Must Try Food in Costa Rica – Costa Rican Cuisine

Home to luscious rainforests, pristine beaches, diverse wildlife, and incredible national parks, Costa Rica is one of the best places to be all year round.

But there’s more to the gorgeous Central American country than the stunning locations that make it a tourist favorite. That’s right, I’m talking about Costa Rican food!

Whether looking for nature adventures, family-bonding activities, or simply craving good food, you’ll surely find it with Tico and Tica.

I love sharing my passion for Costa Rican food as much as surfing and yoga. So, if you’re planning a trip to Costa Rica, let your favorite unofficial food expert give you the low-down on what’s eaten here.

What Foods Are Grown In Costa Rica?

Much of what’s eaten in Costa Rica is what’s grown here! 

Most traditional Costa Rican foods, i.e. what Ticos (Costa Ricans) eat, are centered around the country’s agriculture.

Of course, different foods and ingredients are imported and incorporated into some cuisines here in Costa Rica, too. 

But if we’re strictly talking about Costa Rican cuisine, the food typically includes rice, beans, plantains, bread, and tortillas, most of which are homegrown in the tropical region.

Corn used for making tortilla dough, for instance, requires a hot and humid climate, prolonged sunshine, and a constant water supply. This makes the country’s tropical weather perfect for keeping the corn plants green and luscious.

Long-grain rice also thrives in Costa Rica and is central to Costa Rican cuisine. As Tico Times said in its article about Costa Rica’s rice culture: “Rice is essential to every meal, almost as air is to breathing”. I think any Tico would agree with that!

Red (kidney) and black beans grow abundantly in Costa Rica as well. These legumes are just as important as rice here. In fact, it’s rare to find a meal with rice and not beans.

Beans and rice aside, I wouldn’t dare forget about the country’s affluent plantains. Whether they’re platano verdes, used to make crispy patacones, or maduros, which are deliciously soft and sweet, plantains make up many delectable Costa Rican dishes.

Costa Rican Fruits

Fresh fruits have to be one of my favorite experiences living in Costa Rica. The fruit here is incredibly delicious, it makes it hard to go back to eating imported fruit outside of the tropics.

Think of fresh mangos, pineapples (piña), papayas, bananas, avocados (aguacate), and passion fruits. It’s hard to have a bad day when you start it with these fresh, delicious fruit, coffee, and good company!

Speaking of which, fruits are a huge part of our meals here at Bodhi Surf + Yoga during our Bodhi Family and Bodhi Sessions Surf + Yoga camps. We have a selection of three or four fruits every morning with breakfast, prepared by our chef Fanny.

The funny thing is before I came to Costa Rica, I absolutely despised papaya fruit. I’d only tried it once in the UK, and thought it had the worst taste in the world!

When I got to Bodhi Surf + Yoga and attended my first breakfast, I gave it another try because of the fuss that everyone was making over how juicy and delicious it was. Skeptical, I thought, “Papaya? Juicy and delicious? That doesn’t sound right at all.”

Lo and behold! It was indeed one of the best bites of fruit I’ve ever had. I’m now a converted papaya lover – but ONLY in Costa Rica.

Passion fruit (maracuyá) is another beloved Costa Rican fruit among locals and tourists. Again, outside of Costa Rica, I was never a fan of the fruit. It’s sour and it doesn’t look appetizing at all!

But during the hot dry season months, it’s common here to go to a cafe or restaurant and order a batido, a fruit smoothie. Batidos de maracuyá (passion fruit smoothies) are the undisputed favorites. Now I know they’re packed with flavor and are very refreshing!

It’s worth mentioning that Carlito’s, one of our restaurant neighbors in Bahia Ballena, serves an extraordinary passion fruit margarita!

Besides those popular tropical flavors, here are some less-known Costa Rican fruits you should try as you visit:

• Soursop or guanabana
• Mangosteen
• Lychee, called rambután or mamones
• Pejibaye
• Sweet granadilla

I’ve always been a huge soursop fan, even in the UK. But of course, it still tastes so much better in the tropics, the fruit’s natural habitat.

Sweet granadilla on the other hand was new to me. Looking at them the first time, they’re not the most visually appealing fruit. Because of how the inside part looks, I’ve heard some call it “brain fruit.”

To access the edible part of a sweet granadilla, you must cut it open—much like its cousin, the passion fruit. They taste almost similar, too, brightly sweet and tangy with a tropical and floral aftertaste.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it twice. Costa Rica is one of the best places for your taste buds to explore and experience new flavors and textures of tropical fruits!

Costa Rican Culinary Staples

A lot of the time when people think of food in Latin America, their minds automatically go to Mexican food.

Granted, Mexican cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines not only here in Latin America, but in the world. But not all Latin American food is “Mexican food”.

Sure, there are some similarities in the food across the different countries within the region. But each country has its unique specialties and spins with varying flavors!

Although, as a culturally diverse country, there isn’t necessarily a specific cuisine that can be pinned down as Costa Rican. Nevertheless, there’s no shortage of well-known staple foods eaten here.

Let me walk you through some of the most popular meals unique to Costa Rica and other Latin American staples with a Tico spin.

Popular Costa Rican Breakfasts

Breakfast is, without a doubt, my favorite meal of the day, and it’s taken seriously here at Bodhi Surf + Yoga. Here are the best Costa Rican breakfasts to nourish your body before a day of sunshine, surfing, and yoga.

1. Gallo Pinto

It would be a crime not to put gallo pinto at the top of this list. It is, without a doubt, the most popular Costa Rican food, to the point that everyone has their own version of it!

Given its popularity among Ticos and Ticas, can you guess what it’s made from? If you said rice and beans, you are correct! Although, there’s more to gallo pinto than rice or beans.

Gallo pinto directly translates to “spotted rooster.” Costa Ricans call it that because of the speckled appearance of the black beans against the white rice.

As someone living in Costa Rica for a while now, I’d say the best gallo pinto uses rice cooked the day before. This gives it a beautiful crunch and stops it from going too soggy when mixed with the liquid from the beans.

Gallo pinto is typically served with eggs, fried plantains, avocado, tortillas, and sour cream. The beans are usually pressure-cooked with a few seasonings, then added (including some of the liquid) to a large pan with sauteed onion, garlic, and bell peppers.

Rice is then added and mixed alongside a sprinkle of Costa Rica’s famous salsa Lizano, and a generous amount of finely chopped cilantro.

If you ever make the trip to Costa Rica and are eager to try traditional Costa Rican food, gallo pinto is a must. Many of our guests leave at the end of the week saying it’s the best breakfast they ate all week!

2. Gorditas

Gorditas means “little fat ones” in English. It’s a cool name, but it tells you absolutely nothing about what they are.

So what are gorditas?

A prevalent Mexican food, gorditas are practically fried corn cakes stuffed with all sorts of deliciousness. In Costa Rica, you’ll typically find gorditas filled or topped with fried black beans, fried egg, avocado slices, parmesan cheese, or red salsa (salsa ranchero works perfectly!).

Do note that this isn’t the most traditional Costa Rican breakfast. Nor is it a household staple. So, it’s not unusual to wander into restaurants that don’t have it on their menus.

That said, if you’re craving some of these pockets of flavorful explosions, head to Bodhi Surf + Yoga, gorditas are certainly a part of our weekly menu rotation!

3. Chorreadas

Chorreadas are Costa Rican corn pancakes served at almost every food stand and festival. So, if you’re ever craving genuine Costa Rican food, order or make yourself a slice of this tasty meal. 

This savory pancake is made from fresh ground corn, similar to corn tortillas. However, adding milk to the dough gives them more of a pancake texture. Also, charreadas need freshly ground corn, whereas tortillas require corn flour.

They’re cooked very similar to pancakes, which makes replicating them at home easier. The mixture is added to a hot pan (just enough mixture to cover the pan) and is cooked until they have a pancake-like texture.

Chorreadas can be eaten sweet or savory. Add salt to the dough if you want them savory and sugar if you want them sweet. They’re commonly topped with honey, butter, or sour cream—one of my favorite snacks to pair with coffee!

4. Tostadas

If you’ve ever taken a bit of high school Spanish, you probably know tostadas translates to “toast.” So, you’re likely wondering how it differs from the ones you make at home.

See, bread is a huge part of the diet here in Costa Rica. Our love of bread comes in many forms, from cakes and desserts to savory loaves and baguettes.

Costa Rican tostadas (at least here at Bodhi Surf + Yoga) involve baking a fresh loaf of bread and piling as many toppings as physically possible. The bread can be any type of homemade or store-bought bread.

While bread toast is not a dish exclusive in Costa Rica, it’s certainly a breakfast enjoyed by the masses here, and therefore deserves its place as a part of Costa Rican food!

5. Tortillas

Tortillas are a favored breakfast item in many Costa Rican households. Yes, we have gorditas and other tortilla dishes with toppings, but it’s still common to make a few corn tortillas and eat them as is.

This popularity is likely because of how easily you can make them. The dough just consists of corn flour, salt, and water. The only difficult part is palming the dough into little tortillas, which is way harder than it sounds!

Once you’ve made the tortillas, they’re placed in a hot pan (no oil needed) and cooked for a couple of minutes on each side. 

Many people add butter, sour cream, or cheese (or all three). It’s also common to put sausages or an omelet in the middle, roll the tortilla up, and eat it that way.

Must-Try Costa Rican Lunches and Snacks

Lunch in Costa Rica is more of a midday snack, often accompanied by coffee or some beverages. But that’s mainly because if you’ve had a heavy gallo pinto breakfast, all you need to carry you over until dinner is a quick snack!

1. Savory Fried Empanadas

Empanadas are a big part of the cuisine across Latin America. But lately, these handheld pies of pure deliciousness have exploded in popularity all over the US, and it’s easy to see why.

In Costa Rica, there are a few variations of empanadas. The savory fried ones are typically enjoyed during the day alongside a hot beverage, particularly coffee.

Fried empanadas are made from the same dough as tortillas. Similarly, you roll the dough into little balls and palm them into tortillas, the difference is you’ll add your desired filling before folding them over.

The filling can be pretty much anything you’d like. I, for one, am a big fan of Bodhi Surf + Yoga’s cheese and bean empanadas. But you may also try chicken, chorizo, and potato, all popular fillings among Ticos.

Once filled, the empanadas are folded over, sealed, and put in hot oil to be fried for five minutes on each side. Costa Ricans typically serve them with homemade guacamole or salsa ranchero.

2. Sweet Baked Empanadas

Yes, Ticos and Ticas love their empanadas, so we have not only one but two recipes for it. The second version of empanadas loved here in Costa Rica are baked, rather than fried.

Because they’ll be baked, these empanadas use wheat flour instead of corn flour. The dough to make this kind of empanada also requires butter, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. 

It’s important to note that this dough is different from what’s required to make Argentinian-style savory empanadas, which are made with wheat flour and baked. 

In Costa Rica, it’s not uncommon to find baked empanadas filled with fruity jams. But when we make these empanadas at Bodhi Surf + Yoga, our chef Fanny makes a sweet caramel coconut filling for them.

3. Tamales

Tamales are a traditional Costa Rican food eaten all year round, especially during Christmas. 

If you’re uncertain what tamales are, the best way to describe them is as pockets of seasoned vegetables, rice, or meat in a maize dough. They’re also wrapped and cooked in banana or corn husks.

Honestly speaking, it took me a while to come around to tamales. I didn’t like the texture or the bland dough, save the incredibly flavorful filling.

That said, staying a few years in Costa Rica will change that no problem! I’m a big fan of tamales now, especially with chicken fillings.

4. Ceviche

If you haven’t already noticed, Ticos love food that complements the tropical weather. And ceviche is one of those dishes enjoyed on a scorching hot day on Costa Rica’s coast. 

What is ceviche? 

To put it plainly, it’s a light and refreshing dish served cold, comprising raw fish cured in lime juice, cilantro, onion, finely chopped peppers, salt, and pepper. Here in Uvita, Bahia Ballena, the fish is usually freshly caught mahi-mahi or tilapia.

Ceviche will usually be served in a small glass dish packed with the fish and the above ingredients. It’s important to note that the fish doesn’t come filleted but in small bite-size pieces.

Enjoy ceviche with tortilla chips or patacones and some hot sauce and you’re in for the most unforgettable treat!

5. Almuerzo Campesino

This is much more of a meal than a midday snack with a coffee. Almuerzo campesino isn’t one specific food. Instead, the name refers to the dish as a whole.

Almuerzo campesino translates to “campers lunch” and involves Costa Rica’s beloved rice, beans, tortilla, and plantain combo.

A typical almuerzo campesino also includes picadillo (vegetable medley), chicken, and a torta de huevo, which is sort of like an egg tortilla.

The best thing about this meal is that all these ingredients are enveloped together in a banana leaf, which is a very eco-friendly container. To eat it, you just unwrap the leaf (usually tied closed with string) and eat the food right off the leaf!

Best Costa Rican Dinners

Bodhi Surf + Yoga offers guests three dinners during their stay. Two are cooked and prepared right here at the lodge, and the other at Carlitos Restaurant across the street.

This allows guests to enjoy our chef Fanny’s home-cooked meals, exploring the unique Costa Rican food and flavors our community has to offer! Check out our community restaurant guide to learn about the cafes and restaurants that we have around. 

Without further ado, here are five must-try dinners in Costa Rica you’d regret missing out on your visit.

1. Casado Tipico

Casado Típicos is the traditional dinner version of gallo pinto. It translates to “married” in English—a fitting name for the huge marriage of different ingredients and flavors.

Casados are also quite similar to almuerzos campesinos. They more or less involve the same ingredients, such as white rice, beans, picadillo (chopped, cooked, and seasoned vegetable medley), fried plantains, corn tortillas, and meat.

The main difference between a casado and an almuerzo campesino is that casado doesn’t include an egg. Nor does it come enveloped in a plantain leaf.

2. Arroz Con Pollo/Camarones

If you’re anywhere near Costa Rica, you’ll immediately learn that “rice with chicken or shrimp” is a big deal in our cuisine. But it’s not as simple as rice with either some chicken or shrimp on the side.

When ordering arroz con pollo/camarones, they’ll serve a plate of rice cooked and mixed with chicken or shrimp, vegetables, and other seasonings.

It’s quite similar to chicken fried rice, only it’s more savory yellow rice (due to the natural coloring called Achiote) than the salty soy sauce flavor of a typical chicken fried rice.

When ordered in a restaurant, arroz con pollo/camarones are usually served with french fries and a side salad.

3. Patacones

Patacones or fried plantains, sometimes called tostones, are crushed and fried slices of green plantain, topped with pico de gallo, guacamole, or refried beans.

It’s one of those foods that are so hard to stop eating. Once you start digging into some hot crispy patacones with the right toppings, there’s no telling how many you’ll get through.

For this dish, it’s crucial to use green plantain, not ripe yellow or brown ones. The green plantains can be crushed and fried without getting soft and falling apart.

The plantains are then cut into four or five pieces, fried, crushed, then fried again. After the second frying, it’s salted and topped with your favorite sauces and ingredients.

4. Seafood Dinner

Costa Ricans relish the scenic views of the Pacific coasts and the food it offers. We love our seafood, particularly those harvested sustainably like from MarTec.

The rich aquatic life makes it normal to walk into a restaurant and find seemingly endless seafood options, including shrimp, mussels, squid, and octopus.

Although, there aren’t many things that Ticos love more than a fish fry. The dish involves getting a whole fish (usually red snapper), bathing it in tasteful seasonings, and deep frying it.

Word of caution, Costa Rican fish fry may freak some people out, as the head is usually left on—eyeballs and all. I’ve seen people order this in a restaurant and cover their faces with salad while they eat the rest of the fish!

5. Chicharones

For those who don’t mind joining the dark side and digging into “not-so-healthy” food, it would be a crime not to mention chicharones in a blog about Costa Rican cuisine.

Chicharones are little fried pieces of pork skin fried in its fat. Again, it’s not super healthy, but it’s incredibly delicious!

Chicharones can be eaten by themselves or as a side with a meal. They’re often the largest segment of the popular dish chifrijo, consisting of one bowl of rice topped with beans, chicharones, tortilla chips, avocado slices, and pico de gallo.

Delectable Costa Rican Desserts

Now that you know famous Costa Rican meals from breakfast to dinner, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the delicious desserts enjoyed by Tico and Tica. 

Admittedly, the tropical country isn’t famous for its desserts. Nevertheless, Costa Ricans can still give your sweet tooth a run for its money with these delectable delights:

1. Arroz Con Leche

This dessert is practically a rice pudding. It has many variations in the region as a famous Latin American dish. Costa Ricans, however, keep their arroz con leche simple and straightforwardly yummy.

Arroz con leches recipes typically include sweetened condensed, evaporated, and regular milk besides water. Flavors, such as cinnamon, vanilla extract, and nutmeg, are added during the cooking process. You may also sprinkle a few raisins to add tart sweetness to the finished product.

2. Tres Leches

A Costa Rican light cake, tres leches translates to “three kinds of milk”. It gets its name because the sponge is soaked in three different kinds of milk and, once baked, has holes poked into it.

Most recipes use evaporated, sweetened condensed, and heavy cream aside from the basic cake ingredients. All that milkiness makes the cake sweet, fluffy, and richly delicious!

3. Torta De Maracuyá

Torta De Maracuyá is one of my favorite desserts at Bodhi Surf + Yoga. This dessert consists of a crunchy crust at the bottom with a sweet passion fruit mixture on top.

Mind you, this isn’t a traditional cake with dough and icing. The “dough” is more of a gelato – instead of baking it, it’s prepared by setting it in the fridge.

4. Chocolate

Costa Rica is world-renowned for its chocolate! Due to the country’s location, soil, and climate, cacao trees in the region produce some of the best quality cocoas.

These bars of sweetness are so common in Costa Rica you’ll find chocolate tours wherever you go. They’ll walk you through making chocolates, from growing cacao trees, harvesting the fruit, roasting the seeds, and molding the chocolate.

5. Empanadas De Chiverre

Here’s a genuine dessert from Costa Rican cookbooks. Empanadas de chiverre is an easy-to-make, yet mouth-wateringly delicious recipe you can try.

Traditionally cooked during holidays, Empanadas de chiverre use traditional Costa Rican dough (white flour, margarine, and cream) without sugar. They’re usually baked, lending a slightly different texture to your typically fried empanadas.

Traditional Costa Rican Drinks

Beverage goes hand in hand with Costa Rican food. So, to end our Costa Rican cuisine tour, let me share three of my favorite drinks from the tropical country.

1. Coffee

I’m sure you expected this one was coming. Making up nearly 20% of the country’s exports, it’s hard to imagine coffee not taking center stage in meals.

For your average Ticos and Ticas, coffee isn’t just drunk in the morning. We consume coffee any time of the day! At Bodhi Surf + Yoga we drink coffee from Chirripó, where Costa Rica’s highest peak is!

2. Agua Dulce

It sounds like a spell from Harry Potter but Agua Dulce simply means “sweet water.” The beverage tastes like drinking sugar in liquid form—and that’s pretty much what it is!

Agua dulce combines hot water and boiled sugar cane, a tall perennial grass typically used for producing sugar. It’s a common refreshing drink during breakfast.

3. Coconut Water

Coconut trees scatter abundantly on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of sun-drenched Costa Rica. So, there’s no shortage of high-quality and fresh coconut water wherever you go.

If you don’t already know, coconut water is a sweet drink with a slightly nutty aftertaste. It’s incredibly refreshing and you can even drink the juice from the fruit itself!

Is Your Mouth Watering Yet? Join Us!

I hope you’ve learned from and enjoyed this blog about Costa Rican food, but what would make us even happier is if you came down here to dig into some of it with us! If you’re up to it, you could join us for an in-person cooking class led by our head chef, Fanny!

If you’re not coming down here any time soon, you can enjoy our food content online by joining our Bodhi Surf + Yoga membership program. This includes online pre-recorded cooking classes, and, of course, our very own cookbook!

FAQs

Can I bring food to Costa Rica?

Yes, you can bring food inside the tropical country. However, there are a few policies and restrictions on the type and amount of consumables you can take from your home country.

Customs don’t allow fruits, vegetables, poultry, seeds, and beef meat with bones. However, anything prepackaged commercially should be fine.

Are there vegetarian/vegan foods in Costa Rica?

As a country boasting some of the best homegrown foods, Costa Rica offers plenty of options for vegetarian visitors. Gallo pinto, for one, is a great vegan alternative as it’s usually made with rice or beans.

Restaurants and cafes all over the country offer vegan-friendly casados. You may also opt for patacones (fried plantains) and arroz con pollo o camarones with veggies instead of poultry meat or seafood.