4 Best Restaurants in Arenal, Monteverde, and the Northern Lowlands, Costa Rica

Reasonable prices and excellent quality have made this café a traveler’s favorite, with meals ranging from churrasco (grilled meat) and empanadas to salads and sandwiches. There's typical Costa Rican casado (chicken, beef, or fish served with rice, beans, plantains, and salad) along with tempting desserts like chocolate pie, carrot cake, flan, and a variety of pastries. The free Wi-Fi and books-for-borrow might help you escape from reality, but the wall lined with bagged coffee for sale will remind you where you are.

This local institution is a good place to get an early-morning fix before heading to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Pastries, rolls, muffins, natural juices, and coffee are standard breakfast fare, and light sandwiches, soups, and quiches are on offer at lunch.

This always-busy casual eatery is a great place to stop for tacos, burritos, and other Tex-Mex fare, which you can eat in the dining room or outside on the patio. The meat is slow-cooked and flavorful, but fish and veggie options abound as well.