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$$$ | Paseo Colón |
The Hotel Grano de Oro houses one of San José's premier dining destinations: a splendid restaurant wrapped around a lovely indoor patio and bromeliad-filled garden. The garden area is a perfect spot for lunch on a warm day—choose from among a variety of light sandwiches and salads, or opt for dinner in the elegant indoor dining area for dishes like breaded sea bass with orange sauce and macadamia nuts or cerdo en salsa tamarindo (roasted pork in tamarind sauce). An impressive selection of 100-plus wines and a decadent dessert menu—the coffee-cream “Pie Grano de Oro” is the must-try option here—round out the offerings. Although elegance is the word in this grand coffee-plantation-house-turned-hotel, you’ll see everything from diners in business attire to guests in casual garb just back from the hinterlands.
C. 30, Avdas. 2–4, San José, San José, 10102, Costa Rica
Known For
- Elegant hotel setting
- Yummy desserts
- Impressive wine selection
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$$$ | Barrio Escalante |
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.
C. 31, Avda. 5, San José, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
Known For
- Pleasant garden setting
- Inventive menu
- Adjoining art gallery for browsing while you wait
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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$$$$ | |
Formal service and traditional sauce-heavy French dishes are part of the experience at this elegant dining room with wicker chairs, tile floors, and original paintings. Start off with saffron ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and walnuts, and opt for a unique main course like corvina in a pejibaye (peach palm) sauce or hearts of palm and veal chops glazed in a sweet port-wine sauce. The more familiar pato a la naranja (duck à l'orange) gets a tropical twist as pato a la maracuyá (duck in passion fruit).
C. 49, San Pedro, San José, 11501, Costa Rica
Known For
- Duck à l'orange
- Impeccable, formal service
- San José's most elegant restaurant
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Barrio Amón |
Chef Santiago Fernandez is at the helm of this ambitious and wildly successful exploration of upscale contemporary Costa Rican cuisine. The regularly changing menus use local and organic ingredients (along with fish and meat procured through responsible means) to take diners on a journey into some of the most creative (and delicious) food Costa Rica has to offer. Many dishes also incorporate a whimiscal look into an aspect of Costa Rican history and culture, such as appetizers served under a colorful devil's mask, representing Masquerade Day, a traditional Costa Rican take on Halloween. Downstairs, the darkly alluring bar, Cothnejo Fishy, offers small bites and a fun cocktail menu.
Avda. 11, C. 3A, San José, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
Known For
- Gorgeous setting in a renovated mansion with a plant-filled indoor terrace
- Prix-fixe menus of sustainable fine dining, including wine pairings
- Hip downstairs bar
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.
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$$$ | |
The colorful dining rooms of this converted house evoke Japan, India, China, Indonesia, and Thailand. Start with a powerful Singapore sling (brandy and fruit juices) before trying such treats as Thai shrimp and pineapple curry in coconut milk, Chinese mu shu stir-fry with crepes, Indian samosas, and sushi rolls. The vegetarian menu is extensive. Tin Jo stands out with always-exceptional food, attention to detail, and attentive service that make it, hands down, the country's top Asian restaurant.
C. 11, Avdas. 6–8, San José, San José, 10104, Costa Rica
Known For
- One of Costa Rica's best restaurants
- Impeccable service
- Vegetarian options
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Barrio Escalante |
The name translates as “with two hands,” and that’s what it takes to handle the monster burgers here. The capital’s best burgers are made from grass-fed beef (except for the veggie and chicken burgers), with inventive toppings such as Caesar salad, mac and cheese, or hash browns. Informality reigns here with a few picnic tables scattered among the more "grown-up" furniture. Commuter trains rumble by during the evening rush hour.
Avda. 3, between Cs. 25--29, San José, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
Known For
- Inventive burger toppings
- Low-carb, vegan, and kosher options available
- Support for the LGBTQ community
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$$ | Barrio Otoya |
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.
C. 15, Avdas. 9–11, San José, San José, 10102, Costa Rica
Known For
- Popular LGBTQ hangout
- Delicious chocolate cake
- Place to see and be seen
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat.
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$$ | Barrio Otoya |
The warm and welcoming vibe that exudes from this very cool Barrio Otoya café is only enhanced by the friendly, attentive staff. Diners are a real mix: some chow down on a sumptuous tenderloin, while others stop in for baked goods and coffee, but almost everyone partakes in the all-day brunch, especially on weekends. Stop in for the café’s $24 Work Combo package, which includes breakfast, lunch, a table for your laptop, and free use of Wi-Fi.
Avda. 7, Cs. 11A-15, San José, San José, Costa Rica
Known For
- All-day brunch
- $24 Work Combo package (breakfast, lunch, a table, and Wi-Fi access)
- Rotating art exhibits and live music performances
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$$ | |
In a country where "Chinese cuisine" usually means simply white rice and vegetables, Don Wang's authenticity is a treat. Cantonese cuisine is the mainstay, and Don Wang is known for its immensely popular dim sum, called desayuno chino (literally "Chinese breakfast") here. You can order it all day—bearing in mind that this place doesn't open until 11 am.
C. 11, Avdas. 6–8, San José, San José, 10104, Costa Rica
Known For
- All-day dim sum
- Friendly service
- Authentic Cantonese and Szechuan flavors
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$ | Barrio Escalante |
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 and in Liberia in Guanacaste.
Avda. 7, Cs. 29–31, San José, San José, Costa Rica
Known For
- To-die-for Grand Marnier crepes
- Sampler platters, great for a group
- Attentive service
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$$$ | Paseo Colón |
The vaulted ceilings and a vineyard mural on one wall evoke old Italy at this restaurant serving homemade pastas—spinach cannelloni and linguine with clam sauce are popular dishes. An extensive wine list rounds out the offerings, and service is attentive—the chef makes the rounds to ensure that you’re satisfied. The scant dozen tables mean that reservations are a good idea for dinner. The smallness of the restaurant does create one drawback: it can be difficult to carry on a conversation when things get busy, although that does add to the liveliness of the place. The same owners behind the west-side lodging Suites Cristina also operate L’Olivo. The restaurant is most easily entered from around the corner, however—it's physically separate from the hotel.
San José, San José, 10102, Costa Rica
Known For
- Small dining area
- Lively atmosphere
- Reservations recommended
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
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$ | |
Kick off your day with a breakfast platter here: the americano (U.S.-style) or the tico (Costa Rican), with eggs, fried plantains, and natilla (sour cream). Snag one of the precious tables in the back garden, an unexpected refuge from noise and traffic, in the morning or late afternoon. The lunchtime decibel level increases markedly with government workers arriving from nearby office buildings (this is the one time of day we recommend avoiding the place.)
Avda. 7, Cs. 7–9, San José, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
Known For
- Crowded lunch spot
- Bargain prices
- Coffee and dessert
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner Sat.
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$$ | Barrio Dent |
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 from the bustle of the city. Soft, live music is on tap Friday evening.
Calle 37, San Pedro, San José, 11501, Costa Rica
Known For
- Homemade Italian dishes
- Hard-to-find location behind a supermarket
- Friendly service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$ | Paseo Colón |
The Lebanese owners at one of San José's few Middle Eastern restaurants serve a wide variety of dishes from their native region, but if you can't decide, the meze platter serves two people and gives you a little bit of everything. Try the juicy shish kebab de cordero (of lamb) or, if you're feeling especially adventurous, the raw ground-meat kebbe naye (with wheat meal) and kafta naye (without wheat meal). A hip bar in the back serves the same menu. On Wednesday night there is live synthesizer music; on Thursday night, check out the immensely popular 8 pm belly-dancing show.
Cs. 22–24, San José, San José, 10103, Costa Rica
Known For
- Yummy kebabs
- Hip bar in back
- Belly-dancing show on Thursday night
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun.
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$ | |
The generous homemade meals at this ranch-style restaurant are delicious, and the incredibly friendly waitstaff, who epitomize Costa Rican hospitality and dress in folkloric clothing, prepare your coffee filtered through the traditional cloth chorreador. The place keeps late hours, just in case those late-night gallo pinto (Costa Rican–style rice and beans) pangs hit. Some disparage the restaurant as "too touristy"; perhaps it is, but it's also fun. The place is relatively open and sits on a street with a lot of traffic, which is its one drawback.
Avdas. 2–4, C. 13, San José, San José, 10104, Costa Rica
Known For
- Típico setting
- Lots of tourists
- Generous portions
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$ | Barrio Amón |
Reasonable prices and a hearty breakfast of gallo pinto (beans and rice), scrambled eggs, bread, and coffee at this artsy restaurant will fortify you for a morning of sightseeing. The bargain $7 lunch special consists of the standard casado—choose from fish, chicken, beef, or pork—accompanied by rice, beans, vegetable, salad, and dessert. This place is far from your typical mom-and-pop shop, though.
C. 7, Avdas. 7–9, San José, San José, Costa Rica
Known For
- Typical Costa Rican flavors
- Minimalist setting
- Rotating art exhibits
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends. No dinner
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$$ | |
The baskets of fruit and vegetables at the entrance and the wall of herbal teas, health-food books, and fresh herbs for sale by the register signal that you're in a vegetarian-friendly joint. The bright and airy macrobiotic restaurant serves homemade bread, soy burgers, pita sandwiches (veggie or chicken), fruit shakes, and a hearty plato del día that comes with soup, green salad, and a beverage. The ensalada mixta is a meal in itself, packed with root vegetables native to Costa Rica. Shakti is an oasis in a mostly meat-loving country and is worth the detour a few blocks south of the standard tourist path.
Avda. 8, Cs. 11–13, San José, San José, 10103, Costa Rica
Known For
- Vegetarian oasis
- Local ingredients
- Monster salads
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No dinner
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$ | Sabana Este |
Don't expect anything fancy at this extremely popular restaurant, but food here is cheap and filling. The ubiquitous gallo pinto for breakfast and casados (meat, fish, or poultry, accompanied by rice, cabbage salad, and dessert) for lunch are on the menu, along with a variety of sandwiches and burgers. You can dine outdoors, but you'll have to contend with the traffic noise and the sight of the guard flagging cars in and out of the tiny parking lot.
C. 42, Avdas. 2–4, San José, San José, 10108, Costa Rica
Known For
- Early-morning breakfast hangout
- Cheap eats
- Filling lunch specials
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$$ | Paseo Colón |
Although this part of town is a bit off the standard tourist track, the pizza here is worth the trip, especially for the perfectly crispy (but not too thin) crust. Enjoy a glass of the house wine with your meal, and top things off with flan or tiramisu for dessert. This homey spot contains a few wooden tables, a small outdoor patio, and a large picture window. In true Costa Rican, no-real-addresses style, the directions are given—unironically—as "100 meters south of Pizza Hut."
C. 28, Avda. 2, San José, San José, Costa Rica
Known For
- Generous pizza toppings
- Good wine selection
- Friendly service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
