If you’re curious as to what Costa Rican food is like, we will share with you what Costa Rican cuisine is like. Learn all about delicious Costa Rican food in this article.
You can click here to go our Mytanfeet Costa Rica restaurant map to see all the places we’ve eaten at and recommend.
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Costa Rican Cuisine and Ingredients
Although a lot of people think Costa Rican food is like Mexican food, it isn’t even though many Costa Rican dishes and Mexican food uses similar ingredients. Costa Rica’s food is fairly mild compared to other countries in Latin America.
Costa Rican cuisine consists of mostly rice, red or black beans and corn. For vegetables, they eat a lot of potatoes, carrots, cilantro, tomatoes, onion and lettuce. In Costa Rica, the meat is mostly pork, chicken and beef. For seafood, it is mostly shrimp and fish (a lot of tilapia and red snapper). Costa Rica cuisine also includes plenty of fresh tropical fruits such as papaya, watermelon, banana and pineapple.
Costa Rican traditional foods doesn’t have a lot of sauces or condiments. You will find that many salads don’t come with dressing, only a slice of lime.
Where to Eat Traditional Dishes in Costa Rica?
To try Costa Rican food, visit a local restaurant which is known as a “soda.” You will find them all throughout Costa Rica. Sodas are the best place to try authentic Costa Rican cuisine.
Traditional Delicious Costa Rican Food and Dishes
The casado and gallo pinto are two of the most traditional Costa Rican dishes.
Gallo Pinto
Gallo pinto is a mixture of the most traditional foods: rice, red or black beans, chopped onions, cilantro and bell peppers. This dish is commonly known as the national dish of Costa Rica. It is the signature breakfast food usually accompanied with scrambled or fried eggs, toast, fried plantains, sausage, corn tortillas and natilla (sour cream). Gallo pinto is typically served with a cup of coffee, juice and fresh fruit.
Nearly all hotels in Costa Rica include hot breakfast included in their rate will offer gallo pinto so you definitely have to try it! You will find gallo pinto in Costa Rica made with black or red beans, they are both common. And if you want to make some back at home, you can get our Costa Rican gallo pinto recipe here.
Salsa Lizano
Salsa Lizano is Costa Rica’s national sauce. It’s a bit like Worcesteshire sauce and they use it for meats and gallo pinto. Whenever I order gallo pinto, I always ask for extra sauce to put on top.
Salsa Lizano is also a fantastic Costa Rican souvenir to take home. You can find it everywhere and it’s very cheap.
Casado
The casado, translation “married” is one of the most typical traditional dishes in Costa Rican cuisine.It is not made of up one singular dish, but rather a combination plate with white rice, black beans, a meat, a salad and fried plantains/tortilla/cheese. The casado is the most traditional Costa Rican dish eaten for lunch or dinner.
The reason why these two main dishes are quite heavy is because most of the Costa Ricans back in the day were farmers or coffee pickers so they needed a lot of energy to work.
Arroz Con Pollo (Or squid/seafood/shrimp)
This is another very traditional dish. Arroz con pollo is basically like chicken rice. You will find rice with chicken at every soda normally accompanied with salad and fries. This is one of Yeison’s favorite dishes in Costa Rica and he cooked this a lot when he was growing up since it’s easy to make with easy to find ingredients.
You can also find rice with shrimp, rice with squid, rice with seafood or veggie rice. This is a typical dish found in all local restaurants.
You can get our Costa Rican rice with chicken recipe here if you want to try to make some at home!
Chifrijo
Chifrijos are the ultimate Costa Rican bar food om Cosat Rican cuisine. It’s basically a bowl of rice, beans, pico de gallo, chicharrones (fried pork rinds) and guacamole. This is usually served at local bars. However, you may not find chifrijo on the menu due to patent issues. Some restaurants have to use another name.
Pair the chifrijo with an Imperial beer (or a shot of chiliguaro) and you basically have Costa Rica in one meal! To try a chifrijo, we recommend you to visit a local Costa Rican bar. Most touristic restaurants don’t have them, or they are very expensive.
Costa Rican Tamales
When you think of Christmas in Costa Rica, every Costa Rican thinks of tamales. Tamales are a classic Christmas dish in Costa Rica and they take it very seriously. The best ones are made in Costa Rican home as mothers and grandmothers pass this tradition down to their kids but you can find tamales in the supermarket and some local restaurants during Christmastime.
Costa Rican tamales are ground cornflour, corn meal and a little bit of flour and the inside varies depending on what the cook likes. There is normally meat like pork, potatoes, rice, carrots and I’ve had ones with raisins in it. Then it’s wrapped in a banana leaf.
Most Costa Rican tamales are pork tamales. However, as there are more vegan/vegetarian Costa Ricans lately, you may be able to find veg tamales in the metropolitan cities. Read about eating veg in Costa Rica here.
Olla de Carne
Olla de carne (beef stew) is one of the few soup dishes in Costa Rican cuisine. It’s a very simple but hearty and healthy beef and vegetable stew with many traditional foods like beef, yucca, corn, green plantain, taro, yam, carrot and potato.
Since this soup is known as “hangover food” and takes awhile to make, restaurants usually only have them on weekends.
You can try to make this at home with our Olla de carne recipe!
If you like to cook, consider taking a Costa Rica cooking class and farm tour!
Costa Rican Taco
Costa Rican tacos are not like Mexican tacos at all! They roll the tortilla with the filling and deep fry it.
They put shredded cabbage with ketchup and mayonnaise on top and it’s usually filled with beef or chicken. You can find this in some Costa Rican restaurants and it’s usually under the fast food/snacks section.
Costa Rican Ceviche
Costa Rica’s version of ceviche is simple but fresh. It’s raw fish cooked in fresh lime juice and garnished with chopped cilantro, bell peppers and red onion. It’s usually served with tortilla chips or patacones.
A lot of Ticos like to eat ceviche with ketchup and mayonnaise. It’s usually not spicy.
Patacones
Patacones are smashed fried green plantains, very commonly found in local restaurants as green plantains are a staple food in Costa Rica. They are normally under the “entradas” or appetizer section on menus.
You can order them with guacamole, pico de gallo or beans.
Chorreadas
Not to be mistaken for corn tortillas, these are Costa Rican corn pancakes that are eaten as a snack or for breakfast. These sweet corn pancakes are delicious paired with coffee. You can eat it with natilla like the picture below, a type of sour cream.
Chorreadas is like a pancake but made with ground corn which you pan fry until it turns a crunchy golden brown.
Churchills
Churchills are Costa Rica’s version of shaved ice. They were invented in Puntarenas and this is a must if you love sweets. It’s a more intense variation of the Costa Rica copo with ice cream with kola syrup, condensed milk or evaporated, powdered milk and barquillos (the straw cookies). You can also try a copo or granizado which is the same thing without the ice cream.
Churchills are also very popular in Caldera, the local beach about 45 minutes from San Jose. If you drive by there, you’ll see lots of copo and churchhill stands.
Rice and Beans
The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica has its own Costa Rican cuisine as it has more Caribbean influences. One such dish is rice and beans, which is not gallo pinto! Their rice and beans is made with coconut milk. It’s commonly eaten with patacones and slow cooked chicken or fish. This is one of my personal favorite Costa Rican foods!
Add a bit of the Caribbean hot sauce and you have the best Costa Rican food to eat in places like Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and Limon.
Sopa de Pejibaye
If you love rich soups, then you must try sopa de Pejibaye. Pejibaye, or peach palm is a type of fruit native to Central America. It kind of looks like a really small coconut but the inside is a soft, kind of grainy fruit that tastes a bit like sweet potato.
They make this into a cream soup so it’s quite rich but full of nutrients as pejibaye is very healthy.
Sopa Negra (black bean soup)
Black bean soup (sopa negra) is one of my favorite traditional dishes to make at home since it’s super easy with readily found ingredients and healthy.. You can find it at most local restaurants and they always serve it with a hard boiled egg.
If you want to make it at home, you can get our sopa negra recipe here.
Chilera
Chilera is the spicy pickled vegetables. You can find this in nearly all sodas and if you don’t see one on your table, ask your waiter. Each soda makes their own so they’re always different but if you like the pickled/vineger flavor, you’ll love the chilera!
They usually use onions, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower and Panamanian peppers. Most local restaurants make their own chilera.
Gallo
A Costa Rican gallo is kind of a snack and it is very common in barbecue restaurants. It is basically a tortilla with a meat, either beef, pork or chicken but they also have them with beans and cheese.
You won’t find gallos at every soda in Costa Rica however. We have only seen them at places that have more meat dishes or very typical restaurants.
Ceviche de Banano Verde
Ceviche de banano verde is made with green banana, lettuce, onion, celery, sweet pepper and lime juice. It’s eaten as an appetizer and you can eat it with chips.
This is an excellent dish for vegans as it’s made with green bananas, onions, celery and other veggies.
Rondon
Another Caribbean dish to try is rondon, a rich coconut milk soup with fish and veggies like corn, yuca, Panamanian pepper and potato. This is a hearty soup, perfect for rainy days in the Caribbean.
You can find this at all the local restaurants in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, the main tourism hub of the South Caribbean.
Trits Ice Cream
We love Trits Ice Cream which is essentially an ice cream cookie. They have also made an ice cream flavor!
You can get Trits ice cream at any supermarket or small grocery store. It’s so good! One of our favorite Costa Rican snacks for sure!
Arroz Con Leche
Costa Ricans love arroz con leche eaten for dessert which is basically a rice pudding. The Costa Rican version is normally made with evaporated or condensed milk, cinnamon and raisins.
You can commonly find arroz con leche in the dessert section of local restaurants.
Empanada
Costa Rican empanadas are another one of our favorite fast food snacks. They fill the empanada with meat and stuff it with cabbage.
Many times they will put ketchup and mayonnaise on top.
Spoon Chocolate Cake
This isn’t really a dish since it’s a dessert but I couldn’t leave this one out. Spoon also makes their own desserts and pastries. Their chocolate cake is one of my favorite cakes.
The frosting is thick and gooey and my favorite is the chocolate. If you’re visiting outside the Central Valley cities like San José and Heredia, you can buy Spoon cakes at supermarkets like Auto Mercado or Mega Super. If you’re in San José, we highly recommend visiting their sit down Spoon restaurants as they also have breakfast, lunch and dessert.
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica. Get 10% off your Airalo eSIM package with our promo code “mytanfeet”
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Julie Seaborn says
I love your site. We went to Monteverde and stayed at Hotel Fonda Vela, which was such a throw back but the people could NOT have been nicer, it was delightful! We also, thankfully, went to TACO TACO and had a Blast! It was delicious, fun and we never would have it without you. Your tips have made all our trips fabulous. We appreciate you!
Jeanette Liberty-Duns says
I am allergic to beans seafood and corn. Are all the tacos made with corn or what might I order. I can ask for plain rice and is that usually available. I am also allergic to peanuts are they served very often?
Sammi says
If you go to local restaurants, most are made of corn, sometimes flour but to be safe, I would just not get tortillas at all. Plain white rice is readily available. Peanuts are not very common in Costa Rica, most of the oil they use is sunflower but it’s hard to say for every restaurant…to be safe since food allergies can be tricky in Costa Rica, stick to only the tourist restaurants where waiters speak English, write down everything you’re allergic to in Spanish and English and carry it with you and always have your epi pen with you. Some restaurants may serve corn with their salad, their traditional lunch/dinner always has beans, so I definitely recommend having a list of your allergies with you at all times written in spanish and your epi pen
Michelle Armstrong says
I just returned from my 2 week honeymoon in Guanacaste and I used so much of your advise and recommendations. All of which was spot on. Items I packed, food I ate, you name it! Thanks a million, we had such an memorable and amazing honeymoon! I do need some help though, I am making a full Costa Rican dinner for friends and I have my menu all set. But while in CR I met some Ticos who introduced me to a popular Tico drink called a Miguelito. I love them and wanted to include them at my dinner party. I brought home the Casique and I know there is some type of coconut, cream, grenadine but not sure what exactly goes in it or what the measurements are. I can’t find anything on the web so I am reaching out to see if you might have an idea.
Sammi says
Hi Michelle, I’m glad you had a good time.
I found this on CR Hoy’s website (one of the main national newspapers here), you can Google Translate it:
6 medidas de Coco Lopez
6 medidas de leche evaporada
6 medidas de guaro o vodka
Hielo
Preparación
Coloque todos los ingredientes en la licuadora por unos segundos. Sirva en vasitos de “shots” y disfrute.
Heylin says
I’m from Costa Rica. You made my day see all the delicious food back home. I cook her often Costa Rica food but nothing like there. Thank you for all the tips and to help other people enjoy a little bit to my beautiful country.
Heather says
Me and my husband are vegan and we’re going to Costa Rica In april. Any suggestions on what we can eat?
Sammi says
You can read our Tips for eating vegetarian/vegan in Costa Rica post for tips.
David says
All the food looks great put me in your back pocket and take me with you
irene says
who knew the same food eaten all over the world could be made to taste so differently and mouth watering. “Patacones” a delicacy in my country but known by another name and prepared differently..
Karen says
Wow!!!! Real Tica….
Wendy says
I’m a tica living in UK and I love our cusine!
How about the tamales, empanadas, mondogo soup, mazamorra a delicious dessert made with purple corn or picadillo de Flor de Itabo, just to mention and Chicha a fermented drink made of corn and tapa de Dulce
Wendy
Pura Vida
christina says
I love rice
Debbie says
I am a tica living in California. I just went back to Costa Rica for three weeks to visit family and friends. The food… my favorite. These recipes are great and there are so many more! Picadillo de plátano verde, picadillo de chayote with corn. Mayonnaise from Costa Rica is the best, made by Lizano. Costa Rican pozol is outstanding. To me, it’s the best food. And when you go to the Caribbean… the food is soooo good! The rice and beans made with coconut milk, its delicious!
christina says
I love rice and chicken.
Mai Cua says
Those look so delicious. Arroz Con Pollo (Rice with Chicken) is my favorite meal. I love it. It’s look so amazing
Sammi says
So good!
David Martinet says
Great article that shows that Costa Rica food is definitely not just rice and beans! I didn’t know about the Churchills, seem very yummy!!!
Sammi says
They are pretty good, you can get the original churchhills in Puntarenas, the rest are usually copos 🙂
Jannybee says
One of my favourite foods in Costa Rica is Sopa de Pollo. It is so hot (not spicy–just temperature), it is definitely hard to eat on a hot day. It was always served with a bowl of rice. I would take the solids out of my soup, put them on the pile of rice until they cooled off, eat them, and maybe when I was done that, I could handle drinking the still hot soup broth. I just loved all the cilantro in it–it tasted so fresh! Also, I am sure their soup broth must be made from free range chickens–isn’t that all they have in CR? I am recalling the roosters that kept waking me up all night in Brasilito…..they are beautiful to look at, but at night….I’d be strangling them and making soup too!
My next favourite was pork kebabs made on BBQ’s on the street. Oh my goodness! If you could get me a recipe for those–I would be eternally grateful!
Christy says
This information really helps for my project!
Tasu says
same!
Sean ORielly says
My son is studying in Costa Rica at the UNIBE, he loves that country including the food, I don’t think he is ever coming back to Canada…LOL
All these dishes look delicious!
yeison says
Hi, My brother is a Doctor and he graduated from the UNIBE. Thanks for reading our blog!
Karla says
Hi, I’m from Costa Rica but living in North Carolina teaching Spanish…
I miss all of my foodand these pictures reminded me how I love my country..I miss the beaches and of course the tacos ticos!!!!
Bernadette says
My step dad is Costa rica and he told me all about. I would love to go there some day. He taught me and my mom some of the spinach and some of the food it is amazing!!
Sammi says
I hope you get to go one day! 🙂
Eugenia says
Hello! Im tica but i live overseas, i miss the food i ate when i was little and this blog almost made me cry. Good job with the description! I would only add that churchills have ice too and yeah, ticos say that if you go to the Puerto (Puntarenas) and you don’t get a churchill from Paseo de los Turistas, you really didn’t go 🙂
yeison says
Saludos Eugenia! Si esos churchills son buenísimos pero con uno ya es suficiente para un año por la cantidad de azucar. Donde sea que estes te deseamos lo mejor. Pura vida!
Jeff Lore says
Costa Rican ceviche. I was accustomed to Mexican ceviche from the Pacific coast (differs somewhat by region from north to far south) and Peruvian ceviche. In 7 years living in Costa Rica I’ve tried a lot of ceviche. There is an unusual twist to it unlike what I was previously accustomed to. Often made my own from super fresh Pacific ocean fish, or a variety of fresh mariscos (non fin fish seafoods). Took a couple of years to learn what the difference is (as I learned Spanish). Ginger ale, or sometimes Fresca or some similar citrus soda pop in addition to jugo de limón (lime juice). As a former chef, this first struck me as strange, but I have to hand it to them……….. They’ve nailed it!
Sammi says
I love their ceviche here but I haven’t tried it in other countries so I can’t compare. Glad to hear from a former chef that the CR version holds up well 🙂
Sammi says
You can check our guide for a list of restaurants here: Playa Hermosa
I recommend Marios or Gingers but there are quite a few good ones in Hermosa.
Casimiro says
Where would you eat in Playa Hermosa?
Sammi says
Which one?
Casimiro says
In Guanacaste 🙂
Tricia (@AdventureList) says
Those corn pancake/tortilla things look really yummy.
Sammi says
They are really delicious when they’re well done!
Andreia says
I would gladly try one of each, eheheh! I just have to get to Costa Rica first (it is one of my longed-for long destinations).
Thanks for sharing, and for the great photos!
Sammi says
Hope you visit soon!
Veronika @ travelgeekery.com says
Those dishes look amazing..! I’d love to have Patacones and Chorreadas right now..! Seems I’ll have to wait for a trip to Costa Rica 🙂 Thanks for the appetite 🙂
Sammi says
Haha no problem!
Emily says
Most of these dishes remind me of Colombian food, which is very similar, I suppose due to the close proximity of the countries! The deserts are definitely more appealing in my opinion 🙂 We had to carry a bottle of chilli sauce with us, as the flavours are not very apparent in a lot of the food!
Sammi says
Yeah for sure! Latin American countries I feel like have similar foods, though Panama was completely different. Haha I started doing that too except I brought Siracha!
Jameela Deen says
uhhhmmmm the tacos got me all hungry. I just love wraps and fried stuff in general AND i’m a muncher… perfect for me. Reminds me a little of what the Tunisians called Brik, a wrap of all kind of things, deep fried and served with a sprinkle of lemon or lime on top.
Sammi says
Ooh that sounds good! A sprinkle of lemon would be a nice kick
Bente Vold Klausen says
The Patacones con Guacamole looks great and I know I like the Mexican variation. So I would love to taste the Costa Rica variation as well. So do the Costa Ricans not use much spices in their food?
Sammi says
Definitely! Patacones are one of my favorites! No not really, they use basic condiments and a few sauces like their signature Salsa Lizano and some others but compared to other cuisines, it is not as flavorful.
Maria says
Never tried Costa Rican food but I’m curious to taste those dishes. The churchills looks great, and the corn pankaces too! Ohhh I’m hungry now 😀
Sammi says
Haha the churchills are pretty yummy until you get halfway through and get a major sugar rush 😀
Chris says
Huge mistake reading this whilst hungry! They all look so good, I would try them all.
Sammi says
Haha sorry about that!
Harvey (H-Bomb's Worldwide Karaoke) says
Thanks for a very mouth-watering post! It’s interesting seeing the differences from Mexican food. I like Costa Rica’s take on the taco!
Sammi says
I love their tacos! I was pretty surprised when I first ate one too on how different it was than a Mexican taco
Karla says
Madre mia!
All this food just made me hungry and I am almost drooling 😉
Love Costa Rican food & Latin American food in general.
We Salvadorans eat almost the same Ticos do, except that the meals have different names!
Love arroz con pollo, olla de carne etc. Rice with beans is called casamiento and we add tortillas to everything 😉
Ah those patacones and guacamole look so good!
Now i’ve to go get a snack lol!
Thanks for sharing y buen provecho 😉
TTYL
Karla
Sammi says
hehe me too! Mmm the only thing I’ve had from El Slavador is pupusas which I love! And they’re not super common here in Costa Rica but so interesting how every country although so close all variations of the same dish. Always something new to try! Love food hehe. Gracias Karla 🙂
Mary {The World Is A Book} says
Yum! These all look so delicious! Great t know there’s some variety of food there. Interesting what comes with their tacos. We call those taquitos here in SoCal. The patacones con guacamole looks so good. I don’t think I’ve ever had plantains with guac before.
Sammi says
It’s so funny, I had taquitos before in the States but always associated it as Mexican food so when I saw it and Costa Ricans call it their taco, well it’s essentially like little taco! But delicious nonetheless. You’ll have to try plantains with guac, the combination is delicious! I never had plantains before either until I moved down, it’s not very common in WA!
Conversant Traveller says
You’ve officially made me hungry reading all that! We had some amazing food in Guatemala that was pretty similar, just fell in love with their pancakes, and yes even the rice and beans (also on the Caribbean side in Livingston) were delicious. Hmmmm, now I’ve got the munchies….:-)
Sammi says
Oh I haven’t tried pancakes their pancakes! That’ll be something to look forward to when we go to Guatemala. haha I would send you some but don’t think they’ll make it all the way other there!
Mrs. Chasing the Donkey says
I’ll take that chicken and rice first..and then slowly make my way around that table.
Sammi says
Sounds good to me! 🙂
noel says
well that was a fun foodie tour..wish I could sample or even do a scratch and sniff, will have to go visit there someday…thanks for joining #tpMondays
Sammi says
That should be the next invention, scratch and sniff computers 🙂 Thanks Noel!
Jess says
Ooh, I want a churchill! And I love arroz con pollo. It’s hard to imagine getting bored with Costa Rican food!
Sammi says
I agree! But there are plenty of people who say it. Each to their own eh? 😛
Marisol@TravelingSolemates says
Hi Sammi, when I was in CR I had a lot of rice and beans but I didn’t mind because they were delicious that I didn’t get sick of it. I don’t eat meat so I didn’t much option anyway. That chorreadas looks yummy. I would like to try it next time I visit which I hope will be soon. My husband who’s more food adventurous would love to try all the dishes you featured here. He hasn’t been to CR but is now inspired to visit soon.
Sammi says
They’re all pretty delicious! And a good variety. I hope you guys come, you’ll have lots of fun! 🙂 Thanks Marisol!
Rancho Leona says
you can ask for the taco to be made with cheese not meat. I am form Costa Rica and just love eating tacos. the chorreadas are not that hard to make but they do taste better in CR
Sammi says
I would but I actually don’t like cheese 😀 so meat is good for me! Thanks for commenting!
clayton says
great pics, making me hungry!!! i think taco is my favourite of all these but i did love costa rican food – even gallo pinto!!
Sammi says
I love the taco too, one of my favs! Thanks for commenting Clayton!
Lunaguava says
Right, I’m definitely down for some patacones with guacamole and a few chorreadas. I think I may have become a diabetic just by looking at those churchills though… Good luck!
Sammi says
Yep I think my blood sugar level spiked exponentially after I ate one and stayed that high for a few days after too. Definitely not something you want to be eating everyday! Or even every month haha
frankaboutcroatia says
Would have a plate of patacones con guacamole right now. Or just any day of the week. And then I would have some chorreadas. And then some more patacones. I love food.
Sammi says
hehe me too! I wish I ate patacones a lot more or knew how to make them correctly! chorreadas too, I don’t have the patience to grind my own corn haha
A Southern Gypsy says
I don’t like beans anyway so I’d have no problem trying something besides rice and beans haha…these look delicious. Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler this week guys! 🙂
Sammi says
Whattt! haha well to be fair I didn’t have a taste for that either until I got here. Now I can’t imagine not eating them! perhaps it is an acquired taste 🙂
A Southern Gypsy says
Yep, I’m a weirdo. I was really really picky growing up. I’m a lot more adventurous in my eating these days, but I still don’t like beans haha
Sammi says
haha you’re going to be in quiet a foodie shock when you make it over to Asia 😛 It’s all sorts of weird stuff over there hehe
Dave says
Starting each day with a heap of patacones was one of my favorite memories of Panama – glad to see the Ticos use the same word! Also, thanks for the tip on the distinction in Nicaragua.
Sammi says
No problem! I personally was in this awkward situation where the Nicaraguans thought I was asking for ticks but they know the distinction so we just laughed it off haha.
Sammi says
Aw I can’t imagine not eating guacamole or avocados now, it’s a staple part of my diet! I’d miss it a ton too!
The GypsyNesters says
They all look good but the Olla de carne is right up my alley.
Sammi says
Same, it’s my favorite!
Rob @ Hungry Escapades says
This looks delicious, especially the taco. Really looking forward t heading down to Costa Rica (eventually), will be trying some of these beauties!
Sammi says
The taco is one of my favorites but I try not to eat it too often haha. They’re all really good! Thanks for reading Rob 🙂
Natalia says
Nice post. I’m a Tica and I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, it’s pretty good read. I know ceviche is not a Costa Rican dish per se, but it’s as common as ordering arroz con pollo for lunch. Just thought I’d mention it. Costa Rican tamales as well. Aguadulce is another pretty common beverage.
Keep up the good work!
Pura vida! 🙂
Sammi says
I love the ceviche here! And tamales too. I had to cut this list down quite a bit or else it’d be “every single food you should not miss in Costa Rica” haha. Thanks for reading Natalia!! pura vida 🙂