GRANO DE ORO Restaurant

Restaurant Grano de Oro, rated one of the top restaurants in Costa Rica, merges Costa Rican tropical with European cuisine under the expertise of a world renowned French chef, Francis Canal. The restaurant echoes the gracious hospitality of the hotel itself. Guests enjoy drinks in a cozy parlor setting with elegant furnishings or at the hand-carved bar, which offers an inside or outside option. Dining space is intimate and warm with an ambiance that welcomes everyone as an honored guest. The inside dining room surrounds an elegant inner courtyard in which guests may also dine. Evocative Spanish instrumentals set the mood.

The artful cuisine is the work of the hotel’s executive chef, Francis Canal Bardot.  Hailing from Belfort, a small town in the countryside of France, he brings to his cooking the integral understanding of food and wine that is his heritage. Chef Canal came to Costa Rica in 1985 and has led the culinary team at Grano de Oro since 1994. With his classic training providing a firm culinary foundation, he emphasizes fresh, local ingredients to enhance and amplify the traditional.

The service at Restaurante Grano de Oro is the perfect blend of congeniality and complete indulgence; the staff offers the professional yet friendly assistance that defines a state-of-the-art guest experience.

Restaurante Grano de Oro serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Breakfast begins at 6:00 a.m. for early risers preparing for day tours and adventurous exploring and continues until 11:00 a.m. Coffee, juice and continental fare can be requested even earlier. Fresh fruit, bread and pastries highlight the breakfast menu and a variety of tropical fruit juices offers exotic nutrition to start the day.  Traditional choices abound; omelets, Eggs Benedict, cereals and pastries are augmented by an assortment of more unusual dishes. Banana macadamia pancakes bring the rainforest to the breakfast table and “the Tico” offers a sampler of Costa Rican favorites: Gallo Pinto (black beans and rice), eggs, tortillas, sweet plantains and fresh farmer’s cheese.

Lunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and offers a pleasant selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, light entrées and delicious classics. A favorite dining spot for both locals and visitors, Restaurante Grano de Oro provides a delightful place to enjoy a midday meal. 

Dinner is a featured attraction at Grano de Oro, served from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.. The ambiance is intimate and romantic, but with an Old World elegance that makes Grano de Oro inimitably inviting. The dinner menu ranges from the traditional to the sublime. Hors d’oeurves include a foie gras crème brûlée with caramelized pears and a fresh tuna tartar with a tomato ginger jelly.

The soups are not to be missed – classic Black Bean served with rice and a velvety cream made from the fruit of the pejibaye palm. The salads feature local ingredients as well, with heart of palm, avocadoes and macadamia nuts in starring roles.

When choosing a main course, the options are many. “Lomito Piemontes” presents two medallions of beef tenderloin stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and drizzled with a light sherry sauce, while the “Pato con Higos Caramelizadas” is a roasted Canadian duck breast served with a caramelized fig and a pate crostini. Fresh fish also figures prominently on the dinner menu at Grano de Oro. Tender, white sea bass and Tilapia, a freshwater fish from Costa Rica’s mountain streams, are enhanced by a variety of delicious sauces, from the simple perfection of a cardamom essence to rich cream and wine sauces. “Corvina a la Macadamia” is a signature entrée – a sea bass filet breaded with toasted macadamia nuts and served with a light orange herb sauce. The superb cuisine is complemented by a wine list boasting excellent choices from around the world. 

And, of course, the pinnacle of any dinner at Grano de Oro is dessert. Heavenly crepes, tarts and cakes are joined by ice cream and refreshing sorbet.

For elegant food with an international flavor, Restaurante Grano de Oro delivers in style.