{"id":27187,"date":"2018-05-19T05:45:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T19:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=27187"},"modified":"2025-02-27T03:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T16:46:07","slug":"what-to-eat-in-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-eat-in-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"So much more than rice and beans: 5 must-try dishes in Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>As one of the most popular destinations in Central America, Costa Rica is on many people\u2019s bucket lists. And rightfully so\u2014it is an incredible country! Known for its beautiful natural scenery, incredible ecological diversity and <a href=\"\/adventures\/costa-rica-pura-vida-learnings\/\">Pura Vida<\/a> culture, there&#8217;s a whole lot on offer.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there&#8217;s one thing you might be surprised to find in Costa Rica:<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">delicious food.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"\/costa-rica\" data-wpil=\"url\">Costa Rica<\/a> <\/strong>is not traditionally viewed as a foodie destination but after my recent experience living the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tico<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lifestyle, I beg to differ. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food\u00a0\u2013 especially as I read hardly anything about the cuisine in my research prior to trip. But I left the country with a happy belly full of comfort food, home-cooked meals and dishes bursting with mild Latin flavors.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_27189\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27189\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27189\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_PLANTAINS-RICE-AND-BEANS.jpg\" alt=\"what to eat in Costa Rica\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_PLANTAINS-RICE-AND-BEANS.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_PLANTAINS-RICE-AND-BEANS-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_PLANTAINS-RICE-AND-BEANS-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_PLANTAINS-RICE-AND-BEANS-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27189\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Costa Rican dish of plantains, rice and beans<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because although the most well-known dish sure is rice &#8216;n&#8217; beans, there&#8217;s simply so much more to the food scene.\u00a0<\/span>Here are 5 dishes to whet your appetite and get you started:<\/p>\n<h3><b>Picadillos<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Costa Rica version of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tapas<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or small plates is called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">picadillos<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These are often served as a side dish to a main entree, but can easily be ordered as your main as well. Picadillos are typically a combination of diced vegetables and meat, but there is a lot of variety in the ingredient options. Common combinations that you might see include chayote squash and ground beef or roast potato and pulled chicken. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Picadillos are usually seasoned with garlic, bell pepper, onions and oregano, but the variations are endless. Restaurants typically have delicious options, but the best picadillos tend to be ones that are cooked at home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/costa-rica\" data-wpil=\"url\"><strong>EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH COSTA RICA ON ONE OF INTREPID&#8217;S SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>Gallo Pinto <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A close cousin to the \u201cplain\u201d rice and beans, Gallo Pinto is one of the most common breakfast dishes in Costa Rica. I ate this almost every morning while traveling here!<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_27190\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27190\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27190\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_TYPICAL-BREAKFAST_2.jpg\" alt=\"what to eat in Costa Rica\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_TYPICAL-BREAKFAST_2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_TYPICAL-BREAKFAST_2-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_TYPICAL-BREAKFAST_2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-COSTA-RICA_MONTEVERDE_TYPICAL-BREAKFAST_2-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27190\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A different Costa Rican breakfast, pictured in Monteverde<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gallo Pinto translates to \u201cspotted hen\u201d which is a curious name for a vegetarian dish. From local lore, the name is rumored to have originated from the small town of San Sebast\u00edan where a local resident bragged about his prized spotted rooster, only to have the townspeople storm is house for a glimpse at the bird, at which time he was forced to cook Gallo Pinto for all the hungry residents. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of the origin, Gallo Pinto is a blend of rice, beans, onions, pepper, cilantro, and sweet plantains which are stewed and blended together overnight to marinate the flavors. Then, they are warmed up and topped with a fried egg and cheese, which makes for a dish that really sticks to your ribs. You won\u2019t be hungry for hours after this breakfast! If you really want to look like a local, sprinkle on a few dashes of the national sauce, Salsa Lizano, for a little extra heat and smoke flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/costa-rica-when-to-travel\/\"><strong>READ MORE: THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT COSTA RICA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>Chifrijo <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A typical midday snack or late-night bar treat that you\u2019ll find throughout Costa Rica is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chifrijo<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The word is a combination of two other words, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chicharrones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">frijoles<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which serve as the two primary ingredients for this dish. Chicharrones, or fried pork rinds, are layered together with beans and a starch, usually tortilla chips or bread, and topped with things like avocado, pico de gallo, chimichurri and lime.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_27192\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27192\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27192\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-costarica_food_pork_chiccarones.jpg\" alt=\"what to eat in Costa Rica\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-costarica_food_pork_chiccarones.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-costarica_food_pork_chiccarones-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-costarica_food_pork_chiccarones-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-costarica_food_pork_chiccarones-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-27192\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chicharrones<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This was my go-to snack when out for the night with friends, because it is just heavy enough to soak up the drinks in your stomach, but light enough to keep you from falling asleep before a late night!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Where to find the best chifrijo according to Intrepid&#8217;s Ops Manager for Central America, Monse:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There&#8217;s a few, but here are three of my favourites in San Jose:\u00a0Bar &amp; Restaurante R\u00edo de Janeiro in Barrio Mexico;\u00a0La Muni Restaurant\u00a0&amp; Bar in\u00a0Rotonda La Bandera; and\u00a0Aguizotes Restaurant in\u00a0in Barrio Escalante.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>Casado <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is customary in Costa Rica to eat a large lunch, similar to the almuerzo and siesta traditions throughout Latin America, and Casado is the most common lunch you\u2019ll see. Served at nearly every restaurant in Costa Rica, Casado is the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comida typica<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or common food\u2014think of it as the \u201csteak and potatoes\u201d of Costa Rica. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many restaurants will offer Casado as their plate of the day, and it can come in a variety of combinations. It almost always consists of a protein, a potato variety, a salad, fried sweet plantains and you guessed it, rice and beans. It\u2019s often a large portion, but no judgement is doled out for not finishing!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/subscribe\"><strong>SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID&#8217;S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS &amp; MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>Naturales or Refrescos <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A year-round growing season and warm climate means that fresh fruits and vegetables are always available in Costa Rica.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_27193\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"\/costa-rica\" data-wpil=\"url\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27193\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27193\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-CostaRica_SanJose_Market_Food.jpg\" alt=\"what to eat in Costa Rica\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-CostaRica_SanJose_Market_Food.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-CostaRica_SanJose_Market_Food-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-CostaRica_SanJose_Market_Food-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-CostaRica_SanJose_Market_Food-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-27193\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A market in San Jose<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often thought of as one of the healthiest and happiest countries in the world, Ticos have regular access to some of the highest quality natural ingredients. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naturales<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (sometimes also called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refrescos<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) is a local term referring to fruit and vegetable juices available all around the country. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Naturales are most commonly found at small kiosks or booths on the side of the road. Independently owned by local farmers, I loved seeing these stands every day because they are literally juicing the fresh fruits in front of your eyes. I tried a new fruit juice daily! The most common flavors you\u2019ll see are mango, pineapple, melon and banana but seasonal varieties are also available, depending on what is ripe at the time of year. My favorite naturales was the seasonal lychee flavor!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of where you go in Costa Rica, a big part of experiencing the local culture is eating the local cuisine. Ticos are incredibly proud of their food and love to experience long meals with friends and family. So join in on the tradition and enjoy some of these amazing dishes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ready to enjoy the culinary and scenic delights of Costa Rica? <a href=\"\/costa-rica\" data-wpil=\"url\">Check out Intrepid&#8217;s range of small group tours.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food\u00a0\u2013 especially as I read hardly anything about the cuisine in my research. But I left the country with a happy belly full of comfort food, home-cooked meals and dishes bursting with mild Latin flavors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15920,"featured_media":27194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455,9],"tags":[275,88,260],"class_list":["post-27187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-food","tag-central-america","tag-costa-rica","tag-food-adventures","ipf_theme-food"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What To Eat In Costa Rica: 5 Must-Try Dishes | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food\u00a0\u2013 especially as I read hardly anything about the cuisine in my research. But I left the country with a happy belly full of comfort food, home-cooked meals and dishes bursting with mild Latin flavors. Here are some of the dishes you can&#039;t leave Costa Rica without trying.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-eat-in-costa-rica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beyond rice and beans: 5 must-try dishes in Costa Rica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food\u00a0\u2013 especially as I read hardly anything about the cuisine in my research. But I left the country with a happy belly full of comfort food, home-cooked meals and dishes bursting with mild Latin flavors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-eat-in-costa-rica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-18T19:45:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-26T16:46:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-costarica_food_pork_chiccarones.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Megan Arzbaecher\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Megan Arzbaecher\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-eat-in-costa-rica\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-eat-in-costa-rica\/\",\"name\":\"What To Eat In Costa Rica: 5 Must-Try Dishes | Intrepid Travel Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-eat-in-costa-rica\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/what-to-eat-in-costa-rica\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-CostaRica_SanJose_Market_Travellers.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-18T19:45:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-26T16:46:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/f776595b8aa312257156965109d08e50\"},\"description\":\"I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food\u00a0\u2013 especially as I read hardly anything about the cuisine in my research. 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