Costa Rican Typical Food

To experience a new culture completely, it is important to taste its cuisine. When you come to Costa Rica, visit a “soda” (informal local restaurants) or a restaurant specialized in typical food, where you can taste the authentic Costa Rican dishes. Costa Rican food is based on rice and beans as the famous “Gallo Pinto” served for breakfast, a “Casado” for lunch (rice, beans, meat, salad, vegetables and sweet fried plantains) or “Arroz con Leche” (sweet rice pudding) as a dessert.

Make sure to taste some of our typical dishes such as:

Gallo Pinto: The most popular dish for breakfast in Costa Rica, it is a delicious mix of rice and beans, commonly served with eggs, sour cream, cheese, bacon and sweet fried plantains accompanied with a cup of coffee.

Olla de Carne: A dish from Guanacaste, it is a meat and vegetable stew with pumpkin – like chayote, corn, plantain, potatoes and yucca.

Tamales: Ground cornmeal squares filled with diced pork, chicken, vegetables and even raisins and olives are wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled. They are served at Christmas and other special occasions.

Ceviches: It is very common to find ceviche anywhere in the country but especially in the coast. Ceviche is raw chunks of white fish marinated in citrus juice with, onion, red and green peppers, tomatoes and served with crackers.

Gallos: The most common snacks, these are tortillas topped with meat, cheese, beans, sausage or picadillos (finely chopped mixture of cooked vegetables)

Rice and Beans: A Caribbean dish, it is a mix of rice and beans accompanied with chicken or fish; all are cooked in coconut milk.

Empanadas: Savory turnover pastries filled with minced meat, potatoes, and onions or cheese and beans.

Chorreada: Large corn tortillas served like pancakes and topped with sour cream.

Arroz con Leche: The sweet rice pudding is the Costa Rican´s favorite dessert; it is made with rice cooked in different kinds of milks (evaporated and condensed), raisins and cinnamon can be added for a better flavor.

Patí: A Caribbean snack, it is an empanada filled with meat; if you prefer it can be spicy.

Run Down: Mackerel simmered in coconut milk with vegetables.

Tres Leches: Layers of dense sponge cake soaked in condensed milk, and cream, topped with whipped cream.

Cajetas: A thick, nougat-like a dessert made of coconut milk and sugar, which is laced with fruits.

Pozol: It is a specialty from Guanacaste, a spicy soup cooked with corn and pork meat.

Casado: This is what Costa Ricans call their lunch, which includes rice, beans, sweet fried plantains, a kind of meat, vegetables and salad.

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