Costa Rica Restaurants & Reviews 4

Costa Rica
Restaurants & Reviews

Our Favorite
Restaurants in Heredia & Santa Barbara

Antonio´s Italian Restaurant & Cigar Room Entre Hotel Herradura
y Hotel Meliá Cariari Cariari, Heredia
Phone: 506 293 0622
E-Mail: mailto:Palermo@sol.racsa.co.cr

Antonio, the owner, directed a couple of famous Italian restaurants back
in New York. He has now established himself in Costa Rica and placed
his Ristorante at Cariari. He specializes in grill and seafood. His famous
Calamari in Casserole and his Cotoletta di Vitello Ripiena are very wise
choices. They have romantic live piano music and happy-hour every
afternoon. They also have a cigar room offering the best cigar brands,
cognac and fine liquors.

Casa Dubon Music and Poetry - 6 kilómetros del puente del
Estadio Saprissa, Sobre carretera a Guápiles, Heredia
Phone: 506 240 2753

The temperature outside is chilly, and a thin fog floats over the highway
creating a melancholic and nostalgic ambiance. Once inside, a small
crowd of people gather at tables around a stage or at the bar, chatting
softly. Suddenly, someone with a guitar on his hands, and panic in his
ear, begins to present his poems, for a long time kept secretly to himself.

This is a peña, or friends' meeting place, for art lovers and aficionados.
Good food and liquors are also available here to spice up the night.

El Banco de los Mariscos - Fruits From the Sea Del parque,
500 metros oeste Santa Bárbara de Heredia - Heredia
Phone: 506 269 9090

One of our Favorite Places to go! We love the "Camarones del Rio"
(River Lobsters)! This Seafood can't be beat! This place is so large that
if the tables were moved away, you could easily play a game of
"papi-football" with your friends. But there is a reason for its size: this
is one of the best-known marisquerías, or seafood places in this country,
and every weekend it gets packed to the top.

Decoration is simple, with small, plastic terrace and a family-like
atmosphere. You will find every kind of seafood and fish in very different
preparations, in good portions and at a reasonable price. Our favorite is
the Rio Lobsters in Garlic Butter! Yummy! Enjoy cocktails and fun!

El Ceviche del Rey - With a Little Chili - Centro Comercial Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo de Heredia Phone: 506 244 2985

Ceviche or Cebiche? It looks like it really does not matter but one thing
is for sure, it is just delicious! Probably, the confusion starts with the
story of this dish. Mexicans say it is Mexican, and Peruvians claim it as
their own, but what is it anyway? Small chunks of fresh fish cooked in a
marinade of lemon juice and some other secret ingredients. In this Peruvian restaurant, they serve it their way, with raw red-onion rings, corncobs
and yam with a hint of hot chili. Here, you can try a wide array of Peruvian specialties as well.

El Rancho de Fofo - Three in One 100 metros al oeste de la
Universidad Nacional - Heredia Phone: 506 261 2200

Seen from the outside, El Rancho de Fofo looks like a simple bar with
two twins next to it, Caramba, similar to a small tavern, and Mariscos
y Más, more like a restaurant. They all connect internally trough a
"secret" hallway, so if you get tired of the music and atmosphere of
one place, just move to the other without even going through the main
door. An extensive menu of international food, snacks and cocktails
are served in all three places.

El Refugio del Chef Jacques - French Cuisine on the Mountains
3.5 kilómetros al norte de la plaza de Barva de Heredia
San José de la Montaña - Heredia
Phone: 506 261 5319

Reminiscent of a fairy tale, the wooden cottage that houses this cozy
and romantic restaurant is embedded on the most beautiful mountains
in Costa Rica. With a magnificent view, and a climate cool and mystic,
this place is ideal to taste the exclusive dishes of Chef Jacques from
Belgium, along with a wonderful bottle of wine.

In the tradition of the best French Haute Cuisine, a romantic and warm
atmosphere provides a fabulous experience with romance!

El Restaurante Campeón - Chinese Food Specialists
Avenidas 2/4, Calle Central Heredia Phone: 506 237 4631

This is a Chinese restaurant that is located 60 meters south of the
southeast corner of the Parque Central. A favorite with locals, you can
dine here on a variety of Chinese specialties including dishes made with
chicken, meat and fish. For vegetarians, meatless selections are also
available. This restaurant is open on Sunday and has late-night hours
daily. While in the area, this is a good restaurant to visit for quality
Chinese food at affordable rates.

La Casa del Café - Gourmet Café Marriott Hotel - San Antonio de Belén
Heredia Phone: 506 298 0000

Within the beautiful colonial architecture of the Marriott Hotel where the
wood, forged metal work, stone and clay blends in perfect harmony to
produce an atmosphere of peace, this café gives you the chance to taste
some of the best gourmet coffees available.

Add a succulent pastry, a piece of pie, or perhaps a croissant, and you
are on the verge of committing a sin of lust! Surrounded by a garden of
coffee plants, this is the right place to discover the magical world of
Costa Rican coffee with European heritage.

Palenque de Ojo de Agua - Dancing and Orchestra
Frente al Balneario Ojo de Agua La Rivera de Belén
Heredia Phone: 506 441 1309

If you feel like "shaking your body" (or at least looking and learning) to
the rhythm of a Latin dance orchestra, then this is the right spot, with a
capacity of as many as 700 people, each drinking, dancing, eating and
chatting. These kinds of places are very popular among the "ticos" of
blood and soul, so stopping by is more like a cultural experience.
The live orchestras perform weekends only, including Sundays.

Sakura - Japanese Cuisine Legend - Hotel Herradura - Intersección
a San Antonio de Belén - Heredia Phone: 506 239 0033

Sakura, in few words, is the traditional expression
of the best of the best in Japanese cuisine.
Everything here has the unique stamp of a first-class restaurant in Japan, from the décor to the tatami
and the teppan yaki, where a skilled chef cuts,
slices and prepares the most delicious specialties,
with the artistry of a swordsman. No doubt that the
spirit and the ritual of this fascinating country lives in this restaurant.

Vishnu - Vegetarian's Delight - Avenidas Central/1, Calle 7 - Heredia
Phone: 506 237 2526

At this vegetarian restaurant,, located four blocks east of the Parque Central,
fans of meatless dishes will find a number of tasty salads and sandwiches
to try including sandwiches made on pita bread. The restaurant is separated
into small rooms and the environment is open and airy. The restaurant's
staff is also friendly and helpful. If you are in the area and are looking to
eat vegetarian cuisine, this restaurant is worth a visit.

Costa Rica
Restaurants & Reviews

Our Favorite
Restaurants in Curridabat

K&S - Brewery and Restaurant - Centro Comercial Plaza Cristal
600 metros al sur de la Pops - Curridabat Phone: 506 283 7583

What comes in a tall glass or a chubby jar, has a light body sometimes,
or sometimes is strong and smelly, and always, sports bubbling thick
foam as a hairdo? Beer! At K&S you can refresh your heart and soul
with these wonderful German-style beers, made on the premises in
huge bronze tanks that sit off to one side. The taste and smell is
different than the bottled beers on the market, so if you love this drink,
you will love K&S. Excellent German Food and Seafood Specialties!

CR Cigars!
Cigar Information, The new "Shaman Cigar",
Costa Rica history of Cigar Tobacco.