Even though the food of Costa Rica doesn’t show a great variety, going through my pictures I noticed that not everything I ate was rice and beans. There was a lot of it though, but not all. As mentioned in my previous post about Costa Rican food, it’s not the variety but rather the taste of the produce and the sauce which comes with it that make all the difference. Not one of the dishes I had I would call truly outstanding, except maybe for the one rice and bean dish in Tortuguero. But the fruits alone make a trip to Costa Rica already worthwhile. After arriving in La Fortuna I sat in the Rain Forest Café had a plate of nachos with meat, salsa, beans, and lots of cheese. It came of course with more sauce on the side. Everything gets better with more sauce.
loaded nachos @Rain Forest Café
The Sopa de Tortilla didn’t need any extra sauce. I liked the hot chicken flavor, just the avocado on the side didn’t do much for me. But at least colorwise it added something.
Sopa de Tortilla @Soda La Amistad
The fruit plate at breakfast in my hostel Cabinas El Pueblo B&B didn’t show a lot of variety, but was super tasty.
fruits for breakfast @Cabinas El Pueblo B&B
While on the day trip to the Rio Celeste we stopped for lunch at a soda right across from the park entrance. As usual we got some rice and beans. For meat I chose chicken.
rice and beans @Rio Celeste
The only time I had a sandwich, a rather uninspired travel fare, was while in Monteverde. It was a small bakery with a couple of tables. The sandwich was more like an Italian pannini, toasted and a delicious filling. Big chunks of fries and and only a little bit of ketchup rounded up the meal.
late sandwich lunch @Monteverde
The food changed once I arrived on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. Here I got more seafood, but it also had a distinct Mexican influence. Like the CGS, corn tacos, guacamole, and salsa, which I ate right at the beach of Montezuma.
CGS, the holy trinity of beach food @Montezuma
I also enjoyed ceviche, twice actually. One time at the beach bar directly in Montezuma, the other one at the Ylang Ylang resort after my long walk in search of the waterfall Catarata el Chorro.
ceviche from the beach bar @Montezuma
tropical ceviche from Ylang Ylang resort @Montezuma
My favorite beer in Costa Rica was Pilsen. It has a nice bitter flavor and reminded me most of the beers at home.
my favorite beer @Tamarindo
At Shrimp Hole I got absolute fantastic shrimp tacos. I loved the buttery taste of the shrimps and the neat serving in the enamel dish. There was no need for the nachos on the side, but of course I ate them as well with gusto.
shrimp tacos @Shrimp Hole
To be honest the food on the Pacific side was a lot more interesting. Probably because it catered more to tourists and was therefore more diverse. Compared to what I ate on the first leg of my trip, this was way better. Yours, Pollybert
