6 Best Restaurants in The Osa Peninsula and the South Pacific, Costa Rica

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.

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.

Fabulous French cuisine with tropical accents served on an intimate alfresco patio in the tiny French-Canadian enclave of Ojochal keeps this romantic restaurant at the top of locals' list of go-to special-occasion restaurants. Red lanterns and "curtains" of fairy lights set the tone for a menu that includes an intriguing Tahitian fish carpaccio bathed in a creamy banana and coconut marinade, a hearty serving of fish or shrimp in a banana-curry sauce, or a spicy Vietnamese chicken soup. French favorites include cognac liver pâté and a pricey but excellent duck breast with orange sauce. Presentation is artistic, with garnishes of flowers and sprigs of exotic greenery. The wine list is international and reasonably priced. Desserts are all homemade and luscious. Chocoholics won't want to miss the Devil's Fork flourless chocolate cake, rich and dense, with a hint of chili pepper. For a refreshing finish to a meal, the passion-fruit ice cream with a blackberry coulis will leave your taste buds tingling. This restaurant has just 14 tables encased in greenery under a thatched roof.

Picture a dream location: a high headland jutting out into the sea with vistas up and down the coast. Throw in a breeze-swept terrace, polished service, a boat-shaped bar, and some fine seaside cuisine, and you are at La Parcela. The turquoise-and-white decor is reminiscent of Greece, the sunsets are spectacular, and shrimp and lobster dishes are pricey but excellent. A perfect, but less expensive, light lunch is the breaded or grilled fish with fresh veggies and mashed potatoes. Reasonably priced appetizers include ceviche, fried calamari, and clams in white wine sauce. Desserts here are rich and substantial enough to share. If you're just passing through Dominical, this is a good place for a cold beer and an appetizer, or a naturale, a tall glass of freshly whipped fruit juice.

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%.

Authentic paella, made with nutty, saffron-infused Spanish rice and the freshest seafood, is the main reason to wend your way along a rutted dirt road behind Playa Ballena to this jungle outpost of Catalan cuisine. The smallish, open-air rancho is nothing fancy, with wooden chairs and tables and a few potted palms, but it fills up fast. The warm welcome along with the expertly executed Catalonian menu quickly dispel any qualms about the seriousness of this restaurant. There's a classic, spicy, Andalusian gazpacho for starters or tapas to share while you wait the 40 minutes for your cooked-to-order paella. Try the delicate, sweet mussels, bathed in a spicy wine sauce, or the succulent mushrooms marinated in garlic and olive oil. The list of seafood specialties includes whiskey-flambéed shrimp, and meat-lovers can sink their teeth into sirloin slathered with a wine-and-fresh-grape sauce. Chicken takes on tropical flavors with sauces featuring mango, rum, and curry. The pace is a little leisurely, but a pitcher of excellent sangria, studded with tropical fruit chunks, helps to pass the time enjoyably. There are only five or six tables at this dinner-only restaurant, so reservations are advised.