San Jose - Restaurant Recommendations

[Mangera]

Anyone know if the one located by Paseo Colon where the KFC is located, is still open for buss.? I was there a couple of months ago, and it was shut down. Thanks!

Just got back from the CR. Yes, they are open on mondays. They were closed on my previous trip for some repair that was going on.

[Mangera]

Anyone know if the one located by Paseo Colon where the KFC is located, is still open for buss.? I was there a couple of months ago, and it was shut down. Thanks!

[Dr Howard]

You will not be disapointed tico breckfast and lunch.

Location around the corner from Zona Blue aka HLH.

[Lorenzo]

Truly a nice place to eat, with a varied menu and a very pleasant vibe. I like to eat afuera in either the front or back patio sections. My favorites are the whole wheat seafood spaghetti and the anchovy, artichoke and black olive pizza. The coffee is strong and fabulous, the best I've had in CR, and the dessert menu is excellent as well. A great place to take a lady.

Cafe Mundo is just a 1-2 minute walk from the Sportsmens Lodge. Take a right as you exit the Lodge and head left up the hill for a short block on Avenida 9. Cafe Mundo is on the left, on the corner of Avenida 9 and Calle 15.

You are absolutely right about Cafe Mundo. The food and ambience are excellent. However, I wouldn't recommend taking a chica from SL there, at least based on my one experience doing so. The menu was way over her head and she ended up ordering the only thing on the menu that she recognized, which was a chicken sandwich. Better to go to Cafe Mundo by yourself or with some friends, and take the chicas to McDonalds or KFC. They'll be thrilled.

L

[Toadtamer2]

Went to Cafe Mundo once and the service sucks.

Walked out and down the block to JR for ribs.

[Mr Jetsetter]

Truly a nice place to eat, with a varied menu and a very pleasant vibe. I like to eat afuera in either the front or back patio sections. My favorites are the whole wheat seafood spaghetti and the anchovy, artichoke and black olive pizza. The coffee is strong and fabulous, the best I've had in CR, and the dessert menu is excellent as well. A great place to take a lady.

Cafe Mundo is just a 1-2 minute walk from the Sportsmens Lodge. Take a right as you exit the Lodge and head left up the hill for a short block on Avenida 9. Cafe Mundo is on the left, on the corner of Avenida 9 and Calle 15.

[Markinno]

El Ritorno is an excellent Italian restaurant with great veal and fish dishes. I've eaten there twice and it is a hit with everyone that I've talked to that has eaten there. It's about a five minute cab ride from Del Ray and Sportsmens.

Cafe Mundo is also a popular spot with locals and gringos. I didn't eat there but it gets good reviews from all that I've talked to. The food there is varied with seafood, steak, etc.

[Superman06]

I ate breakfast at several different places on this trip. Soda Amon was good with a combo of eggs, really good bread and pork with a delicious sauce. I did McDonalds a few times but it was slow and order always wrong. Holiday Inn breakfast buffet had a nice selection of fruits, rolls, meats, cereal and omlet bar. But $16.50 is pricey for breakdfast IMHO. Del Mar has a nice buffet for $10.50. Pretty much the same setup as Holiday Inn, though a lot better bang for the buck. For those who want a Tico style breakfast; all the mentioned eateries had plantains, beans and rice with tortillas available for breakfast.

[Qncterra]

There are 3 restaurants (small chain) called Princesa Marina. There is one at Sabana norte another in Moravia and a third one that I do not know the location. It has a great selection at incredible prices. If you have the time it is a most. A tico friend introduced me to the place. Any taxi can take you there. They prepare a deep fried de-bone fish in 3 sizes that is great. Their lobster is a great dish for under $12.00.


Good luck.....

Just got back from La Princesa Marina in Sabana. The whole seabass is as good as ever. Also had the ceviche there and it's great also.

[Stevewxly]

Joe & Karens Bar/Restaurant

One block South of the Presidente Hotel.

Small American owned bar with real good food that is very cheap.

I had a BLT on white toast, with french fries for ony 900 c one evening, and then I had the Chicken Fijitas with FF, and asked for rice on the side....also 900 c

They also have other bocas type eats like hamburgers with FF
Ham & Cheeze sandwiches, etc. - most all of them are priced at only
900 c......less than $2.00 each.

If you were 3 blocks North and 1 block East at the Del Rey....and their Del Mar restaurant ....you would pay 4 times this price for the very same type of eats.

I like to look around the Del Rey - Blue Marlin....but I rarely ever spend any money there......on drinks, eats, or the over priced chicas.



Mixed drinks are fairly inexpensive and soft drinks are like 500-600 c each.

The owner Joe is married to a local Tica.....Karen. I talked to him one evening, and he said he had been in CR for 18 years. He met his gal Karen when she was 18 yrs old....18 yrs ago...been there ever since. Nice guy, and a neat little bar-restaurant to eat or hang out with other Gringos.

Give it a try.......

Steve

[Kid Brooklyn]

Here are my fave restaurants in SJ:

1. La Esquina de Buenos Aires (Argentinian steak house)--excellent steaks, I recommend "lomito portabello" (tenderloin in creamy mushroom sauce), dinner w/ app & drink $20-30
tel: 223-1909
address: Detras de la iglesia de la Soledad

2. Delicias Del Peru (aka Soda Peru)--very good selections, good sea bass dishes, shrimp dishes, and soups, lunch $4-6
tel: 222-9249
hours: Mon-Sat 11am-4pm only
location: up the block from Zona Blue, yellow building, just before the corner

3. JR Ribs--Texas-style BBQ rib place, weekday lunch specials
location: directly to the right of the entrance to the zoo in Barrio Amon, walking distance from Sportsmens Lodge, Amon Plaza Hotel, Zona Blue, and New Fantasy

4. Hamburgery Factory--very good hamburgers in SJ, value meal $4-5
location: I think (not sure) it's on Avenida Central, near Hotel Presidente

5 Del Mar Restaurant--ONLY for ceviche (best in town), everything else there is ok, but overpriced
location: across the street from Hotel Del Rey
hours: 24/7
price: ceviche 3,000¢

[MJG Dogs]

This restraunt I belive is two blocks from Oasis. It is excellent value and you get a LOT of food. They have a sample of plate that can feed two or three people that is off the charts.

[Allover]

15 minutes by taxi from the Gulch in a nice area. Good beef, chicken dishes. Pricey at $20 per person but a very good place. Very nice place with good service.

[Left Fielder]

Here's my guide to restaurants in San José. Much of it is cut and paste from sites like Roughguides/etc, but it definitely served its purpose for me a few years ago. Sadly, I spent most of my time at News Café (the restaurant of the Hotel Presidente) which was excellent - in its own right. Enjoy!

---------------(RESTAURANTS)---------------
Antojitos Cancún, in the Centro Comercial Cocorí, 50m west of the Fuente de la Hispanidad roundabout, Los Yoses. Cheap, filling, Mexican food, not wholly authentic, but good for late-night snacks and cheap all-you-can-eat buffets. There's also draught beer and an outside terrace where you can sit and watch the 4WDs whizz round the fountain, plus live Mariachi on Fri and Sat from 10pm. Daily 11am-midnight.

Cocina de Leña, Centro Comercial El Pueblo (tel 255-1360). Típico food, superbly prepared and served in rustic surroundings with big wooden tables, gingham tablecloths and menus on paper bags. Most meals are cooked in a wood oven - the succulent chicken dishes are recommended. Good for a quiet, upmarket night out. Dinner for two costs around US$35.

Grano d'Oro, Casa 251, C 3, Av 2/4 (tel 253-3322). Expensive restaurant with beautifully spare decor and a changing menu. Breakfast (from 6am) includes fresh fruit, eggs benedict and banana macadamia pancakes. Soups are excellent - try the classic black bean or corn chowder. Among the main courses, the beef is consistently delicious, as is white sea bass breaded with toasted macadamia nuts. Amazing desserts, including tiramisu and strawberry cream cheese.

Il Pomodoro, San Pedro, 150m east of the entrance to UCR. One of the best pizza places in the city, with large pizzas - including a great vegetarian special - and cheap draught beer served in mugs and pitchers in a large and cheerful restaurant popular with the university crowd. Around US$18 for two.

Machu Picchu, C 32, Av 1 (tel 222-7384). A San José favourite, and the only truly South American place in town (the velvet llamas on the walls help) - though the appetizers, including ceviche and Peruvian bocas, tend to be more interesting than main dishes. Around $30 for two w/beer or wine. Closed Sun.

Marisqueria La Princesa, north side of Parque la Sabana. One of San José's best restaurants, though it doesn't look much from the outside, with very cheap seafood - the shrimps with garlic (camarones con ajillo) are about half the price you'll find elsewhere.

Mazorca, 200m east and 100m north of San Pedro church. Macrobiotic restaurant just east of the entrance to UCR with homely, simple decor and menu (lunch is US$5; takeouts available). Tasty bread, soups, peanut-butter sandwiches and macrobiotic cakes make a welcome change from greasy. Closed Sun.

Tin-Jo, C 11, Av 6/8 (tel 221-7605). Quiet, popular and fairly formal Chinese-Thai place - the lemongrass soup, bean-thread salad in lime juice and coconut milk curries are particularly good. Dinner with wine is around US$40 for two; skip the alcohol, or go for lunch, and you'll get away with half that.

---------------(SODAS)---------------
La Reina de Pupusas, Av 1, C 5/7, opposite Cine Omni on the corner of Parking Gigante. Salvadorean foodstall serving great snacks, including tortillas with frijoles molidos (refried beans), cabbage, mixed pickles & sausage or meat and cheese. Tortillas are large enough to be a meal in themselves, though messy.

La Vasconia, Av 1, C 3/5. Enormous menu featuring cheap breakfasts and lunch specials, including fairly cheap ceviche. The place to go to get off the tourist trail and mingle with stressed office workers.

Parillada Argentina, C 21, Av 6, 100m east of the Supreme Court. Watch the Argentine owners prepare exquisite chicken and beef or mozzarella, tomato and oregano empanadas (US0.75 each) to take away, or join the lawyers from the court next door and tuck into a massive lunch - the mini-parillada, with succulent beef, sausage, potato and salad (US$4) is quite enough for those with anything less than an Argentina-sized stomach. Open Mon-Fri lunch only.

Vishnu, Av 1, C 1/3. Obligatory pit stop for anybody visiting San José, this cheery vegetarian place serves delicious platos del día with brown rice, vegetables and soups, while the vegetarian club sandwich is a meal in itself at a bargain US$1.50. Fruit plates with yoghurt are a perennial favourite, and a plato del día, refresco and café con leche will set you back about US$4.

---------------(CAFES)---------------
Café La Maga, inside the Centro Commercial Cocorí, just before the Fuente de la Hispanidad roundabout, Los Yoses. One of the most popular places in town day or night, this café-bar doubles as an art gallery and stocks an enormous array of magazines dealing with Latin American/Spanish art, culture.

Café Parisienne, Gran Hotel Costa Rica, Av 2, C 3/5. Closest thing in San José to a European street café, complete w/wrought-iron chairs and trussed-up waiters, this is a wonderful place to sit and have coffee/cake on a sunny day. It's also one of the few establishments in the city that does continental breakfast.

Café Ruiseñor, Av 2, C 3/5. Coffee, fruit drinks, sandwiches and fantastic cakes served in a tranquil mint-green setting: the tables by the window are good for watching the goings-on in the Plaza de la Cultura.

La Esquina del Café, C 3 bis, Av 9. Small, quiet, aromatic café with excellent coffee, freshly roasted beans and friendly staff who will answer any questions about the entire coffee process, from bean to cup. Also serves good cappuccino with proper frothed milk, tasty desserts (you can try before you buy) and lunches of soups, salads and sandwiches. They also sell little bags of beans from Costa Rica's various coffee-producing regions.

Ruiseñor, 150m east of the Automercado in Los Yoses. Upmarket restaurant with pleasant outdoor terrace and European-style service and atmosphere.

[Migrant One]

The name of the Chinese place with rotissarie chciken is El Campesino. I have gone to it for several years. However, whenever I mention it to the locals, they try to send me to RostiPollo. It was mentioned in Frommer's Travel Guide in 1998.

Just straight down past 7th Street Bookstore, past the News Cafe. It's on your left side immediately after crossing Calle 1.

I will also add my praises for this chicken, roasted over the CR hardwoods!! Excellent and cheap. I stumbled across it while nursing a hangover and between the chicken, salsa and cerveza I was fine after!!