Enjoying "Casados" Throughout Costa Rica

During our week-long whirlwind tour of Costa Rica, one of the highlights was being introduced to the local "tipico" (typical) plate: the Casado! Our first stop after landing at the San Jose airport was a little "soda" (cafe) on the way to the Arenal region, where we quickly fell in love with the local fare. The plate usually consists of rice, beans, cheese, potato, mixed veggies, salad, fried plantain, fresh juice, and meat (unless you specify a vegetarian plate). It is such a colorful display of fresh ingredients, and the portion always fed both my husband and I—for normally under ! What a deal! We couldn't believe how fresh and naturally "organic" (without the special organic labels like back home) the food was; and along with the extremely friendly people of Costa Rica serving in the restaurants, it became a meal we didn't want to leave! Also, at one B&B we stayed at, there was an option to have dinner at the house with a mini-lesson in cooking a casado—it was a fun experience. Overall, I'd have good intentions to order something different in all the restaurants we tried, about 90% of the time I would get the casado, my favorite.

Quick Tips:

Costa Rica is a place you can visit quite frugally if you're on a budget, and one of the best ways to save money is by watching where and what you eat. Keep a lookout for "sodas" which are usually small, common cafes with a limited menu of local dishes (mainly ingredients for you to pick a la carte to compose your own casado) and, of course several varieties of fresh juice and coffee. It is "fast food" Costa Rican style: healthy, fresh, and cheap! Our first stop at a soda costs us for enough food and juice for 4 adults!

Best Way To Get Around:

We used several types of transportation while in Costa Rica, including private-hire vans, taxis, rented car, boat, and horseback. In all instances, our guide/driver/rent-a-car employee were all to happy to recommend the best restaurant/soda to get local cuisine—at the most economical price and away from most other tourists. You'll find that Costa Ricans, in general, are some of the friendliest people you'll meet, so don't hesitate to ask for recommendations!

If you'd like a nice evening-out in Santa Elena, Morhpos is your place. It is still a casual atmosphere, although you could dress up a little if you'd like. This restaurant was the first recommendation we received from several locals, as it is the most upscale restaurant in the small town. Located across from the supermarket and above several small offices, this restaurant which is named after the beautiful blue butterfly of the region, offers a quaint dining room with butterfly decor and rustic wooden tables. We sat near the front of the room with full windows to view the on-goings of the street below!

The staff was friendly, as usual with the Costa Ricans, and the pride of ownership in the dining room shows through with thoughtful decor, cleanliness, and popularity among the locals.

There are many plates to choose from at a reasonable price—from vegetarian options, meat and fish dishes, local fare (casados) and tasty coffee drinks and desserts. We enjoyed a large cascado plate with the typical ingredients (rice, beans, plantain, potato, veggies and salad). The hot toddies were tasty and unique; and along with the desserts of fruit and chocolate concoctions were the tasty finale to a wonderful meal!

Located in the heart of downtown Santa Elena (a small town in the Monteverde region), the Treehouse Cafe was a quick lunch stop for us, and reeled us in with the unique atmosphere. The cafe is next to the Treehouse Hotel and is on the 2nd floor of a building of shops that was built around a large, mature tree in the interior courtyard. The seating for the cafe winds around the branches and we enjoyed sitting on the bar area overlooking the street below. There is Internet access available as well and a cute gift shop next to the restaurant is a great place to find local, handmade souvenirs.

We ended up ordering a couple vegetable sandwiches as well as a hummus-type dip for an appetizer. The food was okay, but nothing special, although the drinks (smoothies and unique coffees) were pretty good. Overall, I recommend stopping by to see the atmosphere and a seat near the top of the inside tree is a treat!

This was our first stop after landing at the San Jose airport, and it was a wonderful introduction of the tasty local food that awaited us for the remainder of our trip in Costa Rica. We had hired a private driver to take us (4 adults) to the Arenal region, and he recommended this place to us and graciously showed us around the restaurant and butterfly gardens out back. The restaurant was simple with several booths and a glass case up front where you order "a-la-carte" dishes for your casado plate. Our total bill came to $7 for all 4 adults and filled us with a hearty portion of the local specialities (rice, beans, plantains, and more)! The front glass doors were propped open and as we ate, a cloud settled on the mountain and a dense fog filled then entire restaurant - a refreshing cool-off! Don't leave without going out back to the gardens that this soda is named for—beautiful walking paths, complete butterfly conservatory, and a toucan named Anita! Our driver took us into Anita's cage where we held her and fed her fresh fruits and veggies! It was a great place to stop for many reasons, including the price, tasty food, and beautiful atmosphere!

While visiting the small town of La Fortuna at the base of the Arenal Volcano, we stopped in at the open-air Rancho La Cascada restaurant for lunch under an enormous palapa roof. The atmosphere is very tropical with the thatched, hut-like structure, raw wooden tables and chairs, and there's dozens of international flags hanging near the ceiling. Located just off of the town's central park square, many tables get a great view of the beautiful flora, church, passerby, and the looming mountain in the distance. The staff was friendly enough and the food is typical of the region with many local dishes, from fresh fish to chicken and rice, to the famous casado plate. Catering to tourists, the prices are a little higher than the smaller, local sodas (around $10/plate), but the presentation was very nice and the food tasted fresh!

There is plesant music and a couple TVs as entertainment, although we stuck to good conversation and people-watching! Overall, Rancho La Cascada is a pretty good stop for a relaxing meal and a bottle of Imperial (the famous Costa Rican beer).