Top 10 Nightlife Venues of Costa Rica
San Jose
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Castro's
Contact:
- 2256-8789
Location:
- Avenida 13 and Calle 22, Barrio Mexico
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Map
Description:
This is a classic Costa Rican dance club. The music varies throughout the night, from salsa and merengue to reggaeton and occasionally electronic trance. There are several rooms and various types of environments, including some intimate and quiet corners, spread over a couple of floors. It's open daily from noon to anytime between 3 and 6am.
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El Observatorio
Contact:
- 2223-0725
Location:
- Calle 23 btw. avs. Central and 1
Description:
It's easy to miss the narrow entrance to this hot spot across from the Cine Magaly. Owned by a local filmmaker, its decor includes a heavy dose of cinema motifs. The space is large, with high ceilings, and one of the best (perhaps only) smoke extraction systems of any popular bar, making the place bearable, even though most of the clientele are chain-smoking. There's occasional live music and movie screenings and a decent menu of appetizers and main dishes drawn from various world cuisines. It's open noon to 2am daily.
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Café Expresivo
Contact:
- 2224-1202
Location:
- 4 blocks East of the Santa Teresita Church, Barrio Escalante
Description:
Laid-back and funky, this cafe, restaurant, and gallery often features occasional DJs spinning dance beats. When there's no act, this is a mellow place to have a drink and good conversation. It's open Tuesday through Friday from noon to midnight, and Saturday and Sunday from 5pm to midnight.
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Key Largo
Contact:
- 2221-0277
Location:
- Calle 7 between avs. 1 and 3
Description:
This meticulously restored downtown mansion is also one of San José's top prostitute pickup bars. Housed in a beautiful old building just off Parque Morazán in the heart of downtown, Key Largo is worth a visit if only to take in the scene and admire the dark-stained carved wood ceilings. There are a couple of pool tables, there's usually a live band, and there are always working women -- however, this is still an acceptable place for visiting couples and those not actively shopping the wares. It's open 11am to 3am daily.
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Copacabana
Contact:
- 2233-5516
Location:
- Across from the El Pueblo shopping center
Description:
This large, open, upscale disco has long been a favored dance venue for the young and beautiful of San José. The interior is designed to resemble a colonial plaza. Tunes come in sets that can range from salsa to merengue to reggae to electronic. This place pulls a younger crowd than many of the other spots around town; the party here is Wednesday through Saturday nights 'til around 4am. Admission is around $3 (£1.50).
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Jazz Café
Contact:
- 2253-8933
- visit website
Location:
- Next to the Banco Popular on Av. Central
Description:
The Jazz Café is consistently a great spot to find live music and one of the more happening spots in San Pedro. It remains one of my favorites, although low ceilings and poor air circulation make it almost unbearably smoky most nights. Wrought-iron chairs, sculpted busts of famous jazz artists, and creative lighting give the place ambience. There's live music here most nights. It's open daily 'til about 2am. These folks recently opened a sister Jazz Café Escazu on the western end of town. The new spot is much larger and should get some bigger acts.
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El Tobogán
Contact:
- 2223-8920
Location:
- 200m (2 blocks) north and 100m (1 block) east of the La República main office, off the Guápiles Hwy
Description:
The dance floor in this place is about the size of a football field, yet it still fills up. This is a place where Ticos come with their loved ones and dance partners. The music is a mix of classic Latin dance rhythms -- salsa, cumbia, and merengue. It's open only on the weekends ('til about 2am), but there's always a live band here, and sometimes it's very good.
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El Cuartel de la Boca del Monte
Contact:
- 2221-0327
Location:
- Av. 1 btw. calles 21 and 23
- 50m/ 1/2 block west of the Cine Magaly
Description:
This popular bar, one of San José's best, began life as an artist-and-bohemian hangout, and has evolved into the leading meat market for the young and well-heeled. However, artists still come, as do foreign exchange students, visitors, and a broad cross section of San José's youth, so there's always a diverse mix. There's usually live music here on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, and when there is, the place is packed shoulder to shoulder. From Monday to Friday it's open for lunch and again in the evenings; on weekends it opens at 4pm. On most nights it's open 'til about 1am, although the revelry might continue 'til about 3am on Friday or Saturday. One corner has been separated into a more bohemian-style bar or pub called La Esquina, or "The Corner."
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Terra U
Contact:
- 2225-4261
Location:
- 200m (2 blocks) east and 150m (1 1/2 blocks) north of the church in San Pedro
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Map
Description:
Set on a busy corner in the heart of the university district, this two-story joint is one of the most popular bars in the area. Part of this is due to the inviting open-air street-front patio area, which provides a nice alternative to the all-too-common smoke-filled rooms found at most other trendy spots. It's open Monday through Saturday evenings 'til 2am.
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Utopia
Contact:
- 2221-6655
Location:
- Radial San Antonio de Beleén-Santa Ana
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Map
Description:
In a modern strip mall on the road between the western suburbs of Santa Ana and San Antonio de Belén, this new club is one of the hippest places to see and be seen. In fact, bouncers out front often screen the incoming clientele, admitting only the prettiest and best connected. Music is loud and modern, and the decor is minimal. It's open daily 'til 4am.
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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.
