EDITOR'S NOTE; Not every expat in Costa Rica has the resources for full-scale restaurant meals. So Dr. Lenny Karpman gives us a rundown of bargain eats for Gringos.
Delicias Caribenas de Mami in Heredia was reviewed in detail. Just a reminder that this Caribbean haven in Heredia, a few doors down from the Red Cross, serves typical Limón-style food in large portions for less than ¢ 2,000. The take-out counter offers even cheaper savory meat turnovers (patis) and coconut pies for picnics or football games.
Huaraches offers basic tacos, burritos, flautas and tostadas Mexican style, but milder for Tico tastes on Avenida 22 between Calle 5 and 7 and on the main La Garita road that runs from Alajuela to Atenas. The San José site is lively and popular. The La Garita location is often sparsely attended, but the menus are reputedly the same bargains and preparations.
J & M, San Rafael de Alajuela, is in the first block on the main road, east of the church. It is a typical coffee root-burning rotisserie restaurant that basically serves chicken and ribs for ¢ 850 and
¢ 1,050 respectively. The chicken platters are quarters with crispy skin and moist centers very well seasoned. The ribs are small Tico-style bites. Both platters come with cabbage slaw, pickled plantains and tortillas.
Manolo's is the middle of everything, minutes away from Teatro National, the Grand Hotel and Casino, the Gold Museum, Central Park and the Metropolitan Church. If you stand at Avenida Central and Calle Central and face west toward Calle 2, Manolo's is on the left before the corner. The fare is decent typical Tico at bargain prices. The service is fast and friendly.
Pan y Vino, any of the chain, serves pastas, calzones and thin-crusted pizzas that are a little better than average and cost competitive with the competition. The best bargain on the menu is a superb antipasto for one that we usually share and the complimentary six-piece rosemary-flavored focaccia (¢ 2,100). The antipasto and focaccia are more than enough for a tasty meal for one.
Pollos Del Monte in Belén is a larger version of J&M, and only a little more expensive. It has a much more extensive menu and can serve well over 100 patrons, which it does on Sundays. Its roaring fire and massive rotisserie are quite the sight to introduce visitors to the a la lena style. Where the road from Panasonic corner heads east toward Belén, it forms a Y. In the crook of the Y sits Pollos Del Monte.
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Soda Mariscos Numero Uno (seafood luncheonette number one), in the Alajuela Central Market is a little challenging to find. If you enter any of the entrances and turn immediately to follow the large perimeter passageway, you will find the one and only potato chip maker sooner or later. At that point, turn 90 degrees away from the street into the center of market. A few feet down the aisle, you will run into its tiny stools and counter. Ceviche of mahi mahi ( large ¢ 550, small ¢ 450) is probably the biggest seller. All rice dishes e.g. shrimp, seafood, fish, Cantonese are ¢ 950 as are the two casados (blue plate specials). Coffee and fruit drinks are ¢150, and the most expensive large plates are ¢ 1,200. The marlin fillets are very tasty.
Soda Tapia is hard for me to understand. There is always a traffic jam out front as the parking guard struggles to squeeze one more car into the lot in front of impatient 18 wheelers and smoke-belching buses heading north across the road from the east side of Parque la Sabana, a block before the origin of Paseo Colón.
Unlike the rest of our country, this spot is often orchestrated by testy car horns. The two rows of small outdoor tables are nearly always full. Waiters leave small paper menu-checklists and a pencil, then collect your orders five or 10 minutes later. The food and prices are average for a Tico soda. The waiters have to hustle to keep pace. When breezes blow out of the west, across the park and over the roadway, diesel fumes may be bothersome.
Soda X has no apparent name. It is in the back of the work yard of Auto Pits on the Santa Ana-to-Belén road near the backside of the Forum. Despite the explosion of new restaurants along that road, the blue collar hordes head for this simple cafeteria-like soda for the cheapest eats outside of central markets in the land. The floors and tables are kept clean, and food preparation appears to be healthy, but use a little care when choosing silverware or water glasses from the counter. I often grab a bite there when my car is being serviced and usually ask if the counter man has miscalculated because the bill is so cheap. Coffee is free. Looking for charm? Go elsewhere.
Subway sandwich specials are posted in the window of every outlet every day. The other sandwich chains seem to be struggling as Subway prospers. Their standard menu of sandwiches on three kinds of loaf bread and salads is a reasonable value, but the daily sandwich special is usually one of their better offerings such as roast beef, teriyaki steak, Italian or ham and cheese for about ¢ 850 for the half loaf size, as opposed to the usual cost of ¢ 1,500-1,600,
Vishnu is a chain of cheapo vegetarian places. Currently there are five different locations including San José, Plaza Mayor and Heredia. Good salads and large inexpensive daily specials make it attractive to students and health-conscious diners.
Got a favorite cheapo place to eat? Let us know: editor@amcostarica.com |
