Fine dining, beach bars, local sodas, and cafes worth your time. Every listing checked against live sources.
Santa Teresa's 10 verified restaurants are led by 5 general restaurants including Katana Asian Cuisine and Manzu Restaurant, plus a beach bar and bakery, a lineup that reflects the town's international, surf-and-yoga crowd.
Santa Teresa
Beachfront restaurant and bar at Banana Beach Hotel, serving food and cocktails directly on the sand at Playa Santa Teresa. A common spot for sunset drinks and ocean-view meals.
Santa Teresa
Organic juice bar at Plaza Kahuna in Santa Teresa making cold pressed juices, smoothies and raw vegan snacks. The menu includes gluten free treats such as raw cashew chocolate bars alongside nut milks.
Montezuma
Butterfly Brewing Co. is an independent craft brewery in Montezuma that runs the Imago Gastro Pub next to a butterfly garden, on the road toward the Montezuma waterfall canopy tour. It pours its own beers alongside a gastro pub food menu, with a daily happy hour and occasional live music. The pub is open Tuesday through Saturday.
Santa Teresa
Coffee shop in north Santa Teresa serving specialty coffee, smoothies, and an artisanal breakfast and lunch menu of sandwiches, salads, and baked goods. Open daily from 7:30am to 4pm. Popular with both tourists and the local remote-work crowd.
Santa Teresa
Rotisserie chicken restaurant across from the soccer field in Santa Teresa, serving Peruvian style pollo a la brasa alongside tacos and ceviche. It has operated in town since 2006.
Santa Teresa
Mexican-leaning restaurant in Santa Teresa with a high review volume. Serves a mid-range menu in a casual setting.
Santa Teresa
Argentinian style grill and bar in Santa Teresa serving wood fired steak and seafood from an open kitchen with a clay oven, plus a full cocktail bar. It opens for dinner every night.
Santa Teresa
Upscale kitchen in Santa Teresa offering a contemporary menu, listed among the top dinner reservations in the area on OpenTable. Geared toward a sit-down evening dining experience.
Santa Teresa
Artisan gelato and ice cream shop at Plaza Royal in Santa Teresa, making every flavor in house. It doubles as a cafe and bakery, with a second location, Gaucha Sur, elsewhere in town.
Santa Teresa
Asian fusion restaurant open since 2014, run by executive chef Alex Nikolsky, serving ramen, sushi rolls, curries, and satay built around locally caught fish and pastured chicken. Signature dishes include bubu shrimp, Tori Paitan ramen, and aged tuna sashimi. Open nightly for dinner, located 600 meters north of the main Santa Teresa crossroads.
Santa Teresa
Japanese restaurant and bar in Santa Teresa serving sushi and cooked dishes in a candlelit dining room. It opens for dinner only, with a happy hour before the kitchen gets busy.
Santa Teresa
Casual Santa Teresa restaurant specializing in ceviche and fresh seafood. Regularly recommended by visitors as a good-value seafood meal in town.
Santa Teresa
Argentinian grill restaurant 200 meters north of the Banco Nacional in Santa Teresa, serving wood fired steak and fish alongside vegetarian dishes and cocktails. It is consistently ranked among the top rated restaurants in the Mal País and Santa Teresa area.
Santa Teresa
Open-air beachfront restaurant at Hotel Nantipa serving Costa Rica-inspired cuisine with locally sourced ingredients and hand-crafted cocktails. Tables face the ocean with direct sunset views.
Mal País
Farm to table restaurant in Mal País open since 1996, run by the same family that has farmed the adjoining land for generations. The nightly menu changes with what comes off the farm and off local boats, running from wood grilled fish to pizza in an open air dining room.
Montezuma
Playa de los Artistas is a beachfront Mediterranean restaurant in Montezuma that has operated since the early 1990s, with a menu that changes nightly based on the day's catch. Guests enter through a flower rimmed gate to large wooden tables set under the trees near the sand. It is widely cited by travel writers as among the best dining rooms in Costa Rica, so reservations are recommended.
Santa Teresa
Italian restaurant, pizzeria and bar in Plaza Wave in the center of Santa Teresa, serving southern Italian dishes and wood fired pizza from a covered patio. It also runs as a cafe by day, with coffee and cocktails alongside the kitchen.
Santa Teresa
Beachfront restaurant and bar at the Ranchos Itaúna hotel in Santa Teresa, known locally for its Sunset Sessions with live Brazilian music. Full kitchen service runs seasonally from December through April, with a daily happy hour year round.
Montezuma
Restaurante Agrá operates out of Hotel nYa in the center of Montezuma, serving a steakhouse, seafood, and wine bar menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is ranked the top restaurant in Montezuma on TripAdvisor and can scale from intimate date night tables to gatherings of up to 80 guests. Weekend brunch service includes bottomless mimosas.
Playa Carmen
Beachfront bar, lounge, and restaurant on the main beach of Playa Carmen, open since 2017. The kitchen serves homemade Costa Rican dishes alongside seafood, pizzas, and burgers made with fresh, local products, plus a cocktail and mixology program. Open daily from noon to 9pm.
Santa Teresa
Beachfront cafe and surf lounge operating since 1999, serving lunch, beach snacks, cold beverages, and early dinners with vegan and vegetarian options. The spot doubles as a surf shop with board rentals, sales, and lessons. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 11am to 7pm.
Montezuma
Sano Banano Restaurant has served Montezuma since 1989 from an art garden patio on the town's main street. The menu covers seafood, hormone free chicken, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and sushi style dishes, with seasonal live music. It shares ownership with the adjoining Sano Banano Hotel and with Ylang Ylang Beach Resort.
Santa Teresa
Sushi restaurant in Santa Teresa known among visitors for fresh fish and Japanese-style plates. Frequently named alongside the town's better-regarded dining options.
Santa Teresa
Local soda across from Brunelas in Santa Teresa serving large casados, nachos and typical Costa Rican plates at low prices. It draws mostly residents and budget minded travelers looking for a break from the town's tourist restaurants.
Montezuma
Soda Tipica Las Palmeras is a family run soda on an open terrace overlooking the Pacific, about 400 meters south of Montezuma Waterfall. It serves traditional Costa Rican and seafood dishes at soda prices and is ranked second of Montezuma's restaurants on TripAdvisor with over 500 reviews. The terrace sits above a tide pool that is itself a local landmark.
Santa Teresa
Traditional Costa Rican soda on the north end of Santa Teresa, run by an all Tico staff using ingredients from local fishermen and markets. The menu centers on casados with rice, beans, and choice of meat, plus a full bar and outdoor seating. Open daily 8am to 10pm, with Wednesday hours starting at 9am.
Santa Teresa
All-day restaurant inside House of Somos surf hotel, built around a converted Airstream trailer at the base of the property. The kitchen uses local produce and line caught fish for salad bowls, tacos, shakshuka, sushi, and pasta, with in-house breads, condiments, and desserts. Serves an all-day menu from 7:30am to 5:30pm and dinner from 6pm to midnight.
Santa Teresa
Bakery and cafe opened in 2009 by an Israeli couple, known for fresh bread, croissants, and NY-inspired bagels alongside paninis, pizzas, and salads. Serves breakfast through dinner daily from 7am to 10pm, using espresso from Cafe Britt. Located 100 meters north of the main crossroads.
Santa Teresa
Specialty coffee shop and kitchen at the entrance to Santa Teresa beach, roasting its own beans on site. It serves breakfast, lunch and pastries through the afternoon, closed Sundays.
Santa Teresa
Beachfront restaurant and bar in the heart of Santa Teresa serving chef driven Mediterranean food, with tables set directly on the sand from lunch through sunset. The kitchen runs salads, tapas and seafood alongside cocktails.
Montezuma
Ylang Ylang Restaurant serves ocean view meals at the resort of the same name in Montezuma, built around fresh, organic, and sustainable ingredients. The menu covers seafood, hormone free chicken, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and sushi items. It is open to both resort guests and outside visitors.
Santa Teresa
Family run Israeli and Costa Rican restaurant open since 2004, located 700 meters north of the crossroads at Hotel Zula Inn. The menu mixes gallo pinto and casados with shakshuka, falafel, schnitzel, and hummus plates, plus fresh fruit smoothies. Open Sunday through Friday, noon to 10pm, with delivery and takeout available.
Katana Asian Cuisine and Manzu Restaurant are two of the 5 verified general restaurants in town.
Yes, Banana Beach Restaurant is a verified beach bar option.
Yes, Rocamar is a verified bar and nightlife option in the zone.
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