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Guanacaste-inspired and locally sourced, the cuisine here pays tribute to the owner's Italian roots with dishes like lobster tail served with homemade black pasta. This restaurant is one of the area’s more upscale places to dine, with marble tables, parchment lamps, and driftwood-integrated decor under an open-air patio. There are vegan and gluten-free options, and $4 cocktails from 4 to 6. The wine list is extensive and microbrews are on tap. It’s worth saving room for the flourless chocolate cake with coffee reduction and homemade ice cream.
Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Homemade thin-crust pizza
- Wide-ranging wine list
- Juicy steaks aged in custom Himalayan salt chamber
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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There’s not much “aqua sport” going on at this Peruvian beachfront restaurant, unless drinking margaritas in a hammock somehow qualifies. It’s the kind of place you drop by on day one, and find yourself coming back to for the remainder of your vacation—blame the setting of Adirondack chairs lining the beach combined with fresh fish like grilled snapper served with shoestring fries. There are seven types of ceviche and a seafood soup that is good enough to make you miss the sunset between bites. For something absolutely non–Costa Rican, try the Peruvian Causa, a spicy potato-layered dish with tuna, octopus, or shrimp. You can also order familiar favorites like tacos, burgers, and surf and turf. Service is slow and prices are high, but there’s live music and tables in the sand.
Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Delectable fish tacos
- Cheerful location on the beach with a tree swing for the littles
- Tato burger—juicy beef patty with bacon, cream cheese, and whiskey
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The hammocks, palapas, pool, and beach here are open to the public, so take a dip, grab some beach food, and take in a sunset, all the while trying to spot some red macaws. Showers, toilets, tables, chairs, towels, and more are available for use with a $70 minimum food and beverage purchase.
Islita Beach, Punta Islita, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Ubiquitous seafood, particularly whole red snapper
- Patacones
- Brick-oven pizza
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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.
Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Fresh-off-the-boat sushi
- Frozen passion-fruit mojitos
- Spicy edamame
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You can usually count on good food at this second-story restaurant in the trees. You can get wild with crocodile fingers, or try something more familiar, like the handmade pizzas. There are several vegetarian, lactose-free, and gluten-free options on the menu. Presentation is always beautiful, and service is efficient and friendly.
Hotel Cantarana, Palm Beach Estates, Playa Grande, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Fresh seafood like tuna poke bowl and fish tacos
- Unfussy breakfast fare
- Homemade tortillas and sauces
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Wed.
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Take a beach break and stop at this funky open-air café for a smoothie or espresso, and stay for a panini or avocado toast—just make sure to get here before the freshly baked bread runs out. The seats may be unconventional (think swings and couches) but the food is pure delight.
In front of Sámara Natural Center, Sámara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Spicy panini
- "Bohemian" smoothie
- Strong coffee
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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Vestiges of the original Swiss-French owners linger on at this bakery and alfresco eatery, open for breakfast and lunch. In addition to hearty sandwiches, the café serves burritos, bowls, and salads. It's a good place to cool off, and perk up, with a café frappé (espresso blended with bananas and ice cream). The adjoining bakery is great for take-out beach picnics, with French-style bread and an array of pastries and tarts, including chocolate mousse. There's free Wi-Fi.
Main road, on corner of Playa Guiones entrance, Nosara, Guanacaste, 50206, Costa Rica
Known For
- Lunch with a dip in the pool
- Bakery goodies like baguettes, tarts, and pastries
- Coffee and espresso
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Café closed Sun. No dinner
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There's something for everyone any time of day at this three-story bakery/bistro/lounge/cocktail bar. In the morning, there are savory quiches and homemade granola as well as tartlets, pies, and every other type of sweets and bread (including gluten-free), while lunch has a more upscale menu with delectable soups (bouillabaisse), salads (poached lobster), sandwiches, and artisanal pizza. Dinner standouts are linguine del mare with lobster, shrimp, octopus, and clams, or tender grilled guava barbecue short ribs.
Corner Of Hwy. 911, Potrero, Guanacaste, 50304, Costa Rica
Known For
- Tapas like fresh-from-the-sea tuna tiradito and sea-bass ceviche
- Rooftop cocktails
- European-style patisserie breakfast noshes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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This surf café features such Peruvian specialties as ceviche and causa (cold mashed potatoes studded with shrimp and tuna chunks). The menu also includes a few familiar favorites like hamburgers and BLTs. Desserts are homemade and delicious, and the pisco sour cocktail is not to be missed.
Main street, Playa Negra, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Ceviche and sushi
- Pisco sour cocktails
- Beautiful presentation
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Oct.
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The best perch along the Paseo de los Turistas is a table on the breezy veranda of this updated seafood and grill restaurant with a beach view. The menu is modern, with starters like salads, ceviches, and huge disks of patacones (fried, squashed platanos), served with frijoles and shredded beef. Along with the classic fish fillet grilled with butter and fresh garlic, there's a spicier option with a jalapeño and fresh tomato sauce, as well as tuna in teriyaki sauce and grilled salmon. Grilled beef and barbecue pork ribs will satisfy meat eaters. Save room for flan de coco, dense and creamy with toasted coconut and caramel sauce. This place has polished service, with friendly, attentive waiters.
Puntarenas, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Known For
- Sea bass ceviche
- Seafood grill
- South American, Italian, and Spanish wines
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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.
Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Creamy risotto dishes
- Lovely deck
- Caramelized pork tenderloin
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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The "crazy coconut" is one of the few places where you can dine with your toes in the sand while watching the sunset without anything separating you from the water. Start with the fried calamari or mixed ceviche, and move on to mains like the blackened swordfish wrap, the sesame-crusted yellowfin tuna taco, or the slow-cooked ribs with pineapple barbecue sauce. Although not on the menu, they usually have a whole lobster for $20. Entrées come with a choice of coleslaw, fruit, fries, or rice and beans, and can be prepared Caribbean-style, with coconut milk. If you haven’t already overdosed on coconut, try the homemade coconut sorbet. Sunset diners should come with mosquito spray, since those little buggers love naked feet in the sand.
Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Tuna tacos
- Exquisite sunsets
- Signature drink served in a fresh coconut
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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.
Behind Hotel Pargo Feliz, on beach road, Montezuma, Puntarenas, 60111, Costa Rica
Known For
- Ceviche
- Mouthwatering coconut curry
- Unique oceanfront atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and last 3 wks of Oct. No lunch
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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.
Playa Guiones Norte, Nosara, Guanacaste, 50206, Costa Rica
Known For
- Fresh salads, poke bowls, and brunch food like truffle avo toast
- Outdoor garden setting
- Thirst quenchers like the blue majik (spirulina) smoothie
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner. Closed Mon.
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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.
Hotel Giada lobby, main road, 150 m north of beach, Sámara, Guanacaste, 50205, Costa Rica
Known For
- Poolside dining
- Seafood
- Tiramisu
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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.
Tamarindo, Guanacaste, 50309, Costa Rica
Known For
- Tender beef
- Wood-fired grill
- Laid-back charm
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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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.
Carrillo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Known For
- Mouthwatering steaks cooked to perfection
- Mussels with white wine sauce
- Argentine wines
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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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.
200 m west and 150 m south of Banco Nacional, Sámara, Guanacaste, 50205, Costa Rica
Known For
- Banana splits
- Dry-rubbed baby back ribs
- Specialty cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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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.
Main road, Montezuma, Puntarenas, 60111, Costa Rica
Known For
- Sandwich with chicken and patacones (smashed and fried plantains)
- Great people-watching
- Super breakfasts
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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.
Main hwy., south of Hotel Condovac, Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, 50503, Costa Rica
Known For
- Spring rolls
- Pavlova
- Small plates, tapas-size dishes to share
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch
