Restaurant Recommendations in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica is a destination often unheard and seldom compared to the popular tourist hot spots such as the Bahamas, Hawaii, Jamaica, or other island getaways; however, from the perspective of someone who has experienced all these destinations, Puerto Viejo is just as worthy of such praise and recognition. Puerto Viejo is an isolated Caribbean paradise, where wild horses roam the streets, beach bums congregate, and the Costa Rican motto of "Pura Vida" or "pure life" is embraced to its fullest. Puerto Viejo is not the ideal destination for the type of traveler who wants to be cooped up in museums for the extent of their trip, but if one is looking for eco-tourism and adventure travel, there is no better place than Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica often garners the attention of those looking for eco and adventure travel, however, the real question that is frequently entertained is whether one ought to visit the Pacific or the Caribbean side of the country, as they both have their advantages, depending on what you're looking for in a destination. Both sides offer plenty of opportunities for excursions and things to do, however, the difference is that the Pacific side has many more tourists, better infrastructure, and consequently is more commercialized than its Caribbean counterpart. Again, from the perspective of someone who has visited both sides multiple times and is captivated by both of them, I would recommend the Caribbean side if one's looking for an isolated place to relax, without the tourist crowds.

Below I have included a list of my restaurant recommendations, and in future articles I will include recommendations of tours and accommodations.

Restaurants:

First and foremost - Costa Rican food is delicious and on my most recent trip, which was 8 days long, I didn't encounter one restaurant where I did not thoroughly enjoy the food that was served to me. Costa Rica, even in a city as small as Puerto Viejo, has a variety of cuisines, however, most restaurants on the Caribbean side have African and Costa Rican influence.

Loco Natural - When we first arrived in Puerto Viejo, we asked our hotel concierge of a restaurant recommendation, to which he recommended Loco Natural. As we constantly asked locals and other tourists the question, the same recommendation was constantly repeated by locals and tourists alike. We decided that we had to try this restaurant for ourselves and we were not disappointed in any aspect The food was not only prepared perfectly, but the food was reasonably priced, as well (Less than $15 per person for a main course, drinks, and appetizer), the service was friendly and the atmosphere was enticing. Our experience at Loco Natural was so positive, in fact, that we broke our cardinal rule that we follow when on vacation, and we had dinner at the restaurant for a second night on our trip. From our experience, anything ordered at this restaurant is delicious. For drinks, I recommend "Guanabana en leche" which is the tropical fruit, guanabana, blended in iced milk to form something like a tropical milkshake. Finally, if you have have any questions about this restaurant, do not hesitate to ask the wait staff as their English is impeccable, and on more than one occasion we had them call us a taxi.

Pantagonia Argentina - Owned and ran by a pair of American women, this restaurant is also an inn, though I wasn't initially aware of this. As its name suggests, this restaurant is Argentinan cuisine which is found widely throughout Costa Rica. This restaurant was also recommended by the concierge at La Costa de Papito. Argentinan food is known for its perfectly seasoned beef, and as such, I ordered a steak from the restaurant. Albeit a bit pricey by Costa Rican standards (approximately $20 each for the meal), it was money well spent. The downside of this restaurant is that though it's located on the main road in Puerto Viejo, it isn't in the town center and so you don't get to watch the people as they walk by, and enjoy the nightlife from your table. When we went to this restaurant, though it was early in the evening (around 5:30-6:00) and was just when they opened, we were the only ones there. When I asked the waitress about this, she said that business was slow because of the erratic weather on the coast the previous week which caused the tourists to head to the Pacific side. But she also mentioned that business in Puerto Viejo is typically slow, even in their "high season", just because it is not heavily commercialized and there aren't as many tourists visiting as on the Pacific side.

La Terraza: This small little "soda" or "cafe" is located in the center of Puerto Viejo, however, if you're not paying attention you may miss it. This restaurant wasn't recommended by anyone in particular, but my girlfriend and I decided to try it out one day when we were walking in town, and we were pleasantly surprised. La Terraza is located next to Mare Norstrum on the main drag, and is above a bar, though the name of the bar escapes me. Again, we were the only ones at the restaurant during lunch time. This restaurant was truly a family-owned and ran restaurant, as the mother was the cook and the daughter was our waitress. The menu was scribbled in marker on a piece of paper and said that they would "cook anything we want, even if it's not on the menu", thus showing how catering the service was. However, I decided to try the spaghetti napoli (or spaghetti with marinara sauce), to see how Costa Ricans "did Italian," and I found that La Terraza produced better Italian food than many Italian restaurants I've been to in the states, and for a fraction of the price. In this restaurant, you truly get a "homey feel", and there are even kittens wandering around the restaurant too.

Que Rico Papito: Prior to visiting Puerto Viejo, we researched restaurants and read various reviews from previous travelers and locals of where to eat, and this restaurant was highly recommended. Furthermore, this was also the restaurant attached to our hotel, La Costa de Papito, so it was also very convenient. For this reason, we decided to try the food there, and while it was nothing to write home about, the service was amazing. The bartender and waitress were accommodating and on my last night, when my girlfriend was bed-ridden by the stomach flu thus restricting us to the bungalow, the waitress was especially helpful, even going so far as to carry our food out to our bungalow, despite the restaurant typically not offering "take-out". The food here is fairly pricey, but the atmosphere of the hotel, as well as the restaurant attached to it creates a certain ambiance that reminds you that you're in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle, and there is a certain appeal to it. The restaurant and hotel are outside of town across from Playa de Cocles and therefore it's a long, tedious walk from the center of town. I highly recommend catching a cab, which costs a mere $4 from the town center to La Costa de Papito. Overall, I would recommend this restaurant, but only after Loco Natural and Patagonia Argentina.

Lidia's Place: Last but certainly not least, is the local haven known as "Lidia's Place". This small soda is a favorite for the locals and serves authentic Caribbean-style Costa Rica food. Our tour guide, Raul, our concierge, even our taxi drivers, recommended this soda - and it was the best recommendation that we received. There weren't many tourists at this restaurant on the two occasions that we ate there, mostly because it is somewhat secluded as it is located a few blocks back from the town center. Nevertheless, we felt comfortable as the staff spoke flawless English and were extremely friendly and helpful. We ate at Lidia's for two different meals, dinner and breakfast, and I wish that we hadn't discovered Lidia's so close to the end of our trip otherwise I'm sure we would have tried other items on their menu. I highly recommend the Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), and the sweet plantains at Lidia's, although all the food that I ate there was recommendation-worthy. Also, for those who want to make a slow adjustment to the Costa Rican cuisine, Lidia's serves a traditional American breakfast as well (eggs, toast, bacon, etc.). You should make it to Lidia's Place when you visit Puerto Viejo.