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Manuel Antonio and the Central Pacific Coast Restaurants
You'll find the liveliest dining mix in the country outside San José here, especially in Manuel Antonio. The crowd of international visitors has brought about a crowd of international cuisines ranging from Japanese to Italian, but, as you'd expect in a coastal region, seafood still reigns here. For traditional Costa Rican cuisin
You'll find the liveliest dining mix in the country outside San José here, especially in Manuel Antonio. The crowd of international visitors has brought about a crowd of international cuisines ranging from Japanese to Italian, but, as you'd expect in a coastal region, s
You'll find the liveliest dining mix in the country outside San José here, especially in Manuel Antonio. The crowd of in
You'll find the liveliest dining mix in the country outside San José here, especially in Manuel Antonio. The crowd of international visitors has brought about a crowd of international cuisines ranging from Japanese to Italian, but, as you'd expect in a coastal region, seafood still reigns here. For traditional Costa Rican cuisine, your best bet is a roadside soda where locals gather for their daily casado (rice, beans, plantains, and an entrée of chicken, beef, or fish).
Just inside the doors of this popular café you'll find sweeping views, organic cuisine, and a chic vibe that sets the stage for all kinds of good eats (and drinks). Breakfast offerings include eggs Benedict, waffles, or delectable French toast, while sesame-crusted tuna, falafel pita, or one of the vegetable sandwiches served with homemade pesto or salsa picante are available for lunch or dinner. If you're looking for a sweet treat, try the passion fruit pie or peanut butter cake with fresh fruit juice, frozen mint lemonade, or a frothy cappuccino. Vegetarians and gluten-free eaters have plenty to choose from, as does anyone obsessed with chocolate. Polished concrete floors, corrugated tin walls, and glass balconies give this place a more refined feel than their original building just next door. They often host live-music events on weekends during high season.
Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
8655–5965
Known For
A wide range of delectable homemade desserts
A Mediterranean spin on classics like ceviche and poke
It’s hard to know what’s more impressive—the view or the cuisine at this restaurant without walls, where the sun melts into the Pacific and La Luna (the moon) takes center stage. Innovative starters range from Gorgonzola-and-tomato tarts to honey-garlic calamari. For something tender and moist, try the Parmesan chicken, the plantain-coconut mahimahi, or the ginger-and-panko-crusted tuna. Portions tend to be on the small side, but the service is outstanding.
Km 2.7 Carretera Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
Follow your nose to this simple second-floor room offering breathtaking views by day and a deliciously inventive selection of seafood by night. The lunch menu is strong on salads, burgers, and sandwiches, but the dinner options include some of the best entrées in town, like seared tuna over a tequila-and-lime cucumber salad and calamari sautéed with capers and olives. To sweeten the deal, try the coconut bread pudding.
Main road, above Villas del Parque office, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
Meat lovers can get their fix at this local grill, where sizzling cuts are seared on a wood-fire grill and served on chopping blocks. The bar serves powerful margaritas and daiquiris, but it’s the grass-fed beef from neighboring La Fortuna that you’ll want to try. Other specialties include whole red snapper, pork ribs, or lamb (with 24-hour notice). All mains include a baked potato, tomato, and grilled zucchini. Vegetarians can opt for the portobello mushrooms smothered in garlic and cheese, served in a cast-iron skillet. Take a moment to appreciate the charming floors, inlaid with tree stumps, and the tabletops, made from driftwood.
This cozy café is the only place in town that serves its own fresh-roasted coffee, with an eclectic menu serving inventive dishes like chilled avocado soup, mango chayote salad, roasted pork with sautéed papaya, and dorado with Caribbean salsa. Top sellers include jerk chicken, fish tacos, and the fish of the day with passion fruit sauce. The breakfast burritos, baked goods, and variety of sandwiches make this a top breakfast and lunch spot. Tables in the front dining room overlook the road, but there's also seating in the back garden. They have craft beers on tap, and there's live music Monday through Saturday from 7 pm to 9 pm. The attached store and their small coffee roaster in Quepos sell bags of their award-winning coffee to take home.
Main road to park, across from Los Altos, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
The outdoor tables are pretty much always full, owing to a location on Manuel Antonio's busiest corner, across the street from the beach near the national park entrance. This is a convenient place to grab breakfast after an early-morning hike—maybe banana pancakes or a típico, with eggs and gallo pinto (black beans and rice). The lunch and dinner menu ranges from the ubiquitous arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) to tenderloin with french fries, and jumbo shrimp in garlic and lemon butter. The fresh mahimahi and tuna are always a good bet. Daily happy hour is 4:30–6:30, featuring two-for-one cocktails.
Main road, south of hill, on corner across from bus stop and beach, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
Just behind the original location is a new and improved venue where a spectacular sunset view comes with friendly, attentive service and a tempting menu that includes such typical tico dishes as sopa negra (black-bean soup), ceviche, shrimp and fish on a skewer, and filet mignon wrapped with bacon and topped with a mushroom sauce. Up a long dirt road, this is the best place in town to soak in the ocean views—especially when accompanied by a glass of their famous white-wine-and-vodka sangria.
The chefs at this popular corner restaurant have mastered Thai cuisine with a Costa Rican twist, starting with the ginger fish, cashew chicken, lobster pad Thai, and green curry that will have you planning your next vacation to Thailand. Daily specials are the way to go, based on the freshest catch of the day and creative sides like mango salad or fried rice served in a pineapple bowl. Request your own level of heat and cool down with a refreshing cocktail. The patio seating with basket lamps is the ideal platform for sunset views while macaws fly across the horizon.
This Italian eatery is the perfect place to stop for brick oven pizza or homemade pastas. Thin and crispy top picks include New York style with pepperoni, sausage, and ham, or pesto-chicken pizza with toasted walnuts and caramelized onions. Staying true to Italian cuisine are the homemade meatballs, and fettuccine Alfredo. The tuna chipotle and filet mignon are hearty dishes and come with a side of roasted potatoes and vegetables. There’s a children’s menu, and a touch of Southern hospitality, especially when owner Mark Dalton makes his way from table to table (he's originally from South Carolina). If the lights dim, it just means someone ordered the banana flambé, a dessert and show worth saving room for. Live music is performed Saturday from 7 to close.
Diagonally across from Tulemar, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
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