Dave Caywood/April/2009

This is a list of my favorites in order of preference as of January 2009:DC

1: La Dolce Vita, $$$$ (2682 0107) Leaving town heading back to Nicoya, La Dolce Vita can be found on the right passed the Nosara Yoga Institute. Roberto, the owner, is right out of central casting. Born, raised and in some respects never left Italy, Roberto is as attentive to service as the food is original Italian. The menu is not as deep as you would expect elsewhere put the quality is superb across the board. Like most restaurants in Costa Rica, La Dolce Vita is outside but unlike any other, it is decked out in Fellini and Bergman movie memorabilia from the 1960’s. Call for a reservation and to save some $$take your own wine.  Closed Wednesday, but call just the same. Cash only

June 2008: We visit La Dolce Vita two or three times a year and the service and food never vary from the standard we have come to expect. One night Robert was not there and the place ran as well, if not better than we he is there. I think this is a first in the restaurant business. The menu is a little fragmented but across the board it is so good that no one dish stands out from the rest. DC

2: Lagarta Lodge, $$$$(2682 0035) Lagarta is located right up the hill from Playa Pelada’s northern entrance and overlooks the Rio Nosara as it flows into the Pacific Ocean. This is a popular place to have a cocktail and watch the sun go down. After it sets walk over to the restaurant and enjoy the last of the twilight. The owners are Swiss/German and they will be the first people you meet when you walk in and more than likely your servers as well. This is a classic example of the owner making the restaurant. Run like a Swiss watch with a menu as grand as the view. Make your reservation early. Closed during the off season. Never hurts to call. Credit cards accepted.

January 2008: This restaurant is for special evenings and great service. The seafood tends to be a favorite and there is the obvious Bavarian influence. Go for the sunset, stay for dinner.  DC

3: Marlin Bill's $$ (2682 0458) South Guiones Beach, Main road up on the hill. Huge view! This restaurant is best appreciated at sunset as it looks out over the Pacific. Little Angie makes the place want to smile, runs the show and seems to be everywhere. Marlin Bill's has perhaps the better service in town. The fresh fish of the day and the rest of the menu are posted on a board that is propped up next to your table and changes every day/hour/minute. The decor is decidedly fishy, with a mounted marlin, fish murals, and a photo wall of happy fishers and their prize catches. There is usually a sporting event on the TV in the bar area. If you are scared of heights, do not sit by the railing!

October 2007, I landed in Liberia and proceeded to drive to Nosara. With the torrential rains, bridges were wiped out and the two hour drive took five hours. When we I got to Nosara it was night and the town was rolled up for the off season. 9:00 at night, wet, tired, hungry and accompanied by my mother, I looked for a place that was open. Out of the blackest of nights, high above, there was a fully lit Marlin Bill’s. Best damn meal I ever had. Mom liked the Martinis! She tried them all!  DC

June 2008, Like a bad habit we were back and nothing has changed but the weather. Angie remembered me and my wife was blown away as this was her first time there. Surprisingly the beef and pork are actually very good here. Quite a feat in CR. DC

January 2009, The chicken primavera has been added to the high season menu and is already a favorite. If you ever need any local information, advice or are in need of anything regarding the locals, just go sit at the bar at Marlin Bills.

DC/Jan/09

NEW 4: Sarafina:  $$: (2682 0287) Playa Pelada, Located in the hotel Refugio del Sol across form Ponchos. Sarafina is a boutique restaurant run by Steve & Sarah who are deeply involved is every aspect of the experience. With only 6 tables the service is suburb and the setting natural. The menu varies but the curry dishes are suburb and while the selection of appetizers is limited, all of them are worth coming back for. Sarah is the chef and no matter how much they wrap her in an apron her beauty and charm arrive at your table before she does.

January 2009, Quiet, romantic and reasonably priced. DC

NEW 5: Casa Romantica: $$ (2682 0019) North Guiones Beach  This little Swiss enclave is right on the beach and a bit hard to find but worth it.  The menu has a very wide verity of Fish, beef, chicken, pasta and quite a few dishes not found elsewhere in Nosara.

January 2009, Call for a reservation as they only have 8 tables. Stacy, the server was just off the boat/plane from Switzerland after a two week Spanish immersion course in San Jose and be sure and eat all of your vegetables or that cute little Stacy will fuss at you. Who said the Swiss are boring? DC

6: Café de Paris: $$ (2682 0087) South Guiones beach down from Marlin Bills on the corner. Serving up true French fare in a European standard has made this a favorite for those looking for breakfast, lunch or a fine French pastry. You are as likely to find French spoken here as you are Spanish and English. Small, yet accommodating and a bit hard to find unless you are looking for it. Has high speed inter net access, wireless too.

June 2008, Great quick stop for lunch on your way out of town. Fresh French bread, always a good sign. Be careful, there is a 12 step program for those indulging in their fresh pastries! Big screen TV usually has a football match on it. Football, as in soccer. DC

January 2009, There is also an internet café and bakery. The dinner menu is almost as good as the pastries selection and the service supurb.DC

 7: The Gilded Iguana, $$ (2682 0259) Located at the northern entrance to Playa Guiones. Skip their breakfasts and head to the Gilded Iguana for lunch or dinner. The lunch menu consists of the typical (but good) sandwiches and burgers. The dinner menu features fresh seafood (whatever was caught that morning) and is outstanding! The walls of this open air restaurant are coved with graffiti from people who have passed through the hotel or restaurant. It's also a good place if you need a baseball or NFL fix as the TV is usually has a game on. On Tuesday nights they have live music, bluegrass and whoever else shows up. (Always call before going if you expect live music) The food is reasonably priced, delicious and a good bargain. Not dirt cheap, but affordable. There is a board with the catch of the day and the many ways it can be prepared. Absolutely the freshest seafood in town.

June 2008, When the tuna are on the reef just outside the port of Garza, this is the place to come. Can’t recall anyone ever ordering anything else but fish for dinner here. DC

January 2009, Patty finally decided that if she could not sell the place ($1,200,000) she would at least let some youngsters run it and as of November 2008 the Gilded Iguana is under new management. The menu has been expanded and the service is still as good as ever. Tuesday night rocks with Jungle Joe and company. (Jungle garage band) Must see. DC

8: Harbor Reef Lodge $$+ (2682 1000) South Guiones Beach, Great food but a bit hard to find. This restaurant has a great bar with some of the best looking bartenders in CR and they have heard it all! Fish Tacos are popular and the place is very well run and the menu is perhaps the most varied. With off street parking and the feel of an older Hawaiian resort, Harbor Reef is a popular Gringo hang out. Music on certain nights. Call for more information. Please do not feed the critters! (One thing to consider, there is only one menu for both lunch and dinner, so if you were expecting a reasonable lunch this might be a place to over look.)

 June 2008, Fish tacos are about as good as it gets.  DC

9: Poncho’s Mexican Restaurant $ (2682 0591) As you drive to the town of Nosara, at the five corners intersection take a 180 degree left hand turn toward Playa Pelada. Pancho’s is 300 meters down on the left. The food at Ponchos is great and about the best bargain in town. With plenty of outside seating you can always get a table. Service varies but the quality of the food does not. The full time Gringo community hangs out here and the small grocery store next to it has all of the staples you need and a good deli as well.

June 2008, Talk about cheap eats. No wonder the gringos have this place covered up. Don’t be surprised if some of the patrons are only wearing a pair of short as  many are perhaps just returning from surfing Playa Pelada down by Olga's. Winos can buy a bottle of vino next door at the bodega and  have it for dinner. Wife still talks about the Burrito with green sauce. DC

January 2009, Steve the owner went down the road to the Red Lion (Closed in 2006) and bought the pizza oven and is not making the best in town. DC

10: Giardino Tropicale $+ (2682 0258) Located on the main road at the first turn off for the northern entrance to Guiones Beach. This is a family pizza/pasta restaurant that is owned and operated by Ticos. It is a huge hang out of local families and the food is as good as the service is fast. Gringos, Ticos and Pasta. A good mix at affordable prices.

June 2008, This is perhaps the most centrally located restaurant in town. Easily mistaken for just a hotel, the food here is not an after thought like some other hotels in town. The menu was quite specific and the pizza fresh. Nice find. DC

11: La Luna, $$ (2682 0122)  Located down past Poncho’s on Playa Pelada. If you are staying at Playa Pelada it may actually be quicker to walk down the beach than to drive. Can’t beat the location and or the sunsets. Best described as a Balkan seafront structure with a Key West menu. The food is posted on the board by the door to the bar and varies somewhat from night to night. Very reasonable priced and very busy in the high season.

June 2008, Sadly La Luna is having some issues with consistency. The owner/operator had a child or two and the service and quality of the food has varied. There is talk of a very competent couple taking it over. DC

January 2008, The rumor of a young couple taking over La Luna was squashed when Mat and his wife took over the Gilded Iguana. This gem sadly sways in the wind of excellence and mediocrity. DC

12: Rancho Tico (CLOSED as of Jan/09) $+ (2682 0006) Located in the town of Nosara on the left just before the curve to the right. This is a local restaurant serving the finest in local Fare. The kitchen is spotless yet the front door is very unassuming. Don’t be intimidated to eat at a Tico restaurant. This is a family atmosphere with large tables in a very large room. The menu is in English and the waiter probably a former exchange student looking to get back to Miami. The menu never seems to end and there is a full bar. The place is much bigger than it looks from the outside and is popular with the gringos living full time in Nosara.

June 2008, When I first walked through the door I was pleasantly surprised as the front door gave off the appearance of some of the bars down on the US/Mexico border. Inside could not be cleaner and more organized. The food was great all around the table and I would not doubt that the kitchen the cleanest of all of them. Check your stereotypes at the door. Que Pasa, Amigo DC

January 2009, We do not know what happened but out of the blue the doors failed tot open. DC

13: L’Acquaviva, $$$$ (2682 1087) Located on the main road before you get to the five corner intersection on the left. L’Acquaviva is a hotel/resort built around a never ending pool over shadowed by a temple of Polynesian influence. Offering a complete menu and a very deep wine list, fine dinning has come to Nosara in a very unpretentious way. The dinning room is steeped in vaulted bamboo and jute giving off the space of an aircraft hanger and service in Nosara has reached a new level. Eat there or not you have to see this place.

June 2008: This is the newest restaurant, opened in Dec/2007, and will without a doubt be number one once they get a year under their belt.  The kitchen has not matured as fast of the rest of the complex but is easily corrected with the right chef. The food is good but the setting is better. I have driven past this hundreds of times while it was being built and never imagined what they were doing nor did I conceive of  the grand scale of the place all the while still fitting into the Nosara setting. Well done and I'm not talking about my steak! DC/June/2008

January 2009: What a difference 6 months makes. From third place to last! Sat down with the wife and ordered a glass of red wine and when the glass arrived, well let’s just say I have seen more substance in a DNA sample! Insulted, I sent the glass of wine back to the dismay of my wife of 15 years! A family first, refusing alcohol and instead drinking water. When ordering dinner we had to use my Spanish and “medium rare” was not in my high school curriculum. The wife’s steak was fine but my lobster tasted of ammonia, the taste of bad shellfish. In the restaurant world this is considered the shot across the bow. One step short of actual being assaulted. This restaurant saved some money by cutting back on the amount of wine poured per glass and they are stretching the goods as far as they will go and then some. Maybe this explains why we were the only ones in there on a Friday night. Look for the for sale sign then call me as I will not return until the place is turned upside down. A howler monkey could do a better job. By the way went to Marlin Bill’s and had the Chicken Primavera, Marlin Bill’s rocks. L’Acquaviva doesn’t.  DC/Jan/2009

The death of the Blew Dog Bar and Grill: We would like to take a moment and pay our condolences to the loss of the Blew Dog bar and grill. Once the heart and sole of Nosara, the bar where the flag of the unpretentious once flew as high as the patrons is sadly no more. Weakened by a wicked divorce, the Blew Dog was unable to contend with full frontal assault by the yoga militia. This reservoir of memories will be missed by all. Peace offering anyone?