2 Best Restaurants in Tamarindo, Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula

As soon as you cross the bamboo bridge, you’ll be instantly transported from a strip mall to an ocean-side Zen garden where the fish is bought fresh from the boats. Try a frozen mojito and start with a seaweed salad and steamed dumplings, then dive into the sashimi and sushi.

Wildly popular, this casually chic, alfresco pizzeria on a quiet side street has plenty of cars parked outside most nights, with patrons inside feasting on the consistently delicious thin-crust pizzas. Families are especially fond of La Baula (the Costa Rican name for the leatherback turtle) because of its reasonable prices, noisy buzz, and adjacent playground and picniclike dining area.