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The many open-air dining spots out here provide you with that ultimate tropical dining experience, with Puerto Viejo de Talamanca offering one of Costa Rica’s most varied dining scenes. Think seafood, chicken, coconut, and fruits in the Caribbean. Restaurateurs take advantage of the bounty of the land and sea in this part of the country.
This restaurant epitomizes Puerto Viejo: lively, organic, popular, but confident enough not to seek trendiness. Ordering is by sauces: Thai peanut, Indonesian-Caribbean curry, Mexican chipotle, Jamaican jerk-style, or Malaysian-guayaba curry, which is served on vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or fish (marlin or tuna). You can't go wrong with the Caribbean pad Thai or Indian butter chicken. Live music gets going later on Saturday evening, although the place closes at 10.
Fortify yourself for a day of sightseeing with a vegan breakfast, perhaps banana pancakes or crepes, at this semi-open-air spot. For lunch, dig into a variety of vegan burgers and salads (mango is a favorite) with fruit cheesecakes for dessert. Accompany it all with a selection of gourmet coffees, milkshakes, or smoothies—the banana-coffee smoothie is one of the innovative flavors these folks have concocted. Decorated in lots of red, the space may be small, but they'll squeeze you in.
The takeaway line for brownies—made with their own processed cocoa—forms at the gate before this place opens at 6:30 am. Stick around, though, for a hearty breakfast of cinnamon-oatmeal pancakes, French toast, or creamy scrambled eggs, washed down with a cup of French-press coffee.
Flatbread pizza is the name of the game at this dining spot, which you'll see as you head out of town toward Playa Cocles. The folks here come up with some innovative combinations, such as date and gorgonzola or camote (a Central American sweet potato) with jalapeño and chimichurri sauce, in addition to more standard pizzas. In the morning, there's a variety of breakfast panini and eggs. A good selection of cocktails and Cheeky Monkey’s homemade ice cream round out the offerings.
Pastas and meat entrées are on the menu, but the real draw here is the 30 varieties of thin-crust pizza whipped up and served with style by a gregarious Italian family from Ravenna. The Cuatro Quesos (four cheeses) with mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, and fontina is the most popular. These folks do a brisk carry-out business, too. Note that prices do skew higher here than for a comparable "family pizza night" back home.
Blanca, the owner of this longtime standby at Punta Uva, cooks up a menu of rondón, rice and beans, lobster, shrimp, and chicken with sweet mole sauce. The cool breezes of the seaside setting could not be more pleasant. Selvin's keeps limited, sometimes irregular hours, especially in the off-season, so always call ahead and head out here if you're fortunate enough to be in town when it's open.
The name means "over the waves," and this is one of the few dining spots in Cahuita perched this close to the shore. Red snapper is the house specialty, but other seafood and pasta dishes are on the menu, too, along with affordable sandwiches and lighter fare. The menu has a good selection of wine and natural fruit juices. Set along the less busy stretch of Playa Negra (as you head out of town), the admittedly spartan dining area features terrific ocean views that perfectly complement the food.
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