International dining and typical Costa Rican meals

From fine international dining to typical Costa Rican meals, your palate will be pleased. Fusion cuisine is very much “in vogue.” It includes preparing traditional or exotic recipes with all the fresh fruits and crispy vegetables that our area offers. Fresh fish is available at many restaurants in Costa Ballena and the South Pacific; ask for the special of the day!

Typical Costa Rican meals are generally wholesome and reasonably priced. Gallo Pinto, the national fried rice and black beans dish, is served as a breakfast. At lunch, the Gallo Pinto becomes a Casado: rice and beans supplemented with cabbage and tomato salad, fried plantains, and meat, fish, or chicken. Beware of black beans and chicharrones (crackling in fried lard), which might be too much for delicate stomachs.

The Olla de Carne is a good alternative if you are hungry for a substantial soup. It is cooked with root vegetables, meat, plantains, and coriander. Ceviche is a refreshing, healthy snack in the afternoon. Our last recommendation is to try a Sopa de Mariscos (seafood soup) in a fish restaurant. Delicious!

Nonalcoholic beverages like smoothies and juices are outstanding for their taste; ask which fruits are available. They will ask you if you want it “en agua” or “en leche”, prepared “with water” or “with milk”. Imported drinks may be expensive, so you might be better off trying the local Costa Rican drinks. "Cerveza" (beer) is a very popular drink, and the most widely available brands are Bavaria, Imperial, and Pilsen. Wines are usually imported from Chile or Argentina. Don´t forget to enjoy a “cafecito”. At some of the typical places, you can have it “chorreado”, manually filtered.