22 Best Restaurants in Costa Rica

Tangy, tart, and refreshing, this sophisticated restaurant lives up to its name, both in its daring decor and inventive fusion menu spanning the globe from the Far East, across the Mediterranean to chef Marcella Marciano's culinary homelands of Belgium, Sweden, Morocco, and Montreal. The menu careens from classic French escargots and moules marinières to Moroccan lamb tajine and Indian chicken curry. Make a light meal of international tapas, say: Japanese gyozas, Belgian croquettes, or salmon tartare. Local seafood makes appearances as Greek-style fish fillet with almonds and caper butter or in a seafood-packed umami sushi bowl. The seafood trio with scallops, seabass, and shrimp bathed in a creamy saffron sauce reigns supreme. Craft beers are on tap, along with a wide-ranging wine list. Presentation is exquisite. Desserts are de rigueur; if you like chocolate, don't pass up the divine choco-choco flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.

This snazzy farm-to-table eatery in an old Barrio Escalante house does double duty as a shop selling flowers and a designer clothing line. These folks keep long hours from early morning to late at night and do each meal service well using freshly sourced ingredients. The creamy risotto and salmon ravioli are winners, but if you can’t decide, the rotating five-item tasting menu lets you sample a variety of offerings here. The restaurant’s name is a mashup of the owners’ names.

At one of the capital's trendiest dining spots, the panini and pastas are the standouts, but Kalú's menu incorporates Costa Rican, Thai, and American elements, too. For one of those Americanized touches, try the hambuguesa Kalú, with portobello mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and hummus. Browse in the adjoining art gallery before or after your meal, or while you wait for your food.

Head to this casually chic, open-air beachfront restaurant for the most upscale and memorable dining, with a dazzling, postcard-perfect beach view and the most sophisticated menu in the Puerto Jiménez area. Lunch standouts include fish tacos, burritos, tropical mahimahi, and homemade fries. Cool off with ginger spritzers and mint lemonade. The dinner menu changes every night with plates such as tuna wasabi, jumbo shrimp, grilled tenderloin, and crispy lentil salad, all of which come with a variety of delicious unexpected sides. Wines and craft beers, along with exotic fruit drinks, are on tap. Save room for homemade coffee ice cream and brownies. Portions are huge and served with style. The restaurant is owned by Iguana Lodge and high standards of service apply at both. Tuesday is barbecue night; come early to watch the sunset.  Be aware that menu prices do not include tax and service, which adds another 23%.

This restaurant epitomizes Puerto Viejo: lively, organic, popular, but confident enough not to seek trendiness. Ordering is by sauces: Thai peanut, Caribbean madras curry, Mexican chipotle, Jamaican jerk-style, or guava green curry, which is served on vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or fish (marlin or tuna). You can't go wrong with the Caribbean pad Thai or Indian butter chicken. Live music gets going later on Saturday evening, although the place closes at 10.

The warm and welcoming vibe that exudes from this cool Barrio Otoya café is only enhanced by the friendly, attentive staff. Diners are a real mix: some chow down on a sumptuous tenderloin, while others stop in for baked goods and coffee, but almost everyone partakes in the all-day brunch, especially on weekends. Stop in for the café’s $24 Work Combo package, which includes breakfast, lunch, a table for your laptop, and free use of Wi-Fi.

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 open-air eatery within sight and sound of the ocean. The simple wooden tables, on a patio bordered with gardens or, during the drier months, practically on the beach, are where the owners serve an eclectic menu ranging from shrimp curry to squid in spicy puttanesca sauce to tenderloin with porcini mushrooms. Service can be hit or miss but the food makes it worth the gamble. Be sure to take note of the strange operating hours.  

The L-shaped bar fronting the main street is a popular expat and tourist hangout for its fresh food and tasty cocktails. Their grilled meats are local, organic, and are served with a side of polenta, lentils, and caramelized apples in a balsamic dressing. The tilapia in bacon-and-tomato sauce is also very good. Although this is one of the more upscale restaurants in the area, there's no need to dress up here: this is still La Fortuna, after all.

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.

Between us—that's the translation of the French name—it’s the crepes—salty or sweet—that draw the crowds here. It’s a bright, cheery place with a covered terrace to stop for dessert after an evening out in Barrio Escalante. There are also heavier, main-course items, such as burgers or panini, on the menu if the hunger pangs get to you. The folks here also operate branches in Alajuela and Heredia out in the Central Valley.

Choose from the ever-changing menu, or let the chef guide you through what might just be the best meal you’ll have in Costa Rica. You'll discover fresh dishes like filet mignon, shrimp risotto, organic Greek chicken, and blackened tuna. The menu is always changing, with a rotation of hits like palmito artichoke salad, mussels with mushrooms, and tender pork. Family-style is a great option; it lets you have a variety of dishes. Opt for a table on the patio rather than a booth near the U-shaped bar, unless you like a lot of noise with your meal.

The gritty-gourmet concept of this upscale Jacó hot spot plays with the senses with a menu that features fresh, locally grown ingredients. Check the blackboard for specials—whatever has inspired the chef that day—and wash it down with a signature lemongrass martini. Save room for extraordinary desserts like chocolate cheesecake or peanut-butter-and-banana flambé.

White tablecloths, glass walls, and yellow-and-blue-checkered curtains contribute to the sophisticated but not overly stuffy atmosphere of this hotel dining room on the top terrace at Hotel Villa Caletas. Appetizers range from the traditional escargots to a shrimp-and-lobster bisque, and entrées include beef tenderloin with chimichurri, jumbo shrimp sautéed with white wine and passion fruit, and roasted duck with truffle oil. Expensive prix-fixe meals on Friday and Saturday include your choice of appetizer, main dish, and dessert. A covered terrace below the restaurant is popular for sunset viewing over a cocktail and offers a seafood-focused menu that is much less expensive than choices in the main restaurant. During low season, the restaurant is only open on weekends, so be sure to call ahead. 

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. 

On a porch with a palm-fringed beach view, this thatched-roof restaurant is open year-round and has an eclectic menu ranging from cheeseburgers and shrimp to chicken cordon bleu and pasta dishes. There's a touch of Thai here, too; one of the most popular dishes is mahimahi in a coconut-curry sauce. The hearty bar food includes chicken wings, and there are barbecue specials on Friday nights. Homemade desserts are decadent and delicious, including a standout carrot cake, and a rich dark-chocolate brownie. Breakfasts are huge and hearty, featuring giant burritos. Credit cards are accepted but incur an extra 5% fee.

Perched on a ridge several miles north of town, El Mirador has a sweeping view of the Central Valley that is impressive by day but more beautiful at dusk and after dark. Get a window table in the dining room, or one on the adjacent porch if it isn't too cool. The menu, which includes lomito (tenderloin) and corvina (sea bass) served with various sauces, and several shrimp and chicken dishes, plays second fiddle to the view; you may want to stop in around sunset for drinks and appetizers instead of dinner. There are at least two other restaurants nearby with similar names and views—this is the one we recommend. It’s on the main road, close to the Buena Vista Hotel.

This alfresco restaurant tucked beside a bona fide Boeing 727 (minus the engine) delivers generous portions of upscale pastas, succulent meats, and tasty fish and seafood, including ceviches. During the day kids can frolic in the swimming pool and adults can order spicy-tropical barbecued chicken wings. If you've had one too many cocktails, you can see if a room is available in the airplane that operates as a bed-and-breakfast.

A convenient location, free Wi-Fi, and good food make this roadside restaurant, just south of the entrance to Tárcoles, a popular pit stop for those traveling between San José and the Central Pacific beaches. The menu includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner with entrées that range from hamburgers and pasta to fried shrimp and a pricey surf and turf. The seafood soup and fried chicken are popular with locals. This restaurant is on the main road to Jacó, so plan to hear the sound of semis while you dig into your rice and beans.