Looking for where to eat in La Fortuna? La Fortuna is a small town, but its food scene is surprisingly varied, from family run sodas, farm to table restaurants, volcano view coffee shops and international fusion built around the town’s steady flow of travelers.
In this guide, you’ll find our Mytanfeet guide on where to eat in La Fortuna for Costa Rican food, international food, cheap eats, cafes, dessert shops and more.
We visit La Fortuna at least a dozen times a year, and there are always new places serving delicious bites for every palette. The places on this list of La Fortuna restaurants are ones we have personally been to ourselves and recommend.
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Where to Eat in La Fortuna
Here are our quick picks for best restaurants in La Fortuna.
Best Breakfast in La Fortuna: Soda La Hormiga for a cheap, traditional gallo pinto breakfast, El Comalito Tortilleria for empanadas and breakfast on the go, The Open Kitchen for brunch with gluten free and vegan options, D’Balu for pancakes in an air conditioned dining room, and Raul Castaño and Rainforest Cafe for breakfast with good coffee.
Best coffee in La Fortuna: Cafe Perro Barista for specialty coffee and gourmet beans to take home, and BoKa Cafe for a quick latte to go.
Kid friendly restaurants in La Fortuna: Restaurante Fortueño #2 has a playground out back, Arenal Bongos 2 and Kenko have big menus with pizza, pasta and nachos, Yiyo’s Fortuna has cheap family combos, and Garra Pata, Soda Monkey’s Place and Raul Castaño all have their own parking lots and kids menu.
Best restaurants in La Fortuna for date night: Don Rufino for fine dining with steak and seafood, Travesia for upscale Costa Rican fusion, and Tierra Mia for elevated Costa Rican food at a fair price.
Cheap eats in La Fortuna: Soda 5 Tejas, El Comalito Tortilleria and Soda La Hormiga, all under about 7,500 CRC (~$15 USD) per person. Typical Costa Rican food.
Vegetarian and vegan restaurants in La Fortuna: The Open Kitchen, Green Spoon and Organico.
La Fortuna Restaurant Map
You can find all the recommended places to eat in La Fortuna in the map below (on mobile, use two fingers to move around).
Costa Rican Restaurants/Sodas
Local restaurants, normally small, family owned and operated establishments that serve only Costa Rican food are known as sodas.
If you want to try typical Costa Rican food, you definitely need to visit a soda.
What is Costa Rican Food?
Costa Rican food consists of mostly rice, beans, garden salads, and a protein like chicken, beef, fish or pork. Other common ingredients are plantains, squash, corn and tropical fruit like papaya, watermelon, cas (Costa Rican guava), lime, watermelon and passion fruit.
Their main breakfast dish is called gallo pinto, a rice and bean stir fry. For lunch and dinner, their main dishes are casado (rice, beans, salad and protein) and rice with chicken/shrimp/veggies/seafood (arroz con pollo/camarones/vegetales/mariscos).
Don’t expect a huge flavor profile in Costa Rican food, but it’s normally quite fresh and many places make their own hot sauce.
Costa Rican Restaurants and Sodas in La Fortuna
Here are our recommended places for Costa Rican food in La Fortuna.
Restaurante Garra-Pata
We have been going to Restaurante Garra-Pata for over ten years and it’s still one of our favorite places to eat in La Fortuna.
Garra-Pata is locally well known for excellent Costa Rican barbecue and meat dishes and they have their own smoker to slow cook the meat.
Besides meat, they also offer traditional Costa Rican casados and funnily enough, their vegetarian casados are one of my favorites. Their fish is also excellent.
Restaurante Garra-Pata is a bit pricier than a typical soda, but they focus on high quality meat and barbecue.
Location: Next to Sloth Watching Trail, off Route 142, about 800 meters from La Fortuna downtown. The restaurant is open air, right off the main road.
Parking: Yes, they have their own parking lot out front with limited spots.
Price: 10,000 to 35,000 CRC (~$22 to $78 USD) per person
La Finquita Farm to Table
One of the best under the radar Costa Rican restaurants in the area with real farm to table ingredients, which you can see with your own eyes, because the restaurant is on the same property as its organic farm.
They also offer their own La Fortuna cooking class, which is one of our favorite things to do in La Fortuna. You get to eat what you cook and you’ll learn about local La Fortuna farming practices and how they keep their farm completely organic.
La Finquita Farm to Table offers typical breakfast, meat like chicken, fish and beef, vegetarian dishes, pastas and Costa Rican snacks. My favorite is their rice with palmito (this dish you do not find often at the more touristic sodas) and spaghetti with garlic. Their beef tenderloin is also excellent.
Prices: 2,500-10,500 CRC (~$6-$25 USD)
Location: At Jacamar Trails & Farm, 7 min drive or 40 min walk from La Fortuna park
Parking: Yes, they have their own parking lot.
Soda Monkey’s Place
One of our go-to sodas for lunch. Cute little open air establishment with friendly service, serving Costa Rican dishes.
We came here a few times with friends from out of town and they loved it, they actually requested to go back to try more dishes. They also had the chifrijo and nachos, all which they loved.
Prices: 5,000-10,000 CRC (~$11 – 22 USD)
Location: Off of Route 142, before the cemetery. 3 min drive or 22 min walk from La Fortuna park.
Parking: Yes, they have their own parking lot.
Good for lunch and dinner, as they open at 12 PM. They do not offer breakfast.
Soda Mima
A small hole in the wall, open air soda serving simple and fresh Costa Rican food. I had their casado with chicken and I ate it all. My friend ate all of hers too, she got a casado with steak and onions.
They also have a bar area and when we went for lunch, we were the only tourists there. There was a couple of other local guys having a beer and watching a futbol match.
Price: 5,000-10,000 CRC per person (~$10-20 USD)
Location: Downtown La Fortuna, near the Adifort parking lot. It is kind of hidden in the back of what looks like an alley, without any signs, so it may be easy to miss.
Good for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Parking: Street parking or the Adifort parking lot which is huge is right across the street.
Soda Stereo
A Costa Rican restaurant with sports and music flair – they have TVs around with futbol matches going on, a bar and music decor everywhere.
They serve typical Costa Rican food as well as Costa Rican fast food, pasta, a kids menu, and meat specials. We had their rice with chicken and a casado with beef and it was very flavorful although my rice with chicken was a tad on the salty side for my personal taste.
Their table hot sauce was delicious.
We went for lunch but it’d be a fun place for dinner if they have live music going on. They also have craft beer, wine and cocktails.
Soda Stereo is more expensive than other sodas like Monkey’s Place and Mima. It feels like they try to make it a bit more upscale, and more like a restaurant bar rather than a typical Tico soda.
Prices: 5500-17000 CRC (~$12-37 USD)
Location: On Av 335, in a local neighborhood. 6 minute walk from the park.
Parking: Street parking only and it is quite limited, as there are just local houses around so be careful not to block their gates or entrances.
Soda Buena Vista del Arenal
Not only do they have a nice view of Arenal Volcano, but this open air mom and pop soda has good Costa Rican food. Affordable, fast and flavorful.
We came here twice and both times were good. Their gallo pinto was fine, but I think their lunch is better. They offer a vegan casado.
Prices: 4000-6000 CRC (~$9-13 USD)
Location: Off of Route 142, near Baldi hot springs.
Parking: Yes, they have their own large parking lot.
Arenal Bongos 2
We came here for lunch and it was very good. We’ve always passed it and it never seemed that busy, but we finally tried it and I definitely want to go again.
Both of our rice with chicken and rice with shrimp were very good, with excellent portion sizes and flavor. Their specialties seem to be most popular however, so next time I’ll get tacos.
Arenal Bongos 2 is a good family friendly option with plenty of seating, funky decorations and a wider variety of international and kid friendly choices (pizza, spaghetti, tacos, fajitas, nachos).
It’s very close to Baldi Hot Springs Resort, so if you’re leaving the hot springs around there and heading into town, stop here for dinner as they are open until 9 PM. They also offer cocktails and drinks.
Prices: 5,000-10,000 CRC (~$11 – 22 USD)
Location: Off Route 142, right by Termalitas del Arenal
Parking: Yes, they have a large parking lot.
Rana Roja
We enjoy coming here with friends as Rana Roja has a lot of meat, seafood, fast food, pasta and vegetarian dishes (which I appreciate). I had their rice with shrimp which was very good. They also have a grill so if you’re in the mood for steak or seafood, this is a good spot.
It’s a bit pricier than your typical Costa Rican soda, but their quality is good with more variety, particularly meat.
Price: 6000 to 36,000 CRC (~$13-$80 USD). The most expensive dish is the mixed seafood grill for 2 people.
Location: On Route 142, about a 4 min drive or 30 min walk from the La Fortuna park.
They are not open for breakfast, only lunch and dinner.
Parking: Street parking, limited spaces.
Restaurante Fortueño (1 and 2)
This restaurant has two locations but have the same menu. Their specialty is wood fired roast chicken and they also have nachos, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, ceviche, bowls, fried rice, steak, and seafood.
We usually get their shareable combos, their roast chicken is super tasty and we eat it all! I highly recommend to try it with escabeche de banano, it is like lightly pickled plantains.
Their nachos and chicken burger/sandwiches are also super good.
Their second location #2 has a kids playground in the back so it’s more family friendly than their first location, which is almost always busy.
Locations: #1 is on the corner of Route 142 and Calle 474, across from the Colono. #2 is just 250 meters away, a 1 minute walk off Route 142.
Prices: 5,000 to 15,000 CRC (~$11 to $33 USD) per person
Parking: At #1, like 4 tight spaces in the front (almost always full), #2 has their own parking lot with around 5 spaces. Best option is to find street parking or park at Adifort and walk.
Tiquicia Restaurant
A very nice Costa Rican restaurant with a rustic and relaxing setting.They have a great Tico menu, with plenty of options for classic Costa Rican dishes, seafood, pasta, ribs, chicken, and vegetarian options.
I highly recommend the gallos (tortilla with one filling), chifrijo (very Costa Rican bowl of rice, beans, fried pork, pico de gallo), fried patacones, and chicken with garbanzos. Honestly everything we’ve tried here has been very good.
Service was a bit slow, and they only open at 12 PM, so go for lunch (less people) or dinner (busy).
Location: Off of Route 702, near Arenal Country Inn, a bit outside downtown.
Prices: 5,000 to 10,000 CRC (~$11 to $22 USD) per person
Parking: Yes, they have their own parking lot.
Tierra Mia Restaurante
Tierra Mia is a small Costa Rican restaurant, but very cute and had friendly waiters. It’s a great place for date night or with friends, food is super good with better options than a typical cheaper soda, but is still not crazy expensive.
An example is that most fish at the local sodas is tilapia (cheap fish to farm) but at Tierra Mia, they have red snapper, mahi mahi, and salmon.
This is our favorite place in La Fortuna for a bit more upscale Costa Rican food, especially rice with chicken (arroz con pollo) and seafood. We have also had their grilled chicken, salads and ceviche, all delicious.
Our friend had the tropical chicken and it was her favorite meal in La Fortuna. Tierra Mia also has a dedicated vegetarian section.
Location: In downtown, off of Route 702, a couple minute walk to the park.
Prices: 4,000 – 10,000 CRC (~$9 – $22 USD)
Parking: No, only street parking which is super limited. Better to park in the Adifort parking lot and walk.
Budget Friendly Places to Eat in in La Fortuna
Traveling on a budget? These places are our favorite for affordable places to eat in La Fortuna.
Soda 5 Tejas
Soda 5 Tejas is one of the cheapest places to eat in La Fortuna downtown. Since it’s buffet style – in that they already cooked many dishes, and you just pick and choose, it’s fast.
We love this soda for a cheap and quick meal, it feels like Jason’s mom’s home cooking with classic Costa Rican dishes. Their hot sauce is excellent and they give huge portions.
Price: 1,000 to 6,000 CRC (~$2 to $13 USD) per person.
Location: Downtown La Fortuna, near the gas station and BAC Bank
*If you have food allergies or diet restrictions, I’d recommend to skip this one if you don’t speak Spanish fluently as all the dishes are already prepared.*
Parking: Only street parking.
Seating: Limited, only 3 small tables outside. Better if you take it to go and eat at the park.
El Comalito Tortilleria
One of our favorite places for a cheap breakfast or snack on the go. We normally get a sandwich when we need to get a bite to eat on the go but their gallo pinto, empanadas and tortillas are delicious.
It’s a small, open air kitchen with a few tables and bar stools. Haven’t tried their casados yet, but we like El Comalito Tortilleria for an affordable place to eat in La Fortuna.
Price: 1,000 to 5,000 CRC (~$2 to $11 USD) per person
Location: In downtown La Fortuna, across from Lava Lounge.
Parking: Only street parking.
Yiyo’s Fortuna
If you don’t feel like rice and beans and kind of want something cheap, fast and a bit junky, head to Yiyo’s Fortuna. It’s a fast food joint with fried chicken, burgers, chicken burgers, nachos, fries and tacos. It’s actually not bad, though definitely not the healthiest.
Yiyo’s Fortuna is a good option for a large family if the kids (or adults) don’t feel like typical Costa Rican food and want something easy and fast. Plus, it’s very affordable and they offer family combos.
Price: 3,000-12,000 CRC ( ~$6-$25 USD)
Location: Corner of AV 333 and AV 331, 7 min walk from the park
Parking: Yes, they have their own.
The workers here do not really speak a ton of English, so for those with severe food allergies, I’d recommend to skip it unless you speak fluent Spanish.
Soda La Hormiga
One of our favorite sodas in downtown La Fortuna for breakfast and lunch is Soda La Hormiga. We usually come here for breakfast, but their lunch is very good as well. All Costa Rican food and it is extremely affordable, so you will see a lot of Costa Ricans eating at this place.
If you go for lunch, I highly recommend a casado (any of them are good) and a fruit juice. I didn’t find their coffee very good at breakfast.
Prices: 3000-7500 CRC (~$6-15 USD)
Location: Downtown La Fortuna, near Mega Super.
Parking: Yes, they have their own large parking lot.
International
When you get tired of rice and beans, check out these restaurants for more international options.
Kenko
A huge restaurant with a menu of sushi, pizza, Costa Rican food, Asian food and American food. I don’t recommend the sushi, the pizza was alright, but the poke bowl was one of my favorites. Their quesadilla and burrito were also very good.
Located in downtown La Fortuna. Has a big parking lot.
Prices range from 5,000 to 15,000 CRC (~$11 – $32 USD)
The Open Kitchen
My go to place when I don’t want Costa Rican food. They have a mix of Mediterranean and middle Eastern food. My favorite is their hummus and falafel plate.
Their smoothies and bread are very good and they have a good selection of gluten free dishes, gluten free bread, vegetarian and vegan food. Big portions!
The Open Kitchen is also a good place for breakfast/brunch. They also sell Cafe Monteverde coffee and have a location in Monteverde. If you don’t plan to visit Monteverde, I highly recommend purchasing some coffee or ordering it, because Monteverde coffee is better quality than La Fortuna coffee (due to elevation).
Located at Arenal Rabfer. Small parking lot.
Prices range from 5,000 – 10,000 CRC (~$11-~$22 USD)
Don Rufino
Don Rufino is the go to spot in La Fortuna for an upscale dinner and is probably the finest restaurant in town. They are known for steak and seafood and also have a great drink and cocktail selection.
They offer Rib eye, wagyu, New York steak, sirloin, lamb, octopus, jumbo shrimp, ribs, risotto, chicken and pasta.
Located in downtown La Fortuna. Gets busy for dinner.
Prices range from 7,000 – 74,000 CRC (~$15-$150 USD). Their most expensive dish is to share among 2-4 people.
No parking available, only street parking.
Mexikah Taqueria
One of the best tacos we’ve ever had in Costa Rica. Big portions, filling and super fresh! It is a food truck.
Located near Mercadito Arenal, corner of Route 142 and C.480
Prices: 5,000-10,000 CRC (~$11 – $22 USD) – they are not cheap tacos.
Parking: Yes they have their own parking lot.
Raul Castaño
They have two locations, one in downtown and one near Hotel Montana de Fuego with a beautiful view of Arenal Volcano. Same menu.
Food is very good, lots of flavor, good portion sizes, and a big variety with toast, sandwiches, salads, chicken, steak, rice and seafood.
They also have coffee and a breakfast menu. I tried one of their specialty coffee drinks, the coconut coffee and it was delicious.
We ate here after doing an ATV tour which was right next door so it was very convenient.
Location: Off of Route 142, next to Outback, about a 10 min drive from La Fortuna park.
Prices: 5,000-17,000 CRC (~$11-$35 USD)
Parking: Yes they have their own lot
D’Balu
One of the very few enclosed, air conditioned restaurants in La Fortuna that has yummy coffee and breakfast/brunch dishes. They also offer classic Costa Rican food but their pancakes was very good. For lunch, we enjoyed their sandwiches and and bowls. they also have steak, and seafood.
Location: Off Route 142, next to Canoa Aventura tour operator’s office
Prices: 5,000 – 15,000 CRC (~$11-$32 USD)
Parking: Yes, they have their own parking lot
Travesia
A fantastic restaurant offering upscale Costa Rican fusion food. We always get the plate where you can choose one main entree and sides. Their sauces are homemade, the mayonnaise was delicious.
A lot of people get the shared mixed grill, but I really liked their chicken and steak. Their risotto was also yummy. For dessert, the lava cake was to die for.
Location: 400 meters north of Banco Nacional, on C. 468, 7 minute walk to downtown La Fortuna
Prices: Price: 10,000 to 30,000 CRC (~$22 to $67 USD) per person
Parking: Yes but limited.
They open at 12 PM, so only good for lunch and dinner.
Make reservations, especially for dinner and if you are a bigger group.
Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten Free
Although many sodas can make a vegetarian casado, you can’t guarantee if they don’t cook with butter, or use chicken consomme, so it is difficult to be 100% sure they are actually vegan.
These three places have dedicated vegetarian/vegan/gluten free options: The Open Kitchen (super gluten free friendly), Green Spoon and Organico. All around downtown La Fortuna.
Those restaurants have dedicated vegan dishes and Organico uses organic produce from local farmers.
Expect to pay higher prices for these restaurants, at least 7,000-15,000 CRC (~$15-32 USD).
Read about visiting Costa Rica as a vegetarian/vegan or visiting Costa Rica with food allergies so you know what to expect in our guide!
Coffee Shops
My favorite coffee shop in La Fortuna is Cafe Perro Barista. They make delicious coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, anything with coffee, they have it, even affogato. You can purchase first quality coffee/gourmet coffee from their shop. They do not offer much food, just cake and some pastries.
They have very limited indoor and outdoor seating. Located near the Adifort parking lot in downtown La Fortuna.
Other excellent coffee shops are Rainforest Cafe, BoKa Cafe and Red Frog Coffee Roasters. Red Frog Coffee Roasters also serves food, their empanadas and breakfast were super good and they serve wonderful coffee.
BoKa Cafe only has a limited amount of pastries and cake. One time I went and they had none, just coffee.
Rainforest has a whole menu and restaurant service, so you can get food, cake, pastries and coffee. They have a location in downtown and another off Route 142. The latter is a great option if you are going to/from Mistico Hanging Bridges or Arenal Volcano National Park to/from La Fortuna, and want to eat something on the way.
Raul Castaño also has excellent coffee in both of their locations as well as food.
Dessert
I like all three of these places for dessert: Pops, Chocolate Fusion and Vanilla Ice Cream. Vanilla Ice Cream Shop has ice cream and a very cute space.
Chocolate Fusion has pastries, cakes, cookies, chocolates, coffee and chocolate. It’s always busy in there, so it may be hard to get a table. Their pastries are very good but ask first when they were made, to make sure you get it fresh. Pops is a Costa Rican ice cream chain.
All located in downtown La Fortuna.
Plan Your La Fortuna Trip!
Need help planning your time in La Fortuna? Feel free to Contact Mytanfeet and we will be happy to help arrange your tours, transportation and lodging (upon request) with our partners.
Mytanfeet offers discounts for many tours in La Fortuna, such as safari floats, hanging bridges hikes, sloth walks, cooking classes, birdwatching and much more! Click this link: La Fortuna tours to check ALL the tours we offer in La Fortuna!
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