Top 10 Fun Restaurants of Costa Rica
San Jose
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La Cava Grill
Contact:
- 2289-4404
Location:
- 1.5km (1 mile) south of Centro Comercial Paco; follow the signs to Le Monestère
Description:
This place is a cozy and warm spot built underneath the popular yet overpriced and overrated Le Monestère restaurant. While the decor is much less ornate, the service much less formal, and the menu much less French, the view is just as spectacular. Grab a window seat on a clear night and enjoy the sparkle of the lights below. The menu features a range of simply prepared meat, poultry, and fish. More adventurous diners can try the tepezquintle (a large rodent, also called a paca), which is actually quite tasty. There's live music and a festive party most weekend nights in the attached bar. My big complaint here is that the wine list is borrowed from the upstairs restaurant, and is pretentious and expensive.
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Olio
Contact:
- 2281-0541
Location:
- Barrio California, 200m (2 blocks) north of Bagelman's
Description:
The exposed brick walls, dark wood wainscoting, and stained-glass lamps imbue this place with character and romance. Couples might want to grab a table in a quiet nook, while groups tend to dominate the large main room or crowd the bar. There are even a few outdoor tables on a narrow sidewalk beside some train tracks, and nonsmokers might want these, as the main bar and dining areas are often tightly packed and smoke-filled. The extensive tapas menu features traditional Spanish fare, as well as bruschetta, antipasti, and a Greek mezza plate. For a main dish, I recommend the chicken Vesuvio, which is marinated first in a balsamic vinegar reduction and finished with a creamy herb sauce; or the arrollado siciliano, which is a thin filet of steak rolled around spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese and topped with a pomodoro sauce. The midsize wine list features very reasonably priced wines from Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Chile, Greece, and even Bulgaria.
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Café Mundo
Contact:
- 2222-6190
Location:
- Calle 15 and Av. 9
- 200m (2 blocks) east and 100m (1 block) north of the INS building
Description:
This popular place mixes creative cuisine with an ambience of casual elegance. Wood tables and Art Deco wrought-iron chairs are spread spaciously around several rooms in this former colonial mansion. Additional seating can be had on the open-air front veranda and in the small gardens both front and back. The appetizers include vegetable tempura, crab cakes, and chicken satay alongside more traditional Tico standards such as patacones (fried plantain chips) and fried yuca. There's a long list of pastas and pizzas, as well as more substantial main courses, nightly specials, and delicious desserts. One room here boasts colorful wall murals by Costa Rican artist Miguel Cassafont. This place is almost always filled with a broad mix of San José's gay, bohemian, theater, arts, and university crowds.
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Park Café
Contact:
- 2290-6324
Location:
- Sabana Norte, 1 block north of Rostipollos
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Map
Description:
Having opened and run a Michelin two-star restaurant in London and another one-star joint in Cannes, Richard Neat now finds himself turning out his impressive fusion cuisine in an intimate space spread around the interior patio courtyard of a stately old downtown mansion, which also doubles as an antiques and imported furniture store. The menu changes regularly but might feature some roasted scallops with ricotta tortellini in a pumpkin jus, or some expertly grilled quail on a vegetable purée bed, topped with poached quail egg. Presentations are artfully done, and often served in such a way as to encourage sharing. The well-thought-out and fairly priced wine list is a perfect complement to the cuisine.
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Jurgen's
Contact:
- 2283-2239
Location:
- Inside Hotel Jade, 2 1/2 blocks north of the Subaru dealership, Los Yoses
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Map
Description:
Housed in a boutique business-class hotel, this elegant little restaurant serves excellent European-style continental fare in a refined atmosphere. The lighting is low and service extremely professional. You'll find poached salmon with a dill sauce, and grilled tilapia with a Dijon mustard sauce. The steaks are top cuts of beef, perfectly prepared. This place has one of the more extensive wine lists in town. The owner, Jurgen Mormel, also has several gourmet specialty food shops around San José and in Playa Herradura.
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Taj Mahal
Contact:
- 2228-0980
Location:
- On the old road to Santa Ana, 1km ( 1/2 mile) west of Centro Comercial Paco
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Map
Description:
The only true and dedicated Indian restaurant in the country, this place does a good, but not great, job. The menu is quite extensive and covers most of the traditional bases with biryanis, vindaloos, tikka masalas, and a variety of curries. They have an authentic tandoor oven, and the tandoori meats are excellently prepared. The restaurant is spread out through several rooms in a converted home. The decorations and furniture are mostly imported from India. I like the few outdoor tables in the backyard, especially for lunch. As at Tin Jo, this is a great choice for vegetarians.
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La Piazzetta
Contact:
- 2221-8451
Location:
- Paseo Colón near Calle 40
- Opposite Banco de Costa Rica
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Map
Description:
With a long menu and formal service, this restaurant reminds me of the Italian restaurants of old in New York's Little Italy. The menu includes quite a few risotto dishes, as well as several lobster offerings and some Sicilian fare. The veal scaloppini in a truffle sauce is excellent. Salads are colorful and artistically arranged. For dessert, sample a classic chocolate mousse or tiramisu. The wine list is quite extensive, with good and reasonably priced offerings from Italy, and most other prominent wine producing regions around the world.
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Donde Carlos
Contact:
- 2225-0819
Location:
- 1 block north of the Fatima Church in Los Yoses
Description:
Bold architectural touches abound in this stylish restaurant, yet the food is built primarily around simple, perfectly grilled meats and fresh fish. You pass the wood-burning Argentine-style charcoal grill as you enter. I like the outdoor tables on the second-floor balcony when the weather permits. Most folks stick to the hearty steak options, but you can also order a wide range of sausages and offal meats, as well as fresh tuna. Don't pass on the apple pancake dessert, since it's delicious. All portions are huge, and this place has a good and reasonably priced wine list to boot.
