Are There Good Restaurants In Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination for North Americans. And even, going further than that, many Americans and Canadians decide to either retire there or just live a more laid back life in the sun there.  In fact Costa Rica has the largest population of North Americans outside North America!! Not only is the lifestyle great but the food in restaurants in Costa Rica is often quite superb.

It’s not hard to comprehend why North Americans love coming here. First of all there is the wonderful tropical climate all year round. The scenery is truly spectacular with the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Caribbean Sea on the east. The countryside itself is very diverse with rainforest, hills, volcanoes and the variety of wild life is also stunning.

There are many great hotels, both in the capital of San Jose, as well as all major towns and also on the coast. Eating out is almost always a pleasure.

The food here is mostly organic and very very fresh. Whether you are enjoying breakfast with fresh tropical fruit picked nearby or the local organic coffee, or a classy dinner with fresh seafood, restaurants, like the country, are very diverse and often spectacular!

It is really safe to say that most places that have tourists have great restaurants too. You can go to many restaurants that are very similar in look to those in North America. There are also local diners, called ‘sodas’ where the food is also good but it’s more basic and knowing some Spanish would be a help!

In Jaco on the west coast, for example, there is a typical soda where you can get breakfast for around $3. The food is great, buffet style so you can just take it. On the other hand Jaco has more exclusive type restaurants with beautiful décor and wonderful food.  There is even a Mexican style restaurant that looked very North American but the food had a Costa Rican flair. There is so much choice and Jaco is a well known tourist town but really it’s not that big.

We found the same wherever we went. Manuel Antonio is on the coast as well but has a lot of night life too so there are bars and clubs. The restaurants were also really great.

If you go to large towns like Liberia, you will also find quite a variety. However, this isn’t really a tourist town (like Alajuela or San Jose) so things are more local Costa Rican.

To sum it up, restaurants in Costa Rica are very varied. Almost always the food is excellent, very fresh and often organic. Eating out is definitely one of the many highlights of Costa Rica.