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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.
A local institution since 1952, this large rancho restaurant and bar is famous for its huge meat platters—we're talking 1 to 1½ kilos (2¼ to 3½ pounds) of meat—with all the típico side dishes, or you can dine more daintily on sautéed trout. The interior dining area is actually quite smart, with fresh white tablecloths overlaid with colorful cloths, and a view of the lovely Orosi church.
Fresas means "strawberries," and they’re the star at this rustic wooden place on the way to the volcano. They end up on your corn pancakes, in juices, as desserts, or as sides to the variety of típico dishes here. Gallo pinto (rice and beans) is on the menu for breakfast, of course. Hearty olla de carne and sopa de pozol—meat and bean soups, respectively, make for filling lunches. A good, economical bet is the casado lunch special, a Costa Rican specialty of meat, rice, beans, and salad.
The Orosi 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.
A cut above the usual soda, this large, long-established restaurant across from the basilica has been feeding pilgrims for seven decades. Along with hearty portions of seafood, grilled meats, and typical casados, the restaurant has a popular bar and terrace.
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.
Dine amid tall pines and colorful flowers on the upper slopes of Poás Volcano. There’s a small menu of traditional tico dishes that includes platters of gallos (homemade tortillas with meat, cheese, or potato filling) as well as delicious daily specials. The refrescos (fresh fruit drinks) are top-drawer, especially the ones made from locally grown fresas (strawberries) and moras (blackberries) blended with milk.
A permanent exhibition of local art and the expertise of the owner make this a worthwhile stop. This pleasant family-style restaurant has the usual midscale Costa Rican fare, ranging from fast food to filet mignon. The house specialty is beef tenderloin topped with a Spanish-inspired red-wine-and-mushroom sauce. Casados and gallo pinto compete with more-familiar chicken and seafood dishes. Even paella is on the menu (with three hours' notice), and there's homemade apple pie for dessert.
This is a good place to stop for lunch when you need a break from shopping, with a variety of steaks, spicy chorizos, arroz con pollo (rice and chicken), and soups—we recommend the maize soup—on the menu. You might not expect it in this mix, but the pizza is pretty good, too. Service is leisurely here (that’s a nice way of saying “slow”) and the time is lengthened in proportion to the number of tour buses in town that day.
