19 Best Restaurants in North and East of Downtown, San Jose

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.

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.

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.

Formal service and traditional sauce-heavy French dishes are part of the experience at this elegant dining room with wicker chairs, tile floors, and original paintings. Start off with saffron ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and walnuts, and opt for a unique main course like corvina in a pejibaye (peach palm) sauce or hearts of palm and veal chops glazed in a sweet port-wine sauce. The more familiar pato a la naranja (duck à l'orange) gets a tropical twist as pato a la maracuyá (duck in passion fruit).

Just a few tables and a small counter are the only seating in this tiny converted garage. But the coffee, harvested from its own plantation in Tarrazú in the Los Santos region, is robust and flavorful, as are the cakes and ice creams. The main branch here in Barrio Otoya has very limited seating. A more spacious outlet operates in Heredia, out in the Central Valley.

The upstairs café at this corner restaurant serves meals on a porch, on a garden patio, or in two dining rooms. Try the soup of the day and fresh-baked bread to start; main courses include shrimp in a vegetable cream sauce or lomito en salsa de vino tinto (tenderloin in a red-wine sauce). Save room for the best chocolate cake in town, drizzled with homemade blackberry sauce. Café Mundo is a popular, low-key gay hangout that draws a mixed gay-straight clientele. This is one of the few center-city restaurants with its own parking lot, and it's a large one to boot.

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.

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.

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.

The name translates as “with two hands,” and that’s what it takes to handle the monster burgers here. The capital’s best burgers are made from grass-fed beef (except for the veggie and chicken burgers), with inventive toppings such as Caesar salad, mac and cheese, or hash browns. Informality reigns here with a few picnic tables scattered among the more "grown-up" furniture. Commuter trains rumble by during the evening rush hour.

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.

We have to admit that Costa Rican baked goods tend toward the dry-as-dust end of the spectrum, but Italian-style bakery Giacomín is an exception—a touch of liqueur added to the batter makes all the difference. Stand European-style at the downstairs espresso bar or take your goodies to the tables and chairs on the upstairs balcony. You'll also find branches in suburban Moravia, as well as Escazú, Alajuela, and Heredia out in the Central Valley.

Indian cooking is difficult to find in Costa Rica, as are gluten-free dishes, but this family-owned restaurant serves both well. The exhaustive menu is a trip around India, from the northern palak paneer to the variety of South Indian dosa pancakes. Ask the helpful wait staff for recommendations or any questions about dietary requests. You’ll also find an Indian Palace branch in Heredia out in the Central Valley.

Dining here (by advance reservation only) feels as though you’re a guest in a private home, and indeed, the restaurant is located in a converted house that dates back to the 1920s. Main-course offerings at this cozy restaurant rotate, but might include a blanquette de veau (veal ragout) or a daube provençale (a hearty wine-marinated beef stew). A couple of tips: the sign is easy to miss, and credit cards are not accepted.

The excellent, reasonably priced homemade pastas make this popular lunch spot worth the stop. Begin your meal with fresh bread and excellent antipasti, and make sure to save room for tiramisu. The back patio makes a pleasant respite during the dry season from the bustle of the city. Soft, live music is on tap Friday evenings.

Although this century-old redbrick house with stained-glass windows serves the full contingent of Mediterranean cuisine, it's best for drinks and Spanish-style tapas. The pub atmosphere draws everybody from tie-clad business executives to university students, and there are umbrella-covered tables on the sidewalk to enjoy warm evenings. Groups liven up the large front room—the quieter, smaller back rooms maintain a bit more romance.

The indigenous cultures of Costa Rica don't get too much attention from tourists, but this small, intimate restaurant in Barrio Escalante aims to change that by incorporating recipes derived from the history and culture of the eight surviving indigenous ethnic groups. Sikwa has deliciously (and respectfully) bridged the gap between the country's past and present as each meal tells a different story, which the chef and servers will happily share with you. An otherwise straightforward drink menu includes some funky highlights like a gin and tonic with cacao nibs.