Top Restaurants in Costa Rica
Seaside lobster: Check!
Rice and beans: Check!
Caribbean fusion: Check!
Fresh-off-the-boat sushi: Check!
You crave it; Costa Rica likely has it. Costa Rican cuisine takes its culinary cues not from fiery peppers or wild meats but from the local herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables that seemingly grow like wildfire.
In every home and restaurant kitchen, you'll find braided garlic, hanging onions, colorful bell peppers, and leafy bunches of cilantro and parsley. Salsa Lizano, a tangy sauce, is a favorite addition to traditional dishes, especially the ever-present Gallo Pinto. But Costa Rican cuisine has also gone international, and the nation's talented chefs showcase the world's dishes, ethnic favorites, and fusion cuisine in Costa Rica's best restaurants.
This selection of top restaurants in Costa Rica—also seen in the "Top Restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica" video below—makes for a diverse dining scene and is a foodie's delight, offering a bit of this and a lot of that. San Jose was once the unofficial capital of Costa Rica's best restaurants and still provides some of our favorites. But now, everything from fine dining to deep-fried comfort has filtered north, south, east, and west spreading into almost every tourist town, beach getaway, and mountain retreat.
Read on for some notable restaurants from around the country. You will see how we set up each one for you to learn more about in the different towns and regions: the type of cuisine, whether it is fine dining, if the restaurants are vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free, and whether there is a good view or not.