San Jose can be an exhausting stop-n-go maze of traffic, people, shops, and construction. There’s also a tremendous choice of restaurants and cafes that are well worth the visit, and something for everyone’s budget.

Because San Jose is rather difficult to traverse, it’s a good idea to not try too hard to go out of your way to find a particular restaurant, but rather look around and ask around in the vicinity of where you’re at. There are thousands of restaurants to choose from in the city, and good food (or an adventure) is never very far away.

A good rule of thumb no matter where you’re eating in San Jose is, eat during the rush. During peak meal times is when you’ll receive the best service, most reliably good food, and the best protection from the most undesirable hazard of traveling: food poisoning. If you follow the crowds and eat during peak meal times, you can rest assured that the food is very recently prepared, that the place’s most experienced cooks are on duty, and that the ingredients have not been sitting too long before your meal arrives at your table. The bigger the crowd, no matter if it’s a suspicious-looking little hole in the wall joint, or an obviously finer restaurant, the better your chances are for a delightful eating experience.

The Mercado Central (Central Market) is full of tiny little lunch counters that serve everything typically Costa Rican. Your best bet for “adventure dining.” Definitely NOT for the faint of heart or slight of stomach, dining in the Mercado Central is very cheap, and is a feather in the cap for the adventure traveler desiring to experience the “real” San Jose. The rule of thumb for eating during the rush particularly applies here. Avoid eating in the Mercado Central during the off-hours. Breakfast is a popular hour for locals who eat in the Mercado. If you’re wanting beer and “bocas” (snacks served with every cold, cheap beer) in the vicinity of the Mercado Central, follow the crowds.

For the best visual experience while dining in San Jose, head to a “mirador,” restaurants located high on the mountainsides of San Jose, often perched precariously into the cliffsides and designed with tremendous panoramic windows, where you get a fantastic view of the city. Sunset and night-time are the most popular hours for mirador dining, as the Central Valley is transformed into a sea of twinkling lights below you. Any taxi driver can take you to a mirador with just that word of request, and the best known miradors are not necessarily your best bet. They will be a lot more expensive than the rustic family-run places that the locals frequent. The buses heading over the mountains of Desamparados towards Asseri pass directly by several notable and less expensive miradors. Be sure and let the driver know you want to get off at a “mirador”. New Years’ is probably the most notable time to visit one, as the fireworks in the Central Valley is a sight to see, however reservations are mandatory and must be made up to a year or two in advance.

To find the most popular restaurants among the locals in San Jose, your best bet is to get into a taxi and ask the driver. All Costa Rican cab drivers have their favorite restaurants where they have gone with their families for years, and will happily deliver you somewhere which will very likely be a true delight.

Other popular, longstanding eateries exist in every part of San Jose. The Grand Hotel’s sidewalk restaurant is open 24 hours and is San Jose’s traditional spot for people-watching right in the cultural district. Inside the Teatro Nacional right alongside the Grand Hotel houses a very unique and elegant café with a memorable interior. Barrio Amon on the northern side of San Jose is unofficially San Jose’s historic district, and is home to the very popular Café Mundo, Grano de Oro, and a myriad of other restaurants located in converted, historic old homes with pleasant courtyards, enclosed gardens, and quaint interiors.

Just north of Barrio Amon is El Pueblo, which any taxi driver in the city will know. El Pueblo is like a tiny little town in itself, with over fifty restaurants, discos, and shops, and is a very popular late night destination for young locals.

San Pedro on the east side of San Jose is home to the University of Costa Rica, and there are many restaurants, cafes, and bars that cater to the student demographic. Unique, affordable, and lively restaurants, bars, and clubs can be found in San Pedro. Follow the crowds.

San Jose possesses an unofficial Asian district south of Central San Jose, centering around what’s called the Paseo de los Estudiantes, where numerous Chinese and Asian-fusion restaurants are found, including the highly popular Tin-Jo and Don Wang, located next door to one another on Calle 11.

For all-night partying of the utmost indulgence, “Gringo Gulch” is the nickname for the area surrounding Parque Morazan, where San Jose’s Holiday Inn sits on its northern side. A district of all-night bars, casinos, and clubs, there’s also plentiful eats as well.

Paseo Colon is home to numerous old favorites, including Lubnan (Middle-Eastern favorite, complete with belly dancing and Turkish coffee), and Le Monasteire (French gourmet). Continue heading west, and you arrive at Sabana Park, home to the historical retro Costa Rican café Soda Tapia, as well as numerous highly popular Costa Rican restaurants on the northern side of the park and a couple of North American favorites on the south side of the park.

Costa Rica’s favorite seafood restaurant is undoubtably the chain La Princesa del Mar, with several locations around the capital. Costa Rica is not noted for particularly good steaks, however, they certainly can be found. For the best steaks, the general opinion is, any of the myriad of Argentinian steakhouses, and, incredibly so, Hospital CIMA in Escazu has received tremendous reviews for their restaurant’s steaks, which are produced especially for the facility.

The area west of San Jose is considered to be the hottest place for the best restaurants in the Central Valley, although it is not the Costa Rican middle class to which they cater. Escazu is a hotbed for restaurants of every kind, due to being San Jose’s most crowded and booming high-end area for residential development. Restaurant turnover is very high, but it is worth making a visit if you are on the search for a wide variety of choices and don’t mind paying for a finer meal. On the freeway across from Hospital CIMA in Escazu is Plaza Itzcatzu, where there’s a range of restaurants that have proven highly popular. Continuing west from Escazu towards Santa Anna on the “old road” you will find some of the most hailed restaurants in the Central Valley (among foreigners). Again, higher priced, but the choices are many.