Costa Rica is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination for North Americans. And even going further, many Americans and Canadians decide to retire there or simply live a more relaxed life in the sun. In fact, Costa Rica has the largest population of North Americans outside of North America! Not only is the lifestyle great, but the food in Costa Rican restaurants is often excellent.
It’s not hard to understand why Americans love to come here. First of all, there is the wonderful tropical climate throughout the year. The landscape is truly spectacular with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The countryside itself is very diverse with rainforest, hills, volcanoes and the variety of wildlife is also impressive.
There are many excellent hotels, both in the capital of San José, as well as in all the important cities and also on the coast. Eating out is almost always a pleasure.
The food here is mostly organic and very, very fresh. Whether you’re enjoying breakfast with fresh tropical fruits picked nearby or local organic coffee, or an elegant dinner with fresh seafood, the restaurants, like the country, are vastly diverse and often spectacular!
It’s really safe to say that most places that have tourists also have great restaurants. You can go to many restaurants that look very similar to those in North America. There are also local diners, called ‘sodas’ where the food is also good but more basic and knowing some Spanish would help!
In Jaco on the west coast, for example, there is a typical soda where you can have breakfast for around $3. The food is excellent, buffet style so you can grab it. On the other hand, Jaco has more upscale type restaurants with beautiful decor and wonderful food. There is even a Mexican style restaurant that looks very North American but the food has a Costa Rican twist. There are so many options and Jaco is a well-known tourist town, but it’s really not that big.
We found the same thing everywhere we went. Manuel Antonio is also on the coast, but it also has a lot of nightlife, so there are bars and discos. The restaurants were really great too.
If you go to big towns like Liberia, you will also find a lot of variety. However, this is not really a tourist town (like Alajuela or San José), so things are more local Costa Rican.
In summary, restaurants in Costa Rica are very varied. The food is almost always excellent, very fresh and often organic. Eating out is definitely one of the many highlights of Costa Rica.
