Entertainment and restaurants in San José, Costa Rica

Costa Rican cuisine is actually more suited to big eaters than gourmets. Meals served here are generous in size but not so refined. Rice is the most popular ingredient by far, and this is exactly what you’ll find in gallo pinto, a simple yet delicious dish made of black beans and white rice that’s on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The evening meal is usually a combination of tortillas, rice, beans, chicken, meat or fish. More typical Costa Rican food: boccas (Costa Rican tapas) and casados (snacks made from plantains, cheese, vegetables and salads.

In the sodas (small restaurants) that you see along almost all the roads, you can sample Costa Rica’s local dishes - deliciously prepared and pleasantly priced. El Pueblo, a cluster of more than 50 cafés, clubs and restaurants in San José that’s busy from morning to late at night, attracts many tourists. This is just the place to find a good meal, often at a very low price.

Surrounded by magnificent gardens and the tropical trees of the famous Braulio Carrillo National Park and with its view of the Danta River, the Rio Danta Restaurant has a very special location with a quiet charm.

The Mirador Vista del Valle Restaurant located on the Pan-American Highway gives you plenty of opportunity to sample authentic Costa Rican food while spotting the many exotic birds swooping over the spectacular valley below. Trout is the specialty of the house.

A unique and delightful gastronomic experience is yours at Le Monastère. Enjoy meals prepared by a French master chef while admiring breathtaking views over San José. Heavenly cuisine, heavenly outlook over the city.

A restored mansion with six dining rooms, each with only a few tables: this is the spacious feeling provided by Bakea in San José. Here, Costa Rican specialties are seasoned with a dash of French finesse and enriched with exotic ingredients from Asia and the Middle East. The result is an unforgettably delicious combination of various culinary cultures. For dessert, be sure to consider the banana tart.

Over the years, this restaurant - 'the great escape' - has built up a reputation as the crème de la crème of seafood restaurants. It’s no wonder, then, that tables here are almost always full! The fish couldn’t be fresher: caught in the morning and served that evening. So who feels like escaping?

This restaurant, entirely furnished in Spanish hacienda style, is a 90-minute drive west of San José. Make the trip and you’ll be rewarded by one of the best menus in the country. Meals here are based on both Latin American and Creole cuisines.

The original cuisine provided by the Dragonfly puts this restaurant right at the top - the favored habitat of its namesake. Unlike most other restaurants along the southwestern coast of the country, the Dragonfly’s menu offers more than just fish. Choose here from Asian dishes, delectable combinations of rice and wild mushrooms, and chicken stuffed with honey and fresh mint. Sounds more like California than Costa Rica? Understandable, however, when you discover that its owner Tish Tomlinson is a native Californian.

Although tap water in San José and the larger cities is considered safe to drink, it would be advisable to buy bottled mineral water.