20 Best Restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica

At one of the capital's trendiest dining spots, the panini and pastas are the standouts, but Kalú's menu incorporates Costa Rican, Thai, and American elements, too. For one of those Americanized touches, try the hambuguesa Kalú, with portobello mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, and hummus. Browse in the adjoining art gallery before or after your meal, or while you wait for your food.

Formal service and traditional sauce-heavy French dishes are part of the experience at this elegant dining room with wicker chairs, tile floors, and original paintings. Start off with saffron ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and walnuts, and opt for a unique main course like corvina in a pejibaye (peach palm) sauce or hearts of palm and veal chops glazed in a sweet port-wine sauce. The more familiar pato a la naranja (duck à l'orange) gets a tropical twist as pato a la maracuyá (duck in passion fruit).

The name translates as “with two hands,” and that’s what it takes to handle the monster burgers here. The capital’s best burgers are made from grass-fed beef (except for the veggie and chicken burgers), with inventive toppings such as Caesar salad, mac and cheese, or hash browns. Informality reigns here with a few picnic tables scattered among the more "grown-up" furniture. Commuter trains rumble by during the evening rush hour.

The warm and welcoming vibe that exudes from this very cool Barrio Otoya café is only enhanced by the friendly, attentive staff. Diners are a real mix: some chow down on a sumptuous tenderloin, while others stop in for baked goods and coffee, but almost everyone partakes in the all-day brunch, especially on weekends. Stop in for the café’s $24 Work Combo package, which includes breakfast, lunch, a table for your laptop, and free use of Wi-Fi.

It’s the crepes—salty or sweet—that draw the crowds here. It’s a bright, cheery place with a covered terrace to stop for dessert after an evening out in Barrio Escalante. There are also heavier, main-course items, such as burgers or panini, on the menu if the hunger pangs get to you. The folks here also operate branches in Alajuela and Heredia out in the Central Valley and in Liberia in Guanacaste.

The vaulted ceilings and a vineyard mural on one wall evoke old Italy at this restaurant serving homemade pastas—spinach cannelloni and linguine with clam sauce are popular dishes. An extensive wine list rounds out the offerings, and service is attentive—the chef makes the rounds to ensure that you’re satisfied. The scant dozen tables mean that reservations are a good idea for dinner. The smallness of the restaurant does create one drawback: it can be difficult to carry on a conversation when things get busy, although that does add to the liveliness of the place. The same owners behind the west-side lodging Suites Cristina also operate L’Olivo. The restaurant is most easily entered from around the corner, however—it's physically separate from the hotel.

Kick off your day with a breakfast platter here: the americano (U.S.-style) or the tico (Costa Rican), with eggs, fried plantains, and natilla (sour cream). Snag one of the precious tables in the back garden, an unexpected refuge from noise and traffic, in the morning or late afternoon. The lunchtime decibel level increases markedly with government workers arriving from nearby office buildings (this is the one time of day we recommend avoiding the place.)

Dining here (by advance reservation only) feels as though you’re a guest in a private home, and indeed, the restaurant is located in a converted house that dates back to the 1920s. Main-course offerings at this cozy restaurant rotate, but might include a blanquette de veau (veal ragout) or a daube provençale (a hearty wine-marinated beef stew). A couple of tips: the sign is easy to miss, and credit cards are not accepted.

The excellent, reasonably priced homemade pastas make this popular lunch spot worth the stop. Begin your meal with fresh bread and excellent antipasti, and make sure to save room for tiramisu. The back patio makes a pleasant respite from the bustle of the city. Soft, live music is on tap Friday evening.

The Lebanese owners at one of San José's few Middle Eastern restaurants serve a wide variety of dishes from their native region, but if you can't decide, the meze platter serves two people and gives you a little bit of everything. Try the juicy shish kebab de cordero (of lamb) or, if you're feeling especially adventurous, the raw ground-meat kebbe naye (with wheat meal) and kafta naye (without wheat meal). A hip bar in the back serves the same menu. On Wednesday night there is live synthesizer music; on Thursday night, check out the immensely popular 8 pm belly-dancing show.

The generous homemade meals at this ranch-style restaurant are delicious, and the incredibly friendly waitstaff, who epitomize Costa Rican hospitality and dress in folkloric clothing, prepare your coffee filtered through the traditional cloth chorreador. The place keeps late hours, just in case those late-night gallo pinto (Costa Rican–style rice and beans) pangs hit. Some disparage the restaurant as "too touristy"; perhaps it is, but it's also fun. The place is relatively open and sits on a street with a lot of traffic, which is its one drawback. 

The indigenous cultures of Costa Rica don't get too much attention from tourists, but this small, intimate restaurant in Barrio Escalante is trying to change that by incorporating recipes derived from the history and culture of the eight surviving indigenous ethnic groups. Sikwa has deliciously (and respectfully) bridged the gap between the country's past and present as each meal tells a different story, which the chef and servers will happily share with diners. An otherwise straightforward drink menu includes some funky highlights like a gin-tonic with cacao nibs.

Don't expect anything fancy at this extremely popular restaurant, but food here is cheap and filling. The ubiquitous gallo pinto for breakfast and casados (meat, fish, or poultry, accompanied by rice, cabbage salad, and dessert) for lunch are on the menu, along with a variety of sandwiches and burgers. You can dine outdoors, but you'll have to contend with the traffic noise and the sight of the guard flagging cars in and out of the tiny parking lot.

Although this part of town is a bit off the standard tourist track, the pizza here is worth the trip, especially for the perfectly crispy (but not too thin) crust. Enjoy a glass of the house wine with your meal, and top things off with flan or tiramisu for dessert. This homey spot contains a few wooden tables, a small outdoor patio, and a large picture window. In true Costa Rican, no-real-addresses style, the directions are given—unironically—as "100 meters south of Pizza Hut."