Costa Rica is an adventure-lovers paradise, teeming with national parks, wildlife-packed cloud forests, magnificent volcanoes, and blissful beaches: but that isn’t all it has to offer. Costa Rican food is an adventure in itself, and from gallo pinto to ceviche, you’re guaranteed to find a Tico-style (native Costa Rican) meal that gets your taste buds tingling.
Their food draws on an array of influences from indigenous tribes to Afro-Caribbean migrants. What’s more, in modern times, farming is still a way of life for so many in Costa Rica—meaning much of the produce is incredibly fresh and local. From cattle ranches and coffee plantations to permaculture farms and small, regional farmers markets, Costa Rica’s cuisine is impressive yet undervalued. But if you’re raring for a tasty adventure, then it’s ready to be explored!
What to eat
1. Gallo pinto
Gallo pinto is the backbone of Costa Rican cuisine, served almost everywhere and slightly different wherever you go. That’s the beauty of it! The name translates to ‘spotted rooster’ after the rice’s speckled colour when lovingly cooked with seasoning and black or red beans. Whether you’re chowing down at a local soda (small family-run restaurants in towns) or fueling up on a pre-surf breakfast paired with fried plantains, eggs, avocado and corn tortillas, gallo pinto is a must-try.
2. Casado
Another typical Costa Rican meal, Casado is a plate full of joy that changes every time. There’s always a starch (usually rice and beans), a protein, and side vegetables. It’s a fantastic budget-friendly and filling choice thought to hark back to the 60s, when San José’s growth brought many workers to the city. People wanted to be fed like casados (married men) even when they were away from home.
3. Ceviche
Though it originated in Peru, ceviche is long established in the canon of traditional Costa Rican food. It marries lime juice, white fish, bell pepper, and cilantro for a refreshing, acidic meal that pairs well with a day by the sea. There are few better Costa Rican dishes to indulge in when you’re kicking back on the beaches of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or after the pristine sands of Manuel Antonio National Park.
4. Chifrijo
Combine chicharrón (fried pork) with frijoles (beans), and you get chifrijo, an iconic part of Costa Rican cuisine that keeps you going during post-adventure drinks. Load it up with diced tomatoes and avocado and get crunching. Chifrijo is the king of Tico (native Costa Rican) bar food, and you can find it from San José to La Fortuna and everywhere in between. Supposedly, chifrijo was invented in the 1990s by the owner of Cordero's Bar in San José. No one can be sure of its true origin story, but popping into Cordero’s to sample it for yourself isn’t a bad way to spend an evening.
5. Rondón
Sea breeze in your hair, toes in the sand, rondón on the table. This spicy and sweet stew has a long history across the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica and Tobago, but also many Central American countries along the Caribbean coast. It was originally introduced by workers migrating to build the Costa Rican railroads and Panama Canal. The dish is filled to the brim with fish and seafood (whatever the chef can ‘run down’ that day), coconut milk, green plantain, cassava, taro, and yam.
6. Tamales
Originally introduced to Costa Rica and the rest of Central America by the Aztecs, tamales are traditional Costa Rican food at its best. Unlike Mexican tamales, these are milder and wrapped in banana leaves. Prepping tamales is traditionally a family affair, with everyone joining forces to prepare a feast. If you’re looking to learn the ins and outs of Costa Rican cuisine, a tamale-making class needs to be on your agenda.
7. Fruit
With a climate suited to grow all manner of delicious fruits, you can’t go wrong with a sweet streetside snack in Costa Rica. From sliced mango on a stick to the more unusual soursop guanábana—a creamy fruit tasting of strawberries, apple and citrus—you’ll be spoilt for choice at farmers markets or roadside stands. Want to try some other off-the-beaten-track fruits? Look for rambutans (like lychees but creamier), granadilla (a sweeter passionfruit), or peach palm fruits, which are often boiled and eaten with sour cream or mayonnaise. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it!
8. Picadillo
Hankering for some veggies after all the delicious rice, beans and mouth-watering meats? A portion of picadillo will do the trick! A hearty, wholesome dish typically cooked at home, this Costa Rican food comes in many wonderful forms: picadillo de papa is popular in the rural highlands and packed with potatoes, chopped vegetables, and ground beef. But there’s also picadillo de chayote, made with mild, zucchini-like chayotes. Whichever you’re served, you’ll be chowing down with delight.
9. Chorreadas
If you’re looking for the perfect pairing for your afternoon coffee or agua dulce (a Costa Rican drink made from brown sugar), try dunking chorreadas (corn pancakes) between adventures. Sweet or savoury, these crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside pancakes are a common childhood snack for Ticos (native Costa Ricans). You can’t ask for a much better treat.
10. El Churchill / Copos
Born on the dreamy peninsula of Puntarenas, west of Costa Rica’s capital San José, El Churchill is a sweet, icy, delectable dessert that’s sure to cool you off. The unusual name is thought to come from the dessert’s original creator, who looked like former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Often called copos outside of Puntarenas, this treat loads shaved ice with condensed milk, powdered milk, kola syrup (not the cola you know), and sometimes vanilla ice cream on top. You can even find churchiletas—Churchill-flavoured popsicles and Churchill gelato.
11. Sopa negra
For a traditional Costa Rican food to fuel your adventures, sopa negra is a classic. This nourishing black bean stew is cooked with a variety of fragrant spices, and topped with salty cheese, a dollop of crèma, and hard-boiled eggs. It’s perfect for a warming meal during the rainy season.
12. Pati
Pati are another element of Costa Rican cuisine with a deep tie to Afro-Caribbean food. Like a Jamaican Patty or Spanish empanadas, pati are street food at its best. Originating with Jamaican migrants to the province of Limón, you’ll most often find them filled with spiced beef, but also sweet pati stuffed with pineapple or plantain.
What to drink
1. Costa Rican coffee
Coffee first arrived in Costa Rica in the 1700s, when it was brought across from Cuba. And the rest, as they say, is history. Costa Rica now produces over 70,000 tonnes of coffee per year. In the jungle paradise of Monteverde and the volcano-bordered town of La Fortuna, there are endless coffee plantations to explore. Head for a tour to sample some of the best coffee you’ll ever find and meet the community of local farmers. Different regions produce coffee varying in flavour, from chocolatey or fruity to sweet or mild, so there’s your excuse to try as many cups as you can!
2. Agua de sapo
Literally translated to ‘frog water’ (no frogs are harmed in the making of this drink), agua de sapo is a lemonade-like drink made with brown cane sugar, lime, and ginger. It’s sweet yet sour, refreshing yet tangy. And you won’t find it anywhere else!
3. Guaro
Guaro is the official liquor of Costa Rica and made of distilled sugar cane. You’ll most often find the Guaro Sour, a simple cocktail that packs a punch with fresh lime juice, cane sugar, and soda water. If you’re kicking off a night on the town, it’s your first stop. And to keep the party going? A chiliguaro, a shot made with guaro, tabasco and lime juice: like a miniature Bloody Mary.
4. Pipa fria
To top it all off, we can’t think of a more iconic part of Costa Rican cuisine than coconuts. Cool down at the end of a long jungle hike with a refreshing pipa fria. Often sold roadside, or by vendors walking carts along the beach, the excitement of a pipa fria is all in the preparation. Watch your vendor shave down your coconut (often with a machete), stick in a straw, and you’re ready to drink fresh coconut water straight from the source!
