What to Eat and Drink in Costa Rica

Costa Rican cuisine—comida típica—is a comforting fusion of Indigenous, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean roots. Simple, fresh, and deeply satisfying, it revolves around rice, beans, tropical produce, and honest cooking. Here’s your edible roadmap.

The Daily Pillars

Gallo Pinto

The national breakfast: rice and black (or red) beans stir-fried with onion, sweet pepper, cilantro, and Lizano sauce. Served with fried eggs, sweet plantains, natilla (sour cream), and corn tortillas. Add a side of queso turrialba for extra richness.

Casado

The ultimate lunch plate: gallo pinto plus a protein (grilled chicken, fish, carne en salsa, or chickpeas), picadillo (chopped veggie hash), cabbage-tomato salad, fried plantains, and a tortilla. Every soda has its version.

Hearty Mains

Olla de Carne

Weekend stew: beef ribs simmered with yuca, ñampí, chayote, carrots, corn, plantain, and herbs. Served with rice and a squeeze of lime.

Arroz con Pollo

Celebration rice: annatto-tinted rice cooked with chicken, peas, carrots, bell pepper, and achiote. Often appears at weddings and birthdays.

Sopa Negra

Black bean soup spiked with garlic, onion, cilantro, cumin, and a poached egg. Simple, nourishing, beloved.

Snacks & Street Food

• Tamales – masa stuffed with pork, rice, veggies, wrapped in banana leaves, steamed. Christmas staple, sold year-round at markets.
• Empanadas – fried corn dough filled with cheese, beans, or picadillo.
• Tortillas – thick, hand-patted corn tortillas (not the thin Mexican kind).
• Ceviche – diced white fish or shrimp “cooked” in lime juice with onion, cilantro, sweet pepper. Served with soda crackers or plantain chips.

Sweet Endings

Tres Leches Cake

Sponge cake soaked in three milks (evaporated, condensed, heavy cream), topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. Moist, not cloying.

Drinks

• Agua Dulce – hot or iced sugarcane juice with lime. The original energy drink.
• Café con Leche – strong Costa coffee with hot milk. Breakfast ritual.
• Pilsen / Imperial – crisp lagers, ubiquitous and affordable.
• Guaro (Cacique) – sugarcane spirit, mixed with soda and lime (chiliguaro) or in a guaro sour.
• Refrescos – fresh fruit blended with water or milk (cas, guanábana, mango, maracuyá).

Eat at sodas, visit Saturday farmers’ markets (ferias), and don’t shy from roadside stands. The best flavors hide in plain sight. ¡Buen provecho!