In La Fortuna, two restaurants share a wall. One sells casado for 4,000 CRC. The other fish with sauce for 10,000. Both are worth it. For very different reasons.
La Fortuna
La Fortuna has no shortage of places to eat. Menus in four languages. But a few doors from the noise, two restaurants stand next to each other on the same stretch of pavement. Two completely different lunches.
One is Soda Víquez. The other is Rain Forest Restaurant. They are right next to each other.
Soda Víquez — 4,000 CRC
A nice little place.
Casado — my favourite Costa Rican dish. Rice, black beans, a small salad, fried banana and meat — all on one plate. For 4,000 CRC, roughly ten dollars, this is how half the country eats every day. Not because it is cheap. Because it is good...
Soda — that is what Costa Ricans call small family lunch spots.
Rain Forest Restaurant — 10,000 CRC
Next door is a completely different league. The fish comes with a sauce that clearly took someone some effort, and the fries arrive crisp in a small basket.
For 10,000 CRC, roughly 22 dollars, you get a proper sit-down meal. The fish is fresh, the portion generous. It is not a tourist trap — the prices are still low by any European or North American standard. It just costs more than the place next door.
Why Both Are Worth It
One place gives you cheap, good, classic Costa Rican food. The other something similar but more refined and a little tastier. Both are worth a visit.
Tip: Soda Víquez fills up fast in the evening — arrive before 18:00. Rain Forest is quieter and worth the wait.