Restaurants in towns and cities serve a variety of foods including Chinese, French, Italian, Mexican and North American. Food usually ranges from satisfactory to sublime. In San José, options range from expensive and exemplary gourmet restaurants to cheap
sodas (small, simple restaurants) serving local food, including set lunches called
casados at bargain prices.
National specialties:
• Casado (a fixed daily lunch, usually featuring rice, beans, stewed chicken or beef, fried plantain, salad and cabbage)
.• Olla de carne (soup of beef,
plantain, corn, yuca and chayote).
• Sopa negra (black beans with a poached egg).
• Picadillo (meat and vegetable stew).
• Bocas (savoury snacks served at bars or before main meals in restaurants).
National drinks:There are many types of cold drinks made from fresh fruit, milk or cereal flour, for example:
• Cebada (fermented barley; an indigenous beverage).
• Pinolillo (corn and cocoa).
• Horchata (liquid corn meal or ground rice with cinnamon).
• Batidos (fresh fruit shakes made with either milk or water blended with ice).
• Pipas (fresh coconut water served in the husk).
• Local lager-style beers such as
Imperial are a perfect cure for hot days.
• Coffee is good, but many local restaurants serve lesser-quality domestic brand coffee.
Tipping: Tipping is not necessary but is acceptable if the service was particularly outstanding. Restaurants add a 13% sales tax plus a 10% service charge to the bill.
NightlifeSan José especially has many
nightclubs, venues with
folk music and
dance,
theaters and
cinemas. Elsewhere nightlife is mostly restricted to tourist resorts by the beach.
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