El Patio Bistro Latino

Description:

• This small bistro-style restaurant is an outgrowth of the popular coffeehouse and roasting company Café Milagro. The same attention to detail and focus on quality carries over here. By day you can get a wide range of coffee drinks and specialties, as well as full breakfasts, fresh-baked sweets, and a variety of salads, sandwiches, and light lunch dishes. By night, things get more interesting and this humble little spot serves up some of the best food in Manuel Antonio. Their regularly changing menu features inventive main dishes that take advantage of local ingredients and various regional culinary traditions. So the fresh red snapper may come steamed in a banana leaf with a spicy mojo, and the tenderloin could feature a tamarind glaze and be served over some roasted local sweet potatoes (camote). Start things off with the calamari sautéed with spicy sausage and fresh corn and served over a spicy flat bread. You may even find some of their home-roasted coffee used as an ingredient in a glaze, sauce, or dessert.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010