Small Town Eats: A culinary guide for those considering life in Atenas, Costa Rica.
Growing up in a large southern family, food has always been the center of all our family gatherings. All you need to do is take one look at me and you realize I am a “healthy and growing boy” with a strong appetite.
It never fails that when we are out with our clients, one of the first topics that come up is where is the best place to get a good meal in Atenas? We are always more than willing to give suggestions and opinions about where we like to eat and where to find the best grub that our little town has to offer. Here are some of our favorite restaurants around town. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.
Alida’s: Alida’s is located just at the edge of downtown Atenas. Set back off the main highway, look for the little table covered with a red and white checkerboard table cloth and wine bottles. Alida’s was the first “real” Italian restaurant in Atenas.
The menu features an array of homemade pasta’s and thin curst pizza’s cooked in a wood fired, brick oven. Some of our favorites include smoked salmon pasta, pumpkin stuffed ravioli, 4 seasons pizza and the Volcan Arenal pizza.
The Volcan Arenal is a great option for children and is unique in it’s presentation in that it is a two crust pizza that when cooked the top crust puffs up, creating the conical shape of a volcano with a lava flow of tomato sauce dripping down the sides. Alida’s is open for lunch and dinner. Closed on Tuesday.
Antanos: Antanos (yesteryear) is appropriately located in one of the oldest houses in downtown Atenas. Located just 1/2 a block from the Central Park Antanos specializes in a variety of typical Costa Rican dishes. Some of our favorites include the fish sandwich with homemade tarter sauce, chicken lasagna and the typical lunch plate, the “casado” that includes your choice of meat (I prefer garlic fish), with rice, beans, salad and sweet plantains.
Antanos also specializes in fresh fruit smoothies and milk shakes. Try the fresh watermelon or cantaloupe smoothie and the carmel cappuccino with ice cream. Antanos is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week.
Central Market: The central market is located in the center of Atenas and has a number of small, typical “soda’s”. We like them all but two of our favorites are La Victoria and Las 3 Hermanas. These soda’s are set up cafeteria style and you just point and choose your lunch.
Options range from empanadas (corn dough that is stuffed with meat, cheese, potato or beans then deep fried), casados (the Costa Rican equivalent of the Blue Plate Special, complete with meat, rice, beans, salad and veggies), typical breakfast of gallo pinto, eggs, fresh cheese, meat in sauce, homemade tortillas, sandwiches and fresh fruit juices.
One of my favorite lunches is a chicken empanada “arreglada” meaning it is covered with freshly shredded cabbage, homemade mayo and ketchup. The soda’s at the central market are open Monday-Saturday for breakfast and lunch. A few also open on Sunday.
Don Yayo’s: Don Yayo’s is our local chicharronera (restaurant specializing in pork) and an Atenas institution. As the name suggests, a majority of the menu is dedicated to pork lovers like me. The house specialty is the chicharrones, chunks of pork deep fried then served with fried yucca, pickled bananas and jalapeno peppers.
Of course there are many other items on the menu and I can personally recommend the shrimp rice, grilled chicken breast with onions and chifrijol (rice, fresh beans, pico de gallo topped with small pieces of pork fried to crispy perfection).
Monday night is “bone” night where pork bones with bits of meat are deep fried and served by the platter. Get there early because the locals pack the place and the bones sell out fast! Don Yayo’s is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.
El Balcon del Cafe: This charming “balcony” restaurant is another favorite morning hangout for the expat community in Atenas. El Balcon del Cafe serves hearty breakfast options that range from the typical pinto and eggs, German style with homemade breads, cheeses, cold cuts and jam, or American style omelets.
El Balcon also offers great German style meats and cold cuts available to take home. Open daily for breakfast and lunch.
El Mejor Clima: El Mejor Clima is located on the main highway in Atenas just past the flashing yellow light. The atmosphere is laid back, “cantina” style with a varied menu. Our suggestions are the breaded chicken breast or pork chops with white sauce and the chicken salad. El Mejor clima is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.
Guanacaste: The Guanacaste is located in Barrio Mercedes and is a great, typical open air Costa Rican restaurant. The fare is typical with specialties that include chalupa’s, smoked grilled ribs, fish ceviche, and our favorite fried shrimp. This is a favorite spot for my mother because they will “do it your way”, so she can have her fried shrimp with sweet plantains (plantanos maduros).
The Guanacaste is open for lunch and dinner everyday except Wednesday’s.
Kay’s Gringo Postres: Kay’s has become the “meeting place” for the expat community in Atenas. Tom and Kay Costello opened Kay’s Gringo Postres over 8 years ago and are still going strong. At Kay’s you can find an array of American style breakfast options, sandwiches, sweet treats, daily specials and on Sunday, the famous breakfast buffet.
Kay’s is open Tuesday thru Sunday for breakfast and lunch. La Careta: La Carreta, or the Ox Cart, specializes in typical Costa Rican fare. Ranging from gallo pinto (rice and beans), carne and salsa (meat in a tomato sauce) and my personal favorite fresh fish ceviche served with fried green plantains (patacones). La Carreta is located downtown Atenas and is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
La Trocha: Hands down, La Trocha is my favorite restaurant in Atenas. Located at the edge of Los Angeles, tucked into a quaint neighborhood, this family run restaurant offers quality food that never disappoints. The menu is varied and anything on the menu that is “la trocha” is a house specialty.
When we eat at La Trocha, we can never get past our two favorite dishes, the Filet Mignon La Trocha and Filet de pescado la Trocha. The filet mignon is grilled to your liking, then topped with a delicious shrimp cream sauce. The fish filet is lightly breaded, pan fried, and topped with the same cream sauce with shrimp. La Trocha is open for lunch and dinner everyday except Wednesdays.
Las Pulpusas: Las Pulpusas is located on the main highway in Los Angeles next door to Don Yayo’s. Started in the 1990’s by a family from El Salvador, Las Pulpusas is famous for what their name suggests, pulpusas. Pulpusas are a typical dish from El Salvador which are corn tortillas that are stuffed with a varitity of ingredients ranging from beans, cheese, veggies, meat, and shrimp, grilled and served with pickled cabbage.
Try the pulpusas mixtas, which are stuffed with meat, cheese and beans. Las Pulpusas offers an array of breakfast items as well as other typical plates and grilled meats. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Tio Mano’s: Tio Mano’s is a typical Costa Rican fast food restaurant and is located in downtown just a half block from the central park. The menu offers a wide variety of sandwich options, Costa Rican taco’s which is a tortilla stuffed with shredded meat, rolled, deep fried then covered with shredded cabbage, mayo and ketchup.
Tio Mano’s also offers a wide selection of homemade desserts and ice cream sundae’s. Try the bread pudding, tres leches (3 milks cake) or the canasta de frutas. The canasta de frutas consists of several scoops of ice cream covered with fresh fruit and jello! Tio Mano’s is open daily for lunch and dinner.
REPEAT ARTICLE HEADLINE HEREArticle ID Number 4162
Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
Are you into beautiful Costa Rica?
All interesting things you want to know about Costa Rica are right here in our newsletter! Enter your email and press "subscribe" button.
