What are the main staples of Costa Rican cuisine?

Costa Rican cuisine primarily features rice, beans, vegetables, fruits, and various meats as its core staples, known for their generally tasty preparation.

What traditional breakfast dishes are popular in Costa Rica?

Popular traditional Costa Rican breakfast dishes include Huevos rancheros, featuring fried eggs with a spicy tomato sauce, and Gallo pinto, a staple mix of rice, black beans, spices, and cilantro. Both are often served with bacon, steak, or sausage.

What are some common lunch and dinner meals in Costa Rica?

For lunch and dinner, popular Costa Rican dishes include Casado, a plate with meat, rice, beans, salad, and fried plantains; Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken); Empanadas; Tamales; and Sopa Negra (black bean soup). Ceviche is also a popular seafood side.

Are there any specific considerations for ordering bacon or sausage in Costa Rica?

In Costa Rica, bacon is typically not crispy, so it's advisable to request it crispy if preferred. Sausage is generally prepared more like a traditional hot dog.

What is the food like in Costa Rica?

Good to Know

Costa Rican cuisine centers on flavorful staples like rice, beans, vegetables, fruits, and meats, offering a delightful culinary journey. Popular breakfast dishes include Huevos rancheros and Gallo pinto, while lunch and dinner feature iconic plates such as Casado, Arroz con pollo, and Empanadas. Visitors can also find familiar American or European options, alongside refreshing natural juices and local beverages.

The main staples of Costa Rican food are rice, beans, vegetables, fruits and meats. The food is generally tasty and comes in several popular variants. You can also usually find traditional American or European style plates on most menus.

Traditional breakfast meals

Huevos rancheros

Huevos rancheros is a typical dish with fried eggs covered with a spicy tomato based sauce. It is often served with bacon, steak or sausage and gallo pinto.

Gallo pinto

Gallo pinto is a staple of the Costa Rican diet. It is a mixture of rice and black beans along with spices and cilantro. It is often served with sausage, bacon or steak.

A warning to bacon or sausage lovers

Bacon is good in Costa Rica, but almost never crispy. If you like crispy bacon, inform your server in advance. Sausage is usually more like a traditional hot dog in the United States.

Traditional lunch and dinner

Casado

The most popular Costa Rican dish is a casado. This is a plate with a basic meat, rice and beans, salad and usually fried plantains.

Arroz con pollo

Arroz means rice and pollo means chicken. Put the two together along with some vegetables, cilantro and spices and you have one of the most popular and tasty dishes in Costa Rica, arroz con pollo. Restaurants usually offer variants of this dish, with the most popular being arroz con camarones (camarones means shrimp).

Empanadas

Empanadas are a fried pastry that can be filled with chicken or pork, rice and beans or potatoes.

Tamales

Tamales are made of a mixture of corn meal and meat or vegetables that usually comes wrapped in a banana leaf. This is a traditional meal for Christmas, but also common on the menu.

Ceviche

Ceviche is a popular side in Costa Rica. It is a seafood salad marinated in citrus juice. Though it is often sold in plastic cups by sidewalk vendors, we do not recommend buying it this way. We only recommend buying ceviche from established restaurants.

Sopa Negra

This is a black bean soup that you will find on most menus

Arreglados

These are sandwiches filled with your choice of meat (actually, whatever the restaurant has to offer that day).

Bistec

This is the word for steak. Similar to many other countries, steak is a common dinner dish.

Drinks

Most restaurants serve a variety of natural juices, sodas, water, beer or wine.

Frequently Asked Questions Index Page

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main staples of Costa Rican cuisine?: Costa Rican cuisine primarily features rice, beans, vegetables, fruits, and various meats as its core staples, known for their generally tasty preparation.
What traditional breakfast dishes are popular in Costa Rica?: Popular traditional Costa Rican breakfast dishes include Huevos rancheros, featuring fried eggs with a spicy tomato sauce, and Gallo pinto, a staple mix of rice, black beans, spices, and cilantro. Both are often served with bacon, steak, or sausage.
What are some common lunch and dinner meals in Costa Rica?: For lunch and dinner, popular Costa Rican dishes include Casado, a plate with meat, rice, beans, salad, and fried plantains; Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken); Empanadas; Tamales; and Sopa Negra (black bean soup). Ceviche is also a popular seafood side.
Are there any specific considerations for ordering bacon or sausage in Costa Rica?: In Costa Rica, bacon is typically not crispy, so it's advisable to request it crispy if preferred. Sausage is generally prepared more like a traditional hot dog.