Manuel Antonio and the Central Pacific Coast Restaurants

You'll find the liveliest dining mix in the country outside San José here, especially in Manuel Antonio. The crowd of international visitors has brought about a crowd of international cuisines ranging from Japanese to Italian, but, as you'd expect in a coastal region, seafood still reigns here. For traditional Costa Rican cuisine, your best bet is a roadside soda where locals gather for their daily casado (rice, beans, plantains, and an entrée of chicken, beef, or fish).

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  • 1. Cafe Agua Azul

    $$$

    Follow your nose to this simple second-floor room offering breathtaking views by day and a deliciously inventive selection of seafood by night. The lunch menu is strong on salads, burgers, and sandwiches, but the dinner options include some of the best entrées in town, like seared tuna over a tequila-and-lime cucumber salad and calamari sautéed with capers and olives. To sweeten the deal, try the coconut bread pudding.

    Main road, above Villas del Parque office, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
    2777–5280

    Known For

    • Blackened fish sandwich
    • Seafood pasta with a Parmesan cream tomato sauce
    • Nightly seafood specials

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Oct.
  • 2. El Hicaco

    $$$

    It’s the setting that will lure you, but the food that will keep you on repeat at this seafood restaurant just steps from the sand. Bamboo, wood, and rattan decor will make you want to throw on a Tommy Bahama shirt and order a mai tai. Stars of the menu include grilled lobster, seafood curry, and jumbo shrimp in a creamy garlic sauce. The sound of crashing waves blends with chill-out music, setting the scene as one of the more upscale, and oldest, restaurants in Jacó.

    Calle Hicaco, Jacó, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
    2643–3226

    Known For

    • Lobster dishes
    • Tuna with crunchy plantain
    • Sunset views
  • 3. Restaurante El Pelícano

    $$$

    It may not look like much at first glance, but this open-air restaurant across the street from the beach serves some dishes you'd be hard-pressed to find in other casual beach-town places. Request one of the outdoor tables under the bamboo dome and dine on dishes like fish croquettes in a lemon sauce, grilled tuna in mango sauce, and clams au gratin. Sea bass in a heart-of-palm sauce, lobster, and tenderloin are a few of the main dishes. The interior is limited to pebble floors, thin wooden columns, turquoise tablecloths, and soft candlelight.

    Herradura, Puntarenas, 61101, Costa Rica
    2637–8910

    Known For

    • "formal" beachfront dining
    • Deep-fried whole red snapper
    • Tagliata: lobster, octopus, jumbo shrimp, and mahimahi complete with tableside fire show
  • 4. Runaway Grill

    $$$

    This favorite with sportfishermen ("You hook 'em, we cook 'em") is the town's best place for seafood, serving everything from shrimp scampi to fresh tuna with mushrooms to fried snapper and orange chicken. Their location, overlooking the marina, offers the best view in town. You won't find any billfish (like marlin or swordfish) on the menu, owing to the restaurant's conservation policy, but the back wall is covered with pictures of them—and their proud reelers. Weathered fishing caps hang from the bar's ceiling.

    Marina Pez Vela, Quepos, Puntarenas, 60601, Costa Rica
    2774–9095

    Known For

    • Fresh tuna and ceviche
    • Spicy crab dip
    • Kids' menu
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

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