Eating in Costa Rica: 12 Specialties You Have to Try

What Is Typical Food in Costa Rica?

Costa Ricans love rice and beans above all else — and they eat them constantly. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So if you want to experience authentic Costa Rican food, rice and beans are non-negotiable.

We also associate Costa Rica with lots of bananas. As banana shakes, as plantains, or as chips (yes, really — more on that later). To us, the bananas in this Central American country taste so much better and more intense than anything back home.

As the main protein, you’ll usually find plenty of chicken or, especially in the coastal regions, fresh fish.

Overall, we really enjoyed the food in Costa Rica. That said, we’ll be honest: we’ve had better culinary experiences on our travels.

Our 6 Favorite Specialties to Eat in Costa Rica

That said, there are dishes you absolutely have to try on your Costa Rica road trip. Our six favorite dishes — all very typical of Costa Rica — are made from exactly the ingredients we just mentioned.

Gallo Pinto for Breakfast

Probably the most iconic dish and the ultimate national dish of Costa Rica is Gallo Pinto, and it’s served at breakfast. The rice and beans are fried together in a pan — simple, filling, and seriously good.

It usually comes with eggs — scrambled or fried — Plátanos Maduros (fried, sweet plantains), and Costa Rican soft cheese or Natilla, a type of sour cream.

Casado

For lunch and dinner, you’ll typically find Casado. It also comes with rice and beans, but here they’re cooked and served separately.

It often comes with salad, Plátanos Maduros or Patacones (double-fried plantains), and a piece of meat or fish.

Chifrijo

We also loved Chifrijo. It’s a kind of bowl made with rice, beans, tomatoes, avocado, tortilla chips, and chicharrón — crispy pork belly.

The name Chifrijo is a mashup of the Spanish words for its two main components: chicharrón (pork belly) and frijoles (beans). And good news: Chifrijo is also available vegetarian.

Ceviche

Our absolute favorite when it comes to Costa Rica food is ceviche. The main ingredients are fish or seafood like shrimp, marinated in lemon or lime juice, garlic, and vegetables.

We’ll admit that ceviche is not a traditionally Costa Rican dish — it originally comes from Peru. But by now it’s an absolute classic across Central and South America, from Panama to Colombia — and Costa Rica is no exception.

Arroz con Pollo

At the start of our Costa Rica trip, we got a little confused by all the different rice dishes. Because on top of Gallo Pinto and Casado, there’s also Arroz con Pollo.

The key difference: Arroz con Pollo comes without beans. Instead, the rice is fried with olive oil, garlic, vegetables, herbs, spices, and diced chicken.

Patacones

For a light bite, Patacones are the way to go. They’re fried plantains that look a bit like potato pancakes, just lighter in color. The texture is similar to croquettes.

We find Patacones pretty tasty, though plenty of people aren’t fans since they can be quite dry — which is probably why they’re almost always served with guacamole. We’re curious to hear what you think!

6 Typical Drinks, Fruits, and Snacks in Costa Rica

Batidos

With our meals, we skipped the soda and went straight for shakes. In Costa Rica, you’ll see Batidos everywhere — the Spanish word for smoothie.

Since you can get them made with water or milk, we just called them shakes. They taste so incredibly good here because bananas, mangos, and the like are grown right there locally.

Our tip: Order your Batidos without added sugar. Latin Americans tend to pour in a lot of extra sugar — but thanks to the natural fruit sugars, they’re sweet enough on their own, if you ask us.

Coconuts

You should absolutely treat yourself to a coconut — or two, or three. Especially in the coastal regions, you’ll find locals selling them for next to nothing.

Sipping coconut water while lounging on the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica makes the whole experience even better.

Our tip: Once you’ve drunk the coconut water, ask the vendor to crack it open for you. That way you can eat the flesh inside too — so good!

Coffee

Coffee should honestly be near the top of your must-try list. Costa Rican coffee is seriously exceptional — we had especially great cups in the northern regions, around Monteverde and Arenal Volcano.

Not surprising, really — that’s exactly where it’s grown. You can see the whole process up close on a coffee tour. We’ll tell you all about it in the next section.

Chocolate

Chocolate is also grown in Costa Rica’s northern regions. And yes — the chocolate is incredibly delicious too. You can buy it all over the country.

In addition to a coffee tour, you can also do a chocolate tour. On both, you visit the farms and a guide walks you through how a plant becomes coffee or chocolate.

Since we think these tours are so cool, we wrote up everything you need to know in a dedicated article — including the best places to book them and which combo tours are available.

Fruits

You should definitely take advantage of the incredible abundance of fresh fruit in Costa Rica. Bananas, avocados, pineapples, and more are available all over the country. We often just grabbed fruit from street vendors — cheap, fresh, and delicious.

Plátanos Tostados

At first, banana chips sounded a little strange to us. Could they actually be good? Yes — they really are, we can confirm. They’re called Plátanos Tostados and you’ll find them in pretty much every supermarket or at every rest stop.

They’re usually less salty than regular potato chips. Whether they’re healthier, we honestly can’t say — but on a long drive, they made a surprisingly satisfying snack.

Where to Eat in Costa Rica?

Your best bet is to eat at places called Sodas — small, simply furnished spots that serve all the classic dishes. The menu is usually short, and prices are very reasonable.

We loved eating at Sodas. They’re often run by local Costa Rican families, and the food is totally authentic.

That said, there are also larger, fancier restaurants in Costa Rica with international dishes like burgers, pizza, and gourmet fare. The food at these places is considerably pricier, though.

Our 8 Favorite Restaurants and Sodas in Costa Rica

Soda Mima in La Fortuna

Soda Mima in La Fortuna is one of those truly classic Sodas. It was a tip from a local, and we absolutely loved it.

We went several times during our stay near Arenal Volcano National Park — Gallo Pinto for breakfast, Casado for dinner. And yes, the rice really does come shaped like a volcano.

#2 Soda Viquez in La Fortuna

Our favorite spot in La Fortuna, though, is Soda Viquez. The reason? An incredible Piña y Coco shake made from pineapple and coconut, topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon — seriously, so good!

But the food is great too. Everything here is super authentic and the value for money is unbeatable.

#3 Cevichera El Muelle in Alajuela

In the rather off-the-beaten-path city of Alajuela, we had the best ceviche of our entire trip — at Cevichera El Muelle. This place serves pretty much only the fish dish, in various preparations.

The little spot was a local favorite tip from someone we met in Alajuela, who also took us to visit Poás Volcano, which isn’t far from the city at all.

#4 La Cocina in Quepos (near Manuel Antonio)

Not entirely traditional, but absolutely delicious — that’s the quesadillas at Restaurant La Cocina in Quepos. We stopped in after hiking through Manuel Antonio National Park.

Totally worth the detour — the Casado and the Batidos were excellent too.

#5 Restaurante La Choza in Drake Bay near Corcovado

Our tour in Corcovado National Park included a meal. After the hike, our guide took us to Restaurante La Choza in Drake Bay.

That’s where we tried Chifrijo for the first time, and we absolutely loved it. For us, La Choza is by far the best place to eat in Drake Bay.

#6 Soda Tipica Las Palmeras in Montezuma

At Soda Tipica Las Palmeras in the small coastal town of Montezuma, everything just clicks: the food is delicious, the vibe is super relaxed, and the prices are genuinely fair.

Since Montezuma is right on the ocean, we went with the fish Casado — and it was fantastic. This Soda gets our wholehearted recommendation.

#7 Ice Cream Shop Heladeria Ocho Nani in Puerto Viejo

OK, strictly speaking, Heladeria Ocho Nani isn’t a restaurant or a Soda — it’s an ice cream shop. But it’s the best ice cream shop in Costa Rica we found, and that’s reason enough to include it here.

The shop is in the popular town of Puerto Viejo, right on the Caribbean coast.

#8 Restaurante Riquísimo in Puerto Viejo

Also in Puerto Viejo is our last favorite spot, Restaurante Riquísimo. What makes it stand out is the Caribbean twist. You can still get Casado and the like, but many dishes here are prepared with coconut milk in true Caribbean style — really, really good.

Cost of Eating in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is considered the most expensive country in Central America — and unfortunately that applies to food too. It’s still somewhat cheaper than Western Europe. A meal at a Soda will run you around 8 euros. At a nicer restaurant, expect to pay around 16 euros.

For our Batidos, we usually paid between 3 and 5 euros. Not exactly cheap, but truly worth every cent.

A local beer or a really good cup of coffee costs around 3 euros. And for the banana chips, we paid 2 euros.

Further costs to expect on your trip, plus even more tips, can be found in our Costa Rica travel tips article.

Is Cooking for Yourself Worth It on a Costa Rica Trip?

Honestly, a trip to Costa Rica isn’t quite comparable to Thailand, Vietnam, or similar destinations where you can eat cheaply morning, noon, and night.

For food alone, you’d spend at least 30 euros per day in Costa Rica. That adds up fast — which is why our alternative was cooking for ourselves. And Costa Rica is actually a great place for that.

There are tons of apartments with kitchens, and many hotels and nearly all hostels have very well-equipped kitchens. If you cook simple meals, each one will cost you only 1–3 euros.

Our tip: Focus on recipes with lots of vegetables and fruit. Since they’re grown right there in Costa Rica, they often cost a fraction of what you’d pay at home. And it’s super healthy too.