The Restaurant

The Mirador Quetzal, as our restaurant is known, boasts a delectable menu that strives to fuse international culinary trends with local cuisine. To ensure that our visitors enjoy only the very best Costa Rican fare we regularly update our menu. Visitors to Poas Lodge may choose to have their meals in the restaurant or to dine elsewhere.

If this is your first time considering Poas accommodation, it is probably a good idea to give you a little introduction to what constitutes Costa Rican cuisine. First off, no discussion about Costa Rican food would be complete without mentioning Gallo Pinto. A combination of black beans and rice, this dish is frequently referred to as comida tipica (which translates to ‘typical food’) and forms the backbone of most meals. A typical breakfast, for instance, will include Gallo Pinto, scrambled or fried eggs, a side of cooked plantains (a fruit that resembles the banana but cannot be eaten raw, which has a delicious sweet flavour when fried or baked), a tortilla, orange juice and some coffee from a Costa Rica coffee plantation

Towards midday, meals become a lot more interesting. The typical Costa Rican midday meal is called Casado, which translates to ‘married’ and denotes a balanced meal that strives to combine all the vital food groups to provide filling and nutritious sustenance. This meal normally includes more Gallo Pinto, a serving of protein such as meat, fish or pork, some cheese and a helping of cabbage, carrot and tomato salad.

The evening meal is usually small and light, as the locals [affectionately known as Ticos] normally follows the tradition of making lunch their main meal of the day.

The following list will provide you with a good reference of further typical Costa Rican dishes and foodstuffs:

Soups and stews:

Olla de carne, a hearty and filling goulash prepared from potatoes, carrots, plantains, yucca, chayote (a type of vegetable pear) and beef.
Sopa Negra, a simple but nourishing black bean soup.
Sopa de mondongo, a robust soup prepared from seasonal vegetables and tripe
Guiso de maíz, a corn stew.

Indigenous fruit:

The fruits most commonly available at Costa Rican markets include papayas, mangoes, watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, blackberries, lemons, guavas, passion fruit and avocado.

Meat and fish:

The most commonly available meat staple served at Costa Rica lodges and Costa Rica villas is roast pork.
Chicken is also popular and often roasted over coffee wood to give it a delicious smoky flavour.
Steaks are served at most restaurants and the majority of Ticos prefer them be cooked until well-done.
Fresh seafood is readily available in most coastal towns, but shrimp and lobster are on offer throughout the country.
Fish favourites include Sea Bass, Dorado and Swordfish.

Deserts and sweet offerings:

Capuchino, despite sounding similar to the frothy coffee drink we all know and love, is actually an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate.
Cajeta de coco, yummy fudge prepared from coconut, tapa dulce and orange peel.
Tapa dulce, a type of brown sugar that is indigenous to Costa Rica and sold in a solid form.
Tres leches, the national desert of Costa Rica, a three-layered flan.

These are just a few of the delicious treats that await you in sunny Costa Rica. So make sure that you squeeze in a few culinary adventures between lounging at your Costa Rica lodge and making the best of every San José tour.

(Please note that meals are not included in the room price. If you would like to arrange for food to be included, please inquire when you make your booking and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements.)