Café del Barista
Barrio Aranjuez
The rain does get a bit loud on the metal roof, but the wide selection of coffee drinks here is worth the occasional racket.
6 Best Nightlife in San Jose, Costa Rica
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The metro area's hottest nightlife has migrated to the Central Valley suburbs of Escazú and Heredia these days. Both are about 20- to 30-minute taxi rides from downtown San José. The capital isn't devoid of places to go in the evening, however. There are still plenty of bars, dance clubs, and restaurants and cafés where you can spend the evening. Take taxis to and from when you go; it’s the safest option if you’re out after dark. Most places will be happy to call you a cab—or, if there's a guard, he can hail you one—when it's time to call it a night. Remember that all venues are nonsmoking.
No one could accuse San José of having too few watering holes, but aside from the hotels there aren't many places to have a quiet drink, especially downtown. Barrios Amón and Otoya have little in the way of nightlife outside the occasional hotel bar.
The young and the restless hang out in the student-oriented places around the University of Costa Rica in the eastern suburb of San Pedro. The Calle de la Amargura (Street of Bitterness), named for the route Jesus took to the crucifixion, is much more secular than its name suggests and rocks loudly each night. (Nighttime robberies have occurred on "The Calle," so be wary.)
Don't write off every place around the university as rowdy. There are a few quiet bars and cafés where you can carry on a real conversation. Barrios La California and Escalante, an area anchored by the Santa Teresita church, connect central San José with San Pedro, and house some of the city's trendiest nightspots.
Café Miel Garage
Barrio Otoya
A scant two tables and a small counter are the only seating at this tiny place, a converted garage, which serves coffee from its own finca in Tarrazú in the Los Santos region.
Cafeoteca
Barrio Escalante
This café sits at the entrance to the trendy Kalú restaurant and blends and roasts its own coffee on-site.
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Club Unión
Barrio La Merced
The elevated, glassed-in café here lets you survey the ongoing hive of activity on the small, shaded plaza in front of the post office.
Franco
Barrio Escalante
Fashionable Franco serves gourmet beverages made from the country’s premium coffees. Your inner amateur barista may want to check into the slate of coffee workshops offered here.
Underground Brew Café
Barrio Escalante
Behind the yellow gate here—there’s no sign, so just ring the bell to be buzzed in—are some of Barrio Escalante’s best-crafted coffee drinks, along with yummy baked goods and panini if you’re feeling hungry.
