Top Restaurants in Mal Pais
Top Things to do in Mal Pais
Where to eat Latin food in Mal Pais: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Reviews on Latin food in Mal Pais, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Near the southernmost tip of Peninsula de Nicoya, Mal Pais offers rocky coves, white sand beaches, waterfalls, rainforests, surfing, and relaxation near a remote fishing village and Cabo Blanco National Park. The prime attraction is surfing at beaches like Playa Mar Azul, Playa Santa Teresa, Playa Manzanillo, and Playa Carmen. Plus there is fishing, boating, snorkeling, diving, hiking, horseback riding, biking, and 4-wheel drive touring. A 4-wheel drive vehicle comes in handy for navigating unpaved roads in this still mostly wild area, particularly during the rainy season. Though locals zip around on quad bikes and motorcycles transporting their surfboards. Allow the better part of a day driving from San Jose Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) to Mal Pais. Budget extra time to board the car ferry from Puntarenas across the Golfo de Nicoya to Paquera on the Peninsula de Nicoya. Or take the short flight from San Jose to Tambor Airport (TMU), and be within an hour of Mal Pais. Some Mal Pais beaches have little sand, and judging point break direction and swell size requires surfing acumen. A Mal Pais surf camp may be perfect for family members wanting to learn to read the surf better. Santa Teresa’s beaches have more white sand, and point breaks like Suck Rock are almost legendary among surfers flocking here when the seas around Playa Carmen get too rough. Playa Carmen has enough variety to accommodate all levels of surfers, but the swells can get too rough and too frequent to get out during the rainy season. A bit to the north, with waters calmed by a rock jetty, Playa Manzanillo is known for its annual sand castle competition.
Things to do in Mal Pais
10. Soda "La Salvadita"
Overall Ratings
4 based on 290 reviews
hello, dear customer this local is work by the owner family It is a comfortable, clean, quiet place, I located centrally in the main street just 2 minutes from the town center we have capacity to handle groups up to 20-30 pax also available with Wi-fi for
Reviewed By H75travel
If you are looking for a casado where locals eat, head to Soda La Salvadita. It's a quiet place slightly out of town. We were the only non-locals in there. Food is good value, portions of protein are fairly small, so if you are hungry see if you can pay for an extra piece. Authentic food at at a fair price, tasty enough. Fruit juice is a bit bland though. Decor is in line with the town - lots of paintings of wildlife. We were able to park right outside which was perfect as we were heading out of town straight after our visit and all our luggage was inside (not that the area is at all unsafe).Friendly & fast service and free wifi.
9. Sabor Tico
Overall Ratings
4 based on 2800 reviews
Reviewed By martina_krh
The restaurant situated in second floor of the shopping park-center isnât really worth it!!The food is 2/10. Guacamole without the onion and tomatoes, taco seems like big fried burrito filled with untasty dry meat, no vegetables, no guaca, no beans, with huge amount of cabbage on the top. And... it was all poured with mayonaise and ketchup... tf? I was Dissapointed completely because I was so hungryyy. Service is nice but change nothing.
8. Soda Bonanza
Overall Ratings
4 based on 206 reviews
We offer you a Costarican gastronomic expirence. Local great cosine by Maria, Marcos and the amazing Sofia........ You will love meet Sofi she is the light of this great pleace.
Reviewed By 660bla_z
This place if falsely rated as a cheap restaurant so I guess it used to be, but is no longer. The stated price of an average main dish is 12$, I paid with a card with as he said no extra charge and I see now on the receipt that I actually paid 13.2$. The decoration and its cheap tables and chairs are like in a typical soda, but the prices are much higher than what you would pay in real sodas. The food otherwise was fine, but way overpriced.
7. Restaurante Sofia
Overall Ratings
4 based on 297 reviews
Reviewed By TBoneTravels
We have been coming here for years; the variety offered and the excellent fruit shakes keeping bringing us back. Try the Maracuya (passion fruit milkshake- awesome!). The sweet potato & plantain soup is delicious as is any of the seafood main dishes. Highly recommend this place for such a variety of quality healthy dishes and a quiet ambience
6. El Jardin at Monteverde Lodge & Gardens
Overall Ratings
4 based on 323 reviews
The service style is personalized, informal, caring. Our food is what a Costa Rican grandmother would cook if she was also a creative and contemporary professional chef. The atmosphere is quiet,laid back and tranquil with an open fireplace. No background
Reviewed By niagara_chris
After careful research I booked this restaurant for our 25th anniversary dinner. My wife and I both liked the decor and found our waiter very polite. Unfortunately our food fell short of our expectations. There were a couple quirky things during our meal as well. I had ceviche and then the tuna main course. My wife had a tenderloin steak. The presentation of my appetizer was excellent and it tasted good. My main course was basically raw and tough, so I was unable to finish it. I actually like raw fish and sushi but the tuna just didn't work for me. Oh well, we were both in good spirits so it wasn't a big deal. I noticed my wife was working a bit to cut through her meat so I gave her my steak knife, which helped. She had to work at it a bit too much for the cut of meat she ordered, so it was a bit disappointing for her as well. Our super polite waiter had an accident and knocked over the wine/champagne bucket on a stand at the table beside us. The water and ice cubes all ended up on our feet and under our table. He was so embarrassed. We weren't upset or bothered, but he apologized about 5 or 6 times and then it got a bit awkward. Then he brought us two strawberry daiquiris after our meal was over, which seemed odd to me. I was drinking water during the dinner, so I just let it sit on the table until we left. We were thinking that offering a free desert of something like that might of been a nice gesture. No worries. I suspect this was just a miss on this night and at that time for this restaurant. If we hadn't already had great breakfasts and lunches and dinners elsewhere during our trip maybe I would have been a bit grumpier with our outing. I did not complain about the tuna, by the way, or ask to have it cooked more. I know that tuna is generally served med rare or rare. It was just raw and tough and I wasn't in the mood to complain. Too much in love, I guess to let a restaurant's off night spoil our anniversary dinner!Dear niagara_chris,We are very sorry to hear that we spoiled your anniversary dinner, please accept our sincere apologies.After we received your review, we were very worried because you were talking about some of the favorite dishes among our guests, so our executive chef, Federico Barrantes, decided to investigate. He usually travels a lot, but he spent the entire last week in Monteverde, using your feedback to re-train our kitchen staff in the different cuts of meat, cooking gradation and the correct use of the meat thermometer. He also explained to Carlos, your waiter that night, that even though to err is human, he only needs to apologize once when he makes a mistake, otherwise as you well put it in your review, it becomes awkward.Chris, we understand that you were celebrating your anniversary on that night, and exactly for that reason,we wish you had told us that you didn't enjoy dinner while you were still in the restaurant; we would have gladly done everything possible to make things right during your special celebration. Our guests feedback is what we appreciate the most because it helps us to improve.Please let us know if you are ever back to El JardÃn, we would love an opportunity to make it up to you.Sincerely,Jenn Dunn Guest Satisfaction Specialist
5. Las Caracolas
Overall Ratings
4 based on 385 reviews
Reviewed By TheAndrewNatt
What a brilliant place! Not only was the food excellent, but the sunset was fantastic! A real local gem, with Antonio (the owner?) giving me a basic Spanish lesson into the price!Go at 1730 and sit right at the front near the sea, eat seafood, drink wine, watch the sunset and be happy.
4. Raulito's Pollo
Overall Ratings
4 based on 203 reviews
Reviewed By rowena17
We were in Monteverde only for 2 days and we enjoyed our meal so much the first day that we just had to go back for lunch the next day. The chicken was tasty and succulent, and the portion size generous. We could see the chickens being roasted on a spit in the kitchen. Raulitoâs versión of chimichurri sauce went very well with the chickenItâs a really casual place, with high chairs at the counter, or a couple of tables at the side. Excellent value for money. It was about CRC 2,875 for chicken with one side (options of papas fritas, arroz or pinto). I had just the chicken with a tortilla and thatâs about CRC 2,300. Service was prompt and the owner, Señor Raul, is really friendly. Totally recommend if you are looking for a tasty, no-fuss meal.
3. Las Piedras Santa Teresa
Overall Ratings
4 based on 307 reviews
Argentinian Open Grill & Restaurant combines Argentinian BBQ with local food. Also offering Cocktails, Vegetarian dishes, seafood, pasta, kids menu, homemade desserts and much more...
Reviewed By Paul J
What a great place to eat. Except for the fact that it was actually too hot inside this restaurant to have dinner (get some fans on the ceilings) everything beside that was perfect. All the meats were authentic and so tender! Great flavours. Recommend this place highly!
Most Popular South American food in Mal Pais, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
2. Restaurante Los Toneles
Overall Ratings
4 based on 154 reviews
This is the Costa Del Sol Hotel Restaurant, we serve all kind of international food, including Costa Rican and Cuban dishes, as well as Bar and Grill.
Reviewed By 954oles
My wife and i were traveling to JRO, for our flight back to Denmark. We stoped for lunch, and were overwheled at the delicious food served in no time, and the enthusiasm of Elmez, Our host and his team. Deffenitely worth a stop. Highly recomend able. Hola! Gracias por visitar nuestro restaurante. Nos agrada mucho saber que les gustó la comida, nuestra consigna ha sido siempre trabajar con eficiencia y eficacia al servicio de nuestros clientes. Nuestra misión es cautivar con la buena comida el gusto de cada comensal y ustedes no fueron la excepción. Gracias por su comentario!
Best Costa Rican food near Mal Pais, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
1. Restaurant Brisas del Lago
Overall Ratings
5 based on 158 reviews
Reviewed By jbt816
We've read many good reviews about Brisas and were really expecting greatness. We arrived at 1130 but they were still closed. I got the waiters attention and he said they were having some trouble and it would be 12. We waited and after 10 minutes, he opened the doors.I order the chicken with mustard and spinach and my wife ordered a salad with smoked salmon. I was so sad when it was gone. The Dijon mustard sauce was wonderful. The chicken was perfect. I'm sitting here wanting to order again. Prices were very reasonable. More so than at other places around here.The staff was friendly and helpful. I'll be returning!(sorry about the pics, I started wolfing it down before I remembered to take a photo)
Top 10 Seafood food in Mal Pais, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica
