68 Best Restaurants in Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

It might not be beachfront, but this snazzy restaurant has an upscale vibe with hardwood floors, white brick walls, and a wine bar shaking up divine watermelon martinis. For more ambience, grab a table on the outside deck where dishes like salmon risotto, poached sea bass, and shrimp sautéed in coconut milk are served. For something from the land, try the caramelized pork in a honey-and-lime sauce or the heavily requested Dijon beef tenderloin. Don’t skip dessert—try the Bailey's panna cotta with passion-fruit coulis.

Follow the glow of multicolor lanterns to this dinner-only, open-air eatery within sight and sound of the ocean. The simple wooden tables are on a patio bordered with gardens or, during the drier months, practically on the beach. The Italian owners serve an eclectic menu ranging from shrimp curry to squid in spicy puttanesca sauce to tenderloin with porcini mushrooms. The restaurant usually opens just in time for sunset, at 5 pm.

A feast for the senses, this plant-filled haven has coffee, smoothies, and food that look lovely and taste delicious. Whether you order the impeccably presented "Eggs Nest" (sous vide eggs in a nest of crispy, fried sweet potatoes) or the art-topped green matcha latte, having an enjoyable meal here is practically kismet. Don't worry about trying everything on the menu, you'll likely be back. Note that the restaurant closes early at 3 pm. 

An ample selection of good Italian food, including crispy pizzas, decadent pastas, generous salads, and a lengthy Italian wine list (available by the glass, too), makes this sidewalk trattoria a good spot for lunch or dinner. Tuna carpaccio is a lighter option, or try the insalata caprese, with fresh basil. There's also a selection of local tico dishes and seafood. Unlike the checkered tablecloths you'd find elsewhere, here you have glass tabletops showcasing shells or plain wooden tables by the pool. Save room for a delicious mint-chocolate panna cotta.

Paper lanterns suspended over wooden tables and polished concrete floors bring rustic elegance to this A-frame restaurant supported by tree-trunk columns. The place has been a favorite for years and remains trendy with international fusion dishes like Buddha bowls or seared yellowfin tuna with wasabi aioli.

Sink your chops into steak (rib eye, New York, or T-bone) grilled on an open fire and served Argentine-style with garlicky chimichurri sauce at this family-run, pleasant rancho restaurant. Other specialties include grilled chorizo sausages or Milanesa, the classic Argentine breaded steak, served with french fries. Wash it down with a glass or bottle of Argentine vino tinto. There's salad, chicken, and, yes, fish when available, but people come here mainly because of the meat. Six air-conditioned cabinas, eight with kitchens, face a small pool next to the restaurant.

El Lagarto serves up fresh, local seafood and high-quality meat, grilled to perfection on a massive, open-air, wood-fired barbecue. Sink your teeth into juicy tenderloin, lamb chops, mahimahi, prawns, tuna, mussels, chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, portobello mushrooms, or a whole grilled lobster. You won't find any barbecue sauce here; everything is simply brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned with a bit of garlic, salt, and pepper to complement the flavor of the food. Dinners include grilled vegetables and potatoes; salad is à la carte. There's also a kids' menu, an ample wine list, and an extensive cocktail selection, not to mention banana splits. The restaurant is open for dinner only, though it opens at 3 pm for cocktails. Tax and service are not included on the menu prices, so expect to pay 25% more than advertised.

Montezuma’s first natural-food restaurant is named after the chewy dried bananas made by the owners, who also own the upscale Ylang Ylang resort on the beach. This popular eatery serves the best vegetarian fare in town, including scrambled tofu for breakfast and excellent wraps, salads, fajitas, and spring rolls, with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. You can enjoy a delicious Mocha Chiller, made with frozen yogurt, or a fruit smoothie made with local coconut milk. The homemade cakes and pies are scrumptious. The standout is the Chocolate Volcano, a mountain of ice cream atop cake, with a lava of chocolate sauce. For vegans, there's a nondairy chocolate mousse. A shaded garden terrace behind the restaurant is cool and pleasant, but bring mosquito repellent. A battalion of ceiling fans keeps the air moving in the spacious dining room decorated with murals of tropical beach scenes.

This tapas restaurant, featuring Asian and Mediterranean flavors, is in a modern glass-and-steel tree house that's cantilevered on the side of a hill and includes a spacious deck. Delectable appetizer-size offerings include seared pepper-crusted tuna atop pickled ginger slaw, or panfried sea bass fillets with a divine ginger-and-mandarin-orange butter sauce. Not to be missed are Ginger's crispy shoestring fries, served with roasted garlic mayo. Portions are small, but layers of condiments and garnishes make them surprisingly satisfying. The fun thing to do is order several dishes and share. The varied wine list includes Old and New World wines by the glass, and specialty martinis and tropical cocktails go well with the tapas. For dessert, warm chocolate lava cake is rich enough to share, but only with someone you truly love. Be aware that the menu prices do not include tax and service (another 23%). It's open 5 to 10 pm.

Sit back and relax in the outside swinging seats at this taco and burrito haven. The polished wood and laid-back atmosphere are perfect for sipping a cocktail and snacking on chips with a trio of dips before indulging in made-from-scratch tortillas and mama's secret beef stew. Vegetarians and folks with food sensitivities will be happy with the large selection. Make sure to bring cash, credit cards are not accepted.

An exuberant mix of American and Venezuelan favorites makes this breakfast spot a favorite of locals and tourists alike who come for the coffee and stay for the pillow-soft cinnamon rolls and other tasty baked goods. Make sure you try the chicken avo chachapa (a Venezuelan sweet corn pancake with shredded chicken in hogada sauce, cheese, avocado, and egg) or the eponymous guayoyo (a Venezuelan pour-over coffee), or a dirty chai latte. For the less adventurous, there are smoothies, caesar salads, and bagels with cream cheese and homemade jelly.

Literally, the coolest place in town is this blissfully air-conditioned ice-cream parlor with an array of refreshing Italian gelato flavors, cool fruit smoothies, and milk shakes. It's airy and bright, with large windows looking onto the main street and an outdoor terrace. Lavazza coffee is served, along with homemade Italian savories, including toasted panini and bruschetta. This air-conditioned space in town makes a welcome retreat from the heat.

Head to this spot for the biggest pizzas in town in a large, roofed-over garden near Playa Pelada. The house pizza is thin crust with carrots, broccoli, olives, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, ham, and pepperoni. If you like it hot, dribble on some of the house specialty: red-hot flavored oil. You can watch your pizza being dressed, or choose from a full menu of salads, pasta, grilled fish, seafood, and meat—all done Italian-style. It's cheerful and hearty; no one leaves here still hungry. In high season there's sometimes live music at dinner.

North of Santa Teresa, this trendy sushi place off a dusty dirt road is one of the most popular restaurants in the area. Fabulous sushi, sashimi, and tempura are carefully crafted, and there's a daily blackboard menu featuring hand rolls and wraps. About 30 wood tables are scattered around a gravel-bottomed, Zenlike garden, with palm trees and a stand of bamboo. The decor is mainly votive candles, flaming torches, and tin-can hanging lamps. There's also tempura shrimp, beef tenderloin, and ginger-pork main dishes. Vegetarians can order spring rolls and steamed vegetables with quinoa, but it hardly seems worth it to make the trip here unless you are going to chow down on fish and seafood. To wash it down, there are coconut-milk fruit shakes, sake, Costa Rican craft beer, and notably expensive wine.

A favorite local hangout, this rustic pizzeria has an outdoor clay oven and an open kitchen. There are 14 types of pizza, like the house special with goat cheese, pesto, and caramelized onions. They also serve salads and gluten-free pizzas, as well as barbecued meats from the pizza oven (with 24 hours’ notice). If you can’t find a pizza that sounds good, you can build your own from a list of toppings. As the area’s top local hangout, the place gets packed, so plan to enjoy some sangria while you wait for your food and bill.

Two Italian brothers offer well-prepared Italian classics and thin-crust pizza, as well as some interesting seafood dishes like tuna tartare and tagliolini with crab in a cream sauce. For dessert there's an intriguing panna cotta or classic tiramisu. If it's a romantic night, try to get a table outside next to the fountain, and be sure to check out the selection of Italian wines. There's live music at least once a week. For those lazy evenings after a day at sea, you can call the restaurant and request delivery.

While the day away listening to reggae, sipping on cold drinks, watching the surfers, and snacking on beach food. You can't beat the views or the service, and it's a great family spot owing to the large portions, good prices, and on-site ice cream parlor. American fare includes hamburgers and pizza and the casados (a plate filled with white rice, black beans, and salad) are fresh and delicious. Don't miss the breathtaking sunsets.

This beach club–restaurant–lounge–jazz club is the most romantic and sophisticated dining spot on the beach. By day, you can lounge by the pool or surf between bites of ceviche, panini, burgers, or mussels with fries; by night, you'll find tables set with white linens and candles arranged under swaying palms around two glowing pools. Start with a lobster and mango salad or a flaky pastry nest filled with goat cheese and spinach. Move on to a divine fillet of sole bathed in a velvety, peppery champagne-cream sauce. For dessert, try the crepe suzette flambé. Come back the next day to work off your meal at the attached fitness center or yoga studio.

Famous for its wood-oven pizzas, this breezy, all-wood restaurant with tree-trunk pillars is set amidst trees above the hotel of the same name. Lunch is the best deal in town, with pork, chicken, or fish casados elegantly presented with patacones (plantain fritters), a mound of white rice, a ramekin of red beans, and a mixed salad with creamy vinaigrette, all for $6. Dinners focus on grilled, stewed, and sauced meats including buffalo and lamb dishes, a rarity in these parts. Desserts are not to be missed—a passion-fruit crème brûlée is crunchy on top, smooth and tart below, and comes with a spoonful of strawberry coulis. The two-chocolate mousse, and a moist chocolate moelleux (cake) will make chocolate fans happy. The wine list features affordable French wines. Service is friendly and the chefs enjoy describing what's on the menu.

At El Mangroove’s trendy poolside restaurant, guests can dine with a glimpse of the ocean or head indoors to the more formal dining room enclosed in glass. Most ingredients are locally grown, and nearly every item on the menu is organic, including the grass-fed beef. Start with red snapper carpaccio with grapefruit and fennel, or the seared scallops with caramelized cauliflower. Signature entrées include cavatelli pasta with grilled octopus, and the remarkably tender ribs served with apple-jalapeño puree. Portions are small, which means you may have room for the chocolate cheesecake. The mosquitoes are enough to ruin your meal, so wear long pants or dine indoors.

A Flamingo institution serving beachgoers and locals for more than three decades, this popular restaurant has an array of sandwiches and salads, as well as reliably fresh seafood in large portions at reasonable prices. Settle in at one of the wooden tables beneath the ceiling fans and massive thatch roof for a traditional Costa Rican ceviche, avocado stuffed with shrimp, or heart of palm and pejivalle (palm fruit). The main fare includes whole fried red snapper, shrimp and fish kebabs, and a delicious plato de mariscos (shrimp, lobster, and fish served with garlic butter, potatoes, and salad). For a lighter meal, you can't beat the scrumptious fish tacos. Save room for Marie's signature banana-chocolate bread pudding. At breakfast, try the unusual papaya pancakes, French toast made with cream cheese and jam, or eggs Benedict. There's free Wi-Fi for customers and live music three times a month (call ahead for schedule).

Pleasing a loyal legion of local fans since 1974, Nogui's offers a hearty menu of seafood and meat dishes that pair perfectly with a tamarind margarita. With feet-in-the-sand dining and ocean views, it's a great place to let the kids play on the beach while you enjoy one of Tamarindo's best places to watch the sunset.

Grab a table at the second-floor lounge overlooking the pool while the kitchen cooks up fresh seafood delivered daily by local fishermen. Dinner reservations are recommended, so call ahead to try the coconut shrimp, sesame-crusted tuna, or Thai curry. There are also delicious salads with shredded papaya and tangy dressings, as well as local casados to remind you that you’re in Costa Rica. Wash it all down with an unparalleled passion fruit mojito. The breakfast specials are a bargain. There's live music on Tuesday night.

Cool off inside or relax outside on the deck at this little gem on the beach, the perfect spot to replenish the reserves with some healthy food or a good cup of coffee while you watch surfers ride the waves. Pico has the best Wi-Fi in town, so if you must look at your computer on your vacation, do it from here.

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.

Surrounded by a plethora of delightful potted plants you'll indulge in bowls of delicious, nutritious food at this eponymous eatery. The menu is divided into sweet (acai bowls, waffles with homemade caramel-fruit syrup, chia pudding) and salty (teriyaki chicken bowls, orzo miso with mushrooms, spinach, coconut milk, and goat cheese), so there's something for whatever you're craving. Tuna poke is exceptional. The charming attached store sells pots, bowls, and other sweet and unique souvenirs.

The aroma of baking bread is irresistible as you pass this German bakery, just south of the Liberia airport, whose baked goods are delivered all over the peninsula. The display case is filled with tempting strudels, Bundt cakes, and flaky fruit pastries. The cheesecakes and cinnamon rolls are so soft and moist, you might lose your fork. There is also a full-fledged restaurant, serving everything from wood-fired pizzas to fish sandwiches. Vegan and gluten-free choices here as well. The menu is huge, and so are portions, making this the ideal place to come pre- or postflight. The German owner has made sure that Deutsche classics hit the table, including bratwurst with sauerkraut, pork schnitzel, and hearty dark breads. The restaurant also has a gluten-free menu, a beer garden, and playground. It's open daily from 7 am to 8 pm.