76 Best Restaurants in Costa Rica

This hip beach café has exactly the kind of ambience one comes to Costa Rica for, with tables scattered along the beach amid palm and almond trees, hammocks swinging in the wind, palm fronds rustling, and surfers riding the glistening waves in front. Seating, or more precisely, lolling, is on reclining, African-style hardwood chairs, or at shaded tables. Along with fresh fruit smoothies, ultrathin vegetarian pizzas, and veggie soy burgers, the menu includes organic chicken and "responsible fish" (caught in nets that don't also trap turtles). Seared ahi tuna with sun-dried tomatoes and olive tapenade served on ciabatta bread is a winner, as are the ceviche, fish-and-chips, pesto pasta, and assorted salads. Mahi tacos are the latest addition to the menu, served with rice and beans. 

Pull up a counter stool or sit at a table on the popular riverside terrace at this friendly café with creative vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, organic juices, kombuchas, and herbal teas. For breakfast, try a hearty tico plate chock-full of brown rice and pinto beans, topped by a veggie-stuffed mini-omelet, or, post-surf, opt for the Brie-and-apple butter burger or any one of their wraps, bowls, salads, or paninis. A lighter option is avocado toast with goat cheese sprinkled with pink salt. Desserts are not only gluten-free, they are addictive: the chocolate papaya pie combines dark chocolate with papaya to make a rich mousse filling for a date, almond, and coconut crust. It's open 6:30 am to 9 pm daily.

An astonishing level of culinary perfection comes out of this A-frame shack serving breakfast, lunch, and early dinner. The menu is enormous, with crepes, pancakes, granola, and French toast alongside tomato soup, veggie panini, 25 types of coffee, and fresh smoothies made with homemade yogurt and local ingredients like pineapple, cucumber, carrot, and basil. With free Wi-Fi, ambient music, and local artwork, the cheerful setting in the center of town is the ideal place to take a break.

Fashionable Franco serves gourmet beverages made from the country’s premium coffees, all to the tune of a European-style espresso bar. Your inner amateur barista may want to check into the slate of coffee workshops offered here.

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.

This marina spot gets busy during brunch with treats like homemade bagels with egg and avocado and rich ricotta pancakes (Bloody Mary recommended). And while they're best known for breakfast, the lunch and dinner menus are interesting, with entrees like Chinese chicken salad, tropical tacos with grilled shrimp, and dry-aged prime rib eye. Early birds can stop for a cappuccino and watch the marina and mountain views through the floor-to-ceiling glass. Inside, charming shelves of rainbow-hued books curve around the California cool retro diner booths while pura vida service abounds.

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.

Fortify yourself for a day of sightseeing with a vegan breakfast, perhaps banana pancakes or crepes, at this semi-open-air spot. For lunch, dig into a variety of vegan burgers and salads (mango is a favorite) with fruit cheesecakes for dessert, and accompany it all with a selection of gourmet coffees, milkshakes, or smoothies—the banana-coffee smoothie is one of the innovative flavors these folks have concocted. Decorated in lots of red, the space may be small, but they'll squeeze you in.

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.

Run by a mother and son team, this twinkling bistro provides a homey atmosphere to enjoy dishes like flavorful Indian-style curries, burgers, and seafood dishes using homemade ingredients. An added bonus—the classic rock B-sides soundtrack.

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.

Costa Ricans have flocked here for over six decades to enjoy Los Anonos’ family-friendly grill fest. Your best bet is the grilled meat, and there is plenty to choose from, including imported U.S. beef and less-expensive Costa Rican cuts. Fresh fish, shrimp, and half a dozen salads round out the choices. The crowd tends toward families on weekend nights, whereas weekdays are busier during lunch, when business executives come for the midday specials. Choose between the original dining room, a rustic collection of deep booths with wooden benches, or a more elegant expanse decorated with historic photos.

On the road connecting Potrero and Flamingo, this beachfront restaurant welcomes travelers with cheerful decor and witty signs like “Trespassers will be offered a shot.” Water laps just a few feet from your table, and there’s a pier out back, making this a popular lunch spot for American classics like hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, BLTs, and fried shrimp. The tasty sangrias and margaritas are sure to keep you dazed during sunset. If you hook it, they’ll cook it with a side of fries for $10. Like many restaurants in Costa Rica, service is slow, but worth the wait. Kids eat free on Wednesday. The Beach House is easy to spot by the rainbow-colored picket fence; parking is limited so prepare to walk.

You can usually count on good food at this second-story restaurant in the trees. Take advantage of the seaside location and try the spicy poke bowl, or 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.

The chocolate brownies made with their own processed cacao are known around town, and their delectable selection of fresh baked goods and homemade Costa Rican and American-style breakfasts have made this the go-to brunch joint in town for the past 20 years. The menu includes homemade specialities like cinnamon-oatmeal pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and creamy scrambled eggs, best enjoyed with a cup of French-press coffee.

Pizza, ceviche, pastas, and fresh fish are on the menu at this small, canal-side café in the center of town. Dine in breezy ranchos hung with paper lanterns or relax with a cocktail on the patio atop the many umbrella-shaded couches and lounge chairs. Ambient chill out music might be playing in the background.

The name means “honey” in Costa Rica’s indigenous Bribri language, and that—rather than refined sugar—provides the added sweetness to the baked goods here. Croissants, quinoa pancakes, and omelets make for filling breakfasts, while light beef, chicken, and veggie fare with salads round out the lunch offerings. Accompany all with cold-pressed juices, smoothies, or teas for what might ail you.

Fortunately for food lovers, the "Good Luck Café" serves truly astonishing vegetarian food, along with intriguing exotic juices and thick fruit smoothies. The homemade yogurt is a revelation: light, almost fluffy, and full of flavor, served over a cornucopia of fruits, sprinkled with the café's own granola, and mixed into refreshing fruit-flavored lassis. Healthful sandwiches include excellent hummus, and hot daily specials might include curried hearts of palm or juicy veggie burgers. Their espresso machine makes a mean cup of joe and the cappuccino pairs perfectly with the fudgy brownie or brown-sugar oatmeal square for the road. Bring your laptop and use the Wi-Fi. It's open 8 to 5. Sometimes open for dinner in high season, April to July. Budget travelers might want to stay the night at their simple rooms.

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. Regardless of what you order, you'll be sure to find a menu promising free range, gluten-free, organic, and biodynamic farms. There's free Wi-Fi.

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.

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. 

The vine-covered fence might cause you to miss this converted Barrio Amón house as you go by, but inside, Vietnamese combines well with Costa Rican fare. Main menu choices are a mix-and-match affair with a variety of bún dishes (meat or vegetables with vermicelli noodles) paired with sauces and other ingredients. Vegan and gluten-free options are well-marked on the menu. Top it all off with a variety of non-Vietnamese desserts such as carrot or chocolate cake and an inventive coffee and cocktail menu.

This café blends and roasts its own coffee on-site which pairs well with the cakes and pies on offer. All coffees served here are also for sale in the shop, including samplers of eight different varieties from around the country in individual single-cup sachets.

Beloved by locals for serving consistently tasty traditional Caribbean plates like ceviche and arroz con camarones (rice with shrimp), this casual open-air eatery in the center of Puerto Viejo dishes out generous portions at a fair price. There is also an opportunity to try hiel, a traditional beverage made with lemon, wild sugar cane, and fresh ginger, or the tart but refreshing hibiscus and ginger drink.

A feast for the senses, this plant-filled haven has coffee, smoothies, and dishes 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.

The homemade gelato served here gives Costa Rica’s ubiquitous Pop’s ice cream chain a run for its money. These folks get adventurous with their flavors: maracuyá (passion fruit) and mango are two popular ones. Eat inside or in the pleasant garden with your gelato on a crepe or get it to go in a waffle cone.