Food & Drink, Playa Junquillal Area
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Unless otherwise noted the below restaurants are nearby
Las Brisas and in the Playa Junquillal area.
SWISS RESTAURANTS
Guacamaya
Lodge has a range of international cuisine
with a specialty in Swiss culinary entrees.
In the Rancho Bar, you can enjoy your favorite cocktail or cool
"cerveza" ($1.40). Your
hosts, Bernie and Alice were Swiss-born but are now long time Costa Rican
residents. This brother and sister team came for a visit and ended up living
here full time. Recommended, as every
year the food seems to get better,
thanks in part to Rosa the Tica chef!
My favorite is the 
fresh
Red Snapper. Shop at the only gift shop
in Playa Junquillal while you are there.
One trip I asked Alice if my WEB page information about her
establishment was OK with her. Her
reply was “It’s nice but I am not first listed!” And they say the Swiss don’t have a sense of humor. Isn’t it amazing what a pretty lady can
accomplish with two free drinks?
VISA (506) 658-8431
http://www.guacamayalodge.com/
AMERICAN STYLE RESTAURANTS
Land
Ho at Villa Serena, as pictured, is run
by a personable U.S. family, John and Olive Murphy with sons John and Trevor,
who also have a restaurant in Cape Cod. The second-floor open-balcony
restaurant overlooks the ocean surf and sunsets. Check the daily black-board specials ($10-$18) for well executed
International, Tico and American dishes.
VISA
(506) 658-8430
Hotel Iguanazul has a
Canadian-owned, international/ seafood restaurant which is popular in the
area. Start with the daily Happy Hour,
where locals and travelers get together to see the amazing sunsets and share
their stories. Roy will keep the
glasses filled! VISA
(506) 658-8124
Lola’s is a beach bar and
lunch-stand directly on Playa Avellanas and is run by a San Diego, USA
transplant. The owner has quite a
menagerie of adopted friendly critters.
Lola, for example, is the only beach basking, ocean swimming pig I have
ever seen. Howler monkeys in the trees
are not uncommon. We recommend Playa
Avellanas as a beautiful spot to swim, surf and hang out. It also makes a good “19th hole” type stop
on the way back to Las Brisas after golfing or from another activity in the
area.
Pablo
Picasso’s motto: Hamburgers as big as your head with all the ketchup
you can eat. The Grande burger costs $6.12 but as you can see it is very
Grande! Just outside Playa Negro, it
caters to the hungry surfer crowd. Good food, cold beer, fair prices and you
are sure to see or meet someone interesting.
http://pablosplayanegra.com/bar.html
La
Vida Buena is a new restaurant serving
lunch and dinner. Also featured is
“Party Night” on the first Saturday of every month. Pictured are a bartender Paola with owners Mike and Jim. Two US born dudes are living their dream;
cooking to support their surfing habit.
The beer is cold and affordable ($1.20). The owners are both helpful and friendly. Pizza, salads, fresh pasta and sandwiches
are their signature menu items. The
fact that Mike worked high end restaurants in the USA before simplifying his
life shows through in the quality and presentation of the food. Even an Italian Sub is something special
here. Located two intersections west of
Play Negra. Food, drink, a friendly
atmosphere and local advice; it’s a one stop shop.
Cabinas
Las Olmas Bar y Restaurante in Playa Avellanas is basically a rest
stop for the non-budget surfers that frequent the Cabinas. The complex sits near the road but has a
long wooden boardwalk through the mangrove swamp to the beautiful beach. This boardwalk is currently a point of
contention with the Costa Rican government due to a lack of construction
permits. If it’s still there it’s worth
the walk. After a walk one day we spent
a few pleasant hours visiting with a vacationing couple from the U.S.
ITALIAN RESTAURANTS
La Puesta del Sol is reportedly very good, but mucho $$ and has not yet been reviewed by us.
Hotel
Tatanka has a casual, open-air restaurant
with a bar that specializes in gourmet pizzas ($6) from a wood fired oven,
Italian style meals, as well as typical Costa Rican fare. Aña is your hostess most nights while
the Italian owner mans the kitchen. VISA
TIPICO (COSTA RICAN) RESTAURANTS
Rudy's - Steve, Georgina, Gabriel and Javier formally of Playa
Junquillal Hotel (Bernardo's) have moved just up the road and are now working
for a real dog, Rudy. The former site
of Hospedaje El Malinche, Playa Junquillal Pulperia has been totally remodeled
to include a restaurant, bar, gift/souvenir shop and two rooms for rent. Coming soon is WLAN Internet access. Rudy keeps his humans hopping providing good
food, large portions and cold drinks at reasonable prices. Rudy and his coworker dogs Willy and Goldy
will no doubt stop by your table and politely ask for a little sample to be
sure the food and service are up to their standards. That of course unless they are off checking on their other
businesses or just hanging on the beach.
Now open for Breakfast opening a 6:30 featuring espressos and
cappuccinos, Lunch, Dinner or drinks.
Rudy still claims they have “The best fish sandwich in Central
America”. Rudy is offering nightly
dinner specials and themed food nights.
Drop by and ask if any special nights are up coming! The Cervezas ($1.40) are cold for here or to
go. Colones, US Dollars, Visa, Master
Card or traveler checks accepted.
Bernardo's (Playa Junquillal Hotel) is the original Costa
Rican run establishment of this type in Playa Junquillal and is now run by
bartender and Restaurant Manager
Adriana. After a recent remodeling
inspired by the Santa Cruz municipality defining the property line, it no
longer has rooms for rent but is an even a nicer bar & restaurant. It’s a 
good place to meet just
before sunset and party with the locals while watching the sunset from the
beachfront bar. I suggest bringing bug
repellant although. During this time, 5-7PM or so, enjoy special prices;
Cervezas ($1.00) & Mixed Drinks ($1.60).
Costa Ricans and people from all over the world frequent the bar and not
a boring one in the bunch so far. Hey Capitan
Wayne, is that glass ½ full or ½ empty?
Bocas are often served with drinks on weekends. Bocas, or complementary little snacks are a
Costa Rican Bar Tradition. Adriana
tells me ceviche will sometimes be served for “Bocas”, an excellent choice, I’m
in! Lunch, dinner or drinks here is an
unpretentious experience here. For
example, Burritos ($3.90) or Quesadillia ($6.25) washed down with a cold
Cervezas ($1.60). Dean also runs his
beach rental business from here (see the Activities link here). Colones, US Dollars, Visa or Master Card accepted.
+503-658-8432
http://www.playa-junquillal.com/food.htm
Hotel
Playa Negra
This
beach hotel has a large rancho style restaurant and bar over looking a famous
surfer’s beach. Think of it as a Tico non-nuclear cooling tower. The hot air rises and exits at the top,
pulling in cooler air at the bottom.
Try a hamburger and fries ($4.80) while overlooking this famous surf
beach. The Cervezas ($1.60) are cold. The cattle in Costa Rica are free-range
and grass-fed. Although not much good
for tender steaks, the locally raised beef makes a flavorful hamburger. VISA
(506)
658 – 8034
Restaurante Las Tucas, Rio Seco It can’t get any more rustic-authentic than this. When our
party of 8 adults arrived without notice, the family of about 12 were sitting
around a big table and talking. We were
shown a table and drink orders were taken. The whole family, except Grandpa who
supervised the activities, jumped to action.
The cooking was done entirely on a custom molded cement wood-fired
stove. Every pot had a hole to fit
in. We had 8 very good meals of red
snapper or smoked pork, 8 grande and 7 normal-sized cervezas which came to a
total of about $42 or about $7 per person.
Watch for the signs on the right 3km outside of Paraíso, on the road to Santa Cruz, near the right turn to
Play Nosara and points south. (Please
keep this place our top secret!)
Chayita’s Just outside of
Paraíso, on the road to Santa Cruz before the large tire marking a “gas
station”. A new authentic Tico Soda
featuring typico food. Marvel at the
football (soccer) “pinball” machines.
Try a Casado (Married Man) which consists of a meat of choice, salad,
beans, rice and plaintains a great deal at $3.50. . The Cervezas ($1.26) are
cold.
Bar
y Restaurant Latino Just outside of Pargos, which is just North
West of Paraíso. As one local
patron, Jeremy, put it this is the locals restaurant for the area. While we were there Mike, part owner of La
Vida Buena, stopped in for a beer which added credence to the claim. MacDonald Espmoza (pictured with tourists
Lynn & Harlene) serves up local favorites with many choices favoring sea
food as an ingredient. While there I
got my ceviche de Pescado fix ($4.00).
There were seven of us in our party and everyone seemed to enjoy the
meal and the evening.
GERMAN RESTAURANTS
The
Hibiscus has
friendly German owner, Rainer, who offers a restaurant specializing in
fresh seafood and German fare served with European class. Meals are custom prepared, so call a day in
advance for a reservation or stop by and plan the menu with him. Some German dishes require more preparation
and hence more than one day advance notice.
We took a party of 13 which is about the largest crowed he likes to
serve. The multi-coursed dinner set us
back about $20 a couple plus drinks.
VISA (506) 658-8437
Hotel
El Castillo Divertido is owned by the
friendly, German expatriate Pauly and his charming Tico wife Sylvia. Pauly, a musician, cooks breakfast and
dinner in the restaurant and hosts parties on the roof-top bar usually on
Tuesday night. Pauly is also a Tico
jukebox of sorts, put in a cerveza and out comes the teak wood guitar and a
song. Stop by to make reservations
ahead. VISA
http://www.costarica-adventureholidays.com/ (506) 658-8428
GROCERIES/ SUPPLIES (and restaurants for when you shop)
Unlike
other tropical destinations, groceries are very affordable on the whole. Fruit in season is incredibly low cost. But try to buy Costa Rican brands to avoid
imported goods, which can cost more than in the exporting nations. We tend to buy supplies for breakfasts, some
lunches and dinners. Hard to believe,
but with wise shopping, eating at home can cost even less than the already low
dining out costs. On your way to Las
Brisas it might be wise to stop for at least staples but keep in mind that many
stores are closed on Sunday.
The
Mini Super Junquillal is a welcome addition to our community. Considering they just opened this small
store it has a wide variety of items, even olive oil, which is a rare find in
rural Costa Rica. I guess this is not
surprising as the Owner, Loris to the left in the picture, is Italian. Günter who is helping in getting the
store running tells me they are going to keep the prices competitive with the
stores in Santa Cruz. Internet access
is also available for a fee. As one Las
Brisas owner puts it, “It is great.
Prices are reasonable. We have
found that we do not need to go into Santa Cruz as often with this new store
here. They also carry breads from the
German bakery.” So shop “downtown”
Playa Junquillal and save the drive.
Christian
the fish guy usually stop by Las Brisas in their
truck late Fridays. Tell fellow Las
Brisas guests and owners to inform you when they arrive. We got about 1Lb of marlin and 1 Lb of jumbo
shrimp for about $11.00. Ask to see
what they have, so you can pick the freshest.
Very little English spoken.
Bring a flashlight and calculator.
The
German Bakery Truck sometimes stops by Las
Brisas on Wednesday. Look and listen
for a Tico driven little brown pickup driving circles in the parking lot
blowing its horn.
Paraíso
Pulperias are
10 minutes from Playa Junquillal. Watch
out or you may pay the special “Gringo” prices (higher).
Santa
Cruz Outdoor Farmer’s Market on the main Square.
Every
Saturday morning the local farmers erect stands and sell their produce and
wares and almost everyone comes to shop.
This is a better place to buy fruits and produce than in the stores. Bring a calculator so the locals can type in
the prices for you, assuming that you need help with your Spanish numbers. Shopping here is part of the vacation
adventure as you stock up on food. Don’t
miss this one! Bring you camera
but try to not look like too much of a tourist while you shop. Colones in small denominations work the
best.
Licorere
Sky, Santa Cruz specializes in beer, wine and liquors. It has a larger selection but not much lower
prices than most grocery stores. It is located a few blocks down the main road into Santa Cruz and about 50
minutes from Playa Junquillal. Imperial
(light $.60/12oz), Pilsner, Bavaria (dark) and Heineken are locally brewed very
good cervezas. Chilean wines seem to be the best choice in Costa Rica and Old
Abuelo Ron (old grandfather rum $5.50/liter) from Panama is our favorite
Liquor!
The Beers of Costa Rica
http://www.florida.co.cr/english/brands.htm
SuprCompro,
Santa Cruz (grocery store) in a new and
expanded building is located in the south eastern part of town near the bus
stop. Guillermo, the very tall Tico and ex Floridian manager gives an extra
special welcome and help to Gringos.
VISA
Super
Mercado, Santa Cruz (grocery store) center of town on the main street VISA
KION,
Santa Cruz (grocery store) center of town
on the main street VISA
Pali,
Santa Cruz (warehouse style grocery store)
north central part of town. The parking
area and store are enclosed by a chain-linked fence.
The
Santa Cruz Market
Look
for a green building at the NW corner of the park where the Saturday market is
held. Because “everyone” knows where
this is they feel no need for a sign on the building. This place has a small central market feel. It has a wider selection of good fresh
produce than the Santa Cruz grocery stores if you miss the Saturday
market. There is also a butcher in this
building but the lack of refrigeration scares me just a bit.
Motel,
Bar, Restaurant El Marriono, Santa Cruz is
a good spot for an affordable, tipico lunch break in a clean, modern, open-air
restaurant. We like to relax and eat
lunch here after a morning of shopping in Santa Cruz. Bring your Spanish to English dictionary as the menus and service
staff might speak Spanish exclusively.
Try the Casado – Gallo Pinto (rice & beans), cabbage salad, plantain and meat of choice ($4) or a
traditional ceviche (lime juice marinated seafood) or hearts of palm salad
($2.50). Located in the central western
part of town.
Restaurant
Marisqueria Mimoii, Santa Cruz
This
restaurant is located two blocks into town from the traffic light on the
right. Tipico food, generous portions,
reasonable prices and efficient service.
Jairo our waiter worked for a time in the States, so ordering in English
is no problemo. Chef Maraly and
bartender Otto provided excellent service with those smiles. Either the hearts of palm salad ($3.30) or
the shrimp marinated in lime juice with garlic, onions and sweet peppers A.K.A.
Shrimp Ceviche ($5.20) were alone large enough to be called lunch so don’t over
order. VISA
Nicoya downtown with many shops is minutes down the road from
Santa Cruz on the route to San Jose.
Liberia downtown is about 10 minutes from the Liberian
International airport and 1 hour and 50 minutes away from Playa Junquillal.
It’s possible pick up supplies after landing but before heading to Playa
Junquillal.
El Fogón is minutes north from
the Liberian airport on the right.
Between us, someone forgot to tell these guys that airport food is
suppose to be both expensive and of poor quality. This is the real deal complete with a huge wood-fired cast iron
stove. The pictured large lunch for
four including beer, wine and 10% tip was a very reasonable $43. When flying out I leave for the airport
early. Barring flat tires or other
problems, I burn the extra time having a nice meal here. Sure beats the airplane food these
days! For that matter, stop whenever
you are in the area and hungry.
Super
Compro, Plaza 25 DE Julio, Liberia. This market has a slightly better selection
of groceries than those in Santa Cruz.
Park right in front. Beware of
the kids hustling for a $1 to push your cart 12 feet. Don’t encourage this behavior or Costa Rica will turn into the
dreaded Jamaica. VISA
Visiting
Playa Tamarindo for fun or trinket shopping? You can pick up basic supplies at the Super Mercado Langosta
near the Barceló Playa Langosta Resort.
The prices are higher her however.
Las
Brisas del Mar beachfront vacation condo for rent in Playa Junquillal,
Guanacaste, Costa Rica !
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rights reserved 2003-2008 Tiempo de Playa S.A. (Translation: Beach Time Inc.)
