Costa Rican specialties include arroz con pollo (chicken with rice), ensalada de palmito (heart-of-palm salad), sopa negra (black-bean soup),
gallo pinto (rice with black beans), and
casados (plates of rice, beans, fried plantains, salad, cheese, and fish or meat). Take advantage of the plato del día (plate of the day), an inexpensive lunch special that often includes a main course, fresco natural (fresh fruit drink), soup, and dessert. The most popular fish on Tico menus is corvina, a white flaky fish, which is usually breaded and panfried or sautéed with garlic. Tico food is often mild, but the capital has a smorgasbord of
international restaurants, should you need some variety.
Restaurants in the Central Valley run the gamut, from rustic mountain lodges to the exceptional eateries in the hills above Escazú - fine dining with a backdrop of San José by night.
costa rica restaurant Guanacaste's traditional foods derive from dishes prepared by pre-Columbian
Chorotega Indians. Typical fare includes frito guanacasteco (black beans, rice, vegetables, and meat) and arroz de maíz (a kind of corn stew). Meat lovers, rejoice: the northwest, whose plains are covered with cattle ranches, produces the country's best steak. On the
Nicoya Peninsula, seafood is plentiful: camarones (shrimp), langostinos (a kind of lobster), and a fine variety of fish are served in most restaurants at reasonable prices. Restaurants in Manuel Antonio and Jacó on the Pacific Coast serve some of the
best food in Costa Rica.
