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Count on finding lots of fresh fish and tropical fruits on the menu, whether at a roadside soda (casual eatery) serving comida tipica (typical food) or a sophisticated restaurant in Dominical or Ojochal. Up in the mountains, don't miss out on eating fresh, farmed trout. The food at most remote eco-lodges is excellent.
Tangy, tart, and refreshing, this ultrasophisticated restaurant lives up to its name, both in its daring decor and inventive fusion menu spanning the globe from the Far East, across the Mediterranean to chef Marcella Marciano's culinary homeland, France. The menu careens from classic French escargots and moules marinières to Japanese wasabi-spiced shrimp, to Indian chicken curry. Make a light meal of international tapas, say: Korean steamed kimchi-and-shiitake dumplings, Belgian cheese croquettes, or a duo of salmon and tuna tartare. Local seafood makes appearances as Greek-style fish fillet with almonds and caper butter or in a seafood-packed umami sushi bowl. The signature seafood platter reigns supreme with lobster, mussels, calamari, and shrimp bathed in a creamy lemon-and-garlic sauce. Craft beers are on tap, along with a wide-ranging wine list. Presentation is exquisite. Desserts are de rigueur; if you like chocolate, don't pass up the divine choco-choco flourless chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. In the off season (December through March), it's open only 7--10 am.
For consistently good American-style food, you can't beat this marina restaurant with a view of expensive yachts and sportfishing boats. Locals complain that the prices are high, but portions are hefty and include generous salads, sizzling hamburgers, and a delicious grilled dorado sandwich with a mountain of fries. Shrimp and fish plates are pricier ($15 to $22) but they couldn't be fresher, straight off the local boats. It's open for breakfast, too. While you're waiting for your order, take advantage of the free Wi-Fi.
Fortunately for food lovers, the "Good Luck Café" serves truly astonishing vegetarian food, along with intriguing exotic juices and thick fruit smoothies. The homemade yogurt is a revelation: light, almost fluffy, and full of flavor, served over a cornucopia of fruits, sprinkled with the café's own granola, and mixed into refreshing fruit-flavored lassis. Healthful sandwiches include excellent hummus, and hot daily specials might include curried hearts of palm or juicy veggie burgers. Their espresso machine makes a mean cup of joe and the cappuccino pairs perfectly with the fudgy brownie or brown-sugar oatmeal square for the road. Bring your laptop and use the Wi-Fi. It's open 8 to 5. Sometimes open for dinner in high season, April to July. Budget travelers might want to stay the night at their simple rooms.
Pull up a counter stool or sit at a table on the popular riverside terrace at this friendly café with creative vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, organic juices, local and imported craft beers on tap, kombuchas, and herbal teas. Desserts are not only gluten-free, they are addictive: the chocolate papaya pie combines dark chocolate with papaya to make a rich mousse filling for a date, almond, and coconut crust. For breakfast, try a hearty Tico plate chock-full of brown rice and pinto beans, topped by a mini-omelet with red peppers, spring onions, local cheeses, tomato, avocado, and plantains—with chipotle sauce on the side. A lighter option is smashed avocados on toast with goat cheese sprinkled with pink salt. It's open 6:30 am to 9 pm daily.
Fabulous fish burritos, steak with tropical sauce, and a savory fillet of sea bass with a smoky jalapeño cream sauce are a few of the delights at this screened-in-porch restaurant in a bright-yellow clapboard cottage on the beach. Chicken or fish curry is popular with the locals. Attention is paid to sides, too, including creamy mashed potatoes, cheese-topped toasted garlic bread, and perfectly cooked vegetables. Beer and wine by the glass or bottle are available. Service here is with a smile, and everything is cooked to order, so relax—you're at the beach. If you want to try the banana pancakes at breakfast, consider staying at one of the four beachfront cabins, or just come along at breakfast time, 7 to 10 am. Bikes and boards can be rented here as well.
The kind of extraordinary restaurant you hope to stumble on in the most unlikely place, this intimate five-table wood-and-bamboo dining room is presided over by chef Esteban Acuña, whose family owns the attached small hotel. Drawing on his California training, Acuña gives local ingredients contemporary twists, flavored with herbs from the adjoining garden. Creamy soups are a meal in themselves. Trout, tuna, chicken, and tofu arrive in curry, vodka, red wine, and wasabi sauces. Desserts are delectable, so save some room.
Beer-battered onion rings, fresh hand-cut fries, and fried pickles have taken Dominical by storm at this laid-back alfresco kiosk in the Pueblo del Río complex on the riverfront. The fish tacos are outstanding—crispy beer-battered fish fillets accompanied by guacamole, red cabbage, and a spicy sauce are folded into a thin soft tortilla. You can substitute fried shrimp or go vegetarian with black beans and vegetables. The tortillas even come in a gluten-free version. Ultra-healthy grilled fish and vegetables are also on the menu, along with less healthy but delicious classic fish-and-chips. Beer, sodas, and fruit smoothies wash it all down. Seating is at wooden benches and tables on a covered wood patio.
Perched on the boulder-strewn bank of the rushing Savegre River, this handsome blond-wood-and-stone rancho specializes in serving up fresh trout in myriad ways at riverside tables, perfect for bird-watching. If you're not a fan of fish, try the kuku tamu, a chicken breast sandwich with chiverre (black seed squash) preserve, red onion, fresh cheese, mustard, and arugula. The coffee (kahawa in Swahili) is excellent, as are the fruit smoothies and craft beers.
Besides crusty baguettes, buttery croissants, and divine pastries to go, this French bakery near the entrance to Ojochal serves hearty breakfast omelets and light lunches of fish soup, sandwiches, quiches, crepes, salads, and mussels with French fries. Customers perch on high stools at tables and counters in this casual thatch-roof café, many with their laptops open, taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi. Take-out dishes (which are great for picnics) include pork rillettes, smoked trout and salmon, and stuffed crabs.
On a porch with a palm-fringed beach view, this thatch-roof restaurant is open year-round and has an eclectic menu ranging from spicy quesadillas and burritos to pizza and fresh fish. There's a touch of Thai here, too; one of the most popular dishes is mahimahi in a coconut-curry sauce. The hearty bar food includes chicken wings, and there are barbecue specials on Friday nights. Homemade desserts are decadent and delicious, including a standout carrot cake, and a rich dark-chocolate brownie. Breakfasts are huge and hearty, featuring giant burritos. Credit cards are accepted but incur an extra 5% fee.
Among the handful of sodas in town serving typical Costa Rican food, this one is notable for its affordably priced whole fish and hearty portions of seafood served on a breezy veranda. Stick to the desayuno típico for breakfast, with traditional rice and beans and eggs, starting at 7 am. The omelets are great, but they come with limp french fries, the bane of tico restaurants. There are three big TV screens to keep you company while you eat, and loud traditional music blaring from the rafters of the burlap-bag covered ceiling.
This pleasant terrace restaurant jutting out over the water has the best harbor view in Golfito, along with jaunty nautical decor and the coolest breezes in town. The seafood-heavy lineup includes grilled whole fish served in a variety of ways, including Caribbean style with coconut milk and a side of patacones (fried, mashed plantain). Tuna carpaccio and occasional sushi specials add a touch of sophistication. For a light lunch, the fish tacos are standouts—plenty of perfectly breaded and lightly fried fish plus fresh slaw and crispy calamari tossed on top. Salads are also on the menu, along with a few vegetarian dishes. The bar is a great place to hang out, particularly during televised sports events when fans gather to watch the two large flat-screen TVs. Grab a bucket of six beers for $12 all day long. Inexpensive, motel-style rooms and larger suites with the same view are available for rent.
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