CR; and from where? I found $425 out of the NYC area for end of Dec. & January.
Its that or Spring vacation for us.
Pete

I've been stateside for the past several days so I've been off line and unable to post. In addition to previous posts ... In Manuel Antonio, try MarLuna and Ronnie's Place. Both are owned by Costa Ricans and have great food and wonderful Pacific views. Pescado entero is great, my favorite! In Quepos (city), Tropical Sushi has wonderfully fresh fish (not a typical CRican dish, but worth mentioning). Outside the city limits, Rancho Leon has authentic Costa Rican dishes and is excellent. (Located north of Quepos near the cervesaria). Enjoy!

Lisa in M. Antonio

you must check out El Patio, its in downtown Quepos at Cafe Milagro. They are doing some incredible dinners.