31 Best Restaurants in Uvita and Dominical, Costa Rica

Wherever we travel, we love hunting for cool restaurants. Of course, we love to share our findings with you after we become familiar with a destination and its food scene. Having visited the Costa Ballena area of Costa Rica several times over the past 5 years, in this article, we bring to you a list of 31 best restaurants in Uvita and Dominical.

Note: This article was first published in 2020. Since then it is continuously updated whenever we try new restaurants in Uvita and Dominical. Last updated: April 2023.

If you are looking for things to do in Uvita and Dominical, check out our Costa Ballena guide.

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Do you have Monteverde and Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on your Costa Rica itinerary? Check out our restaurant guides for those destinations.

• Best Restaurants in Monteverde
• Best Restaurants and Cafes in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

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Restaurants in Uvita

The South Pacific part of Costa Rica is less touristy compared to the rest of the country. Still, Uvita is one destination that draws the maximum amount of tourists in Costa Ballena.

Its unique attraction of a whale’s tail formation on the beach (check out our Whale’s Tail video below) and good opportunities of whale watching can cement Uvita’s place in your South Pacific Costa Rica itinerary.

When in Uvita, you will find some nice dining options, varying greatly in the cuisine on offer. Here are some of our recommendations for Uvita restaurants (ordered alphabetically).

Aracari Restaurant

• Cuisine: Local gourmet
• Go here for: View of Whale’s Tail, Sunset view, Birding opportunities, Ocean view
• Google Maps Location: La Cusinga Road, Osa

Aracari Resturant offers a stunning sunset view of the Pacific Ocean and the Whale’s Tail. But sunset view is not the only good part of Aracari. The restaurant serves tasty dishes created carefully from locally sourced fresh produce. When we visited, Indranil ordered a good old casado and I asked for a fish sandwich. Both of us were happy with our orders as they satisfied our hunger as well as appetite.

Aracari Restaurant is the in-house restaurant of La Cusinga Lodge. Next to the restaurant, there is a big sit-out area overlooking the ocean. But restaurant guests also have access to this area. However, if you choose to stay at this luxury lodge in Uvita, you will have access to this view everyday.

Birding from Aracari Restaurant

Although we did not stay at La Cusinga, we definitely enjoyed our meal at the Aracari Restaurant. Not just for the food, but for the whole setting of ocean, sunset and birding. Birding opportunities are great in this area. In fact, the restaurant gets its name from its namesake bird, the Aracari Toucan.

We went to Aracari for a late afternoon lunch. But we lingered around for much longer, for the sunset and for photographing tanagers, toucans and hummingbirds. The waiter who had served us during our meal, walked up to us, called me and pointed me to a couple of Aracari Toucans that had just flew in to a tree nearby. Needless to say, we loved this gesture by the waiter as much as we loved seeing the Fiery-billed Aracari Toucan bathe in sunset glow.

2023 Update: Since our first visit to Aracari restaurants, we have been there many more time. On some occasions, to sip on cocktails at the ocean view deck, while on others, to explore their onsite trails. We have always had a good experience with them.

Aroma a Cafe

• Cuisine: Cafe food and typical Costa Rican
• Go here for: Relaxed atmosphere, Good food at reasonable price
• Google Maps Location: 100 meters north of BCR in Uvita town center

Aroma a Cafe, located on one side of the Ruta 34 highway, does not wear any gloss or glamor, yet has a lovely feel to it. We went to this cafe in Uvita on a hot summer afternoon and sat ourselves at one of the neatly spaced out tables. While the air from the ceiling fan above us refreshened us, we gazed at the trees next to the highway, spotting toucans and monkeys.

On their menu, you can find salads, sandwiches, burgers, quesadillas and wraps, some local favorite bar foods like chifrijo, chicken wings and chicken/fish fingers, and the regular typical Costa Rican dishes like casados. For drinks, you can choose from a variety of smoothies, coffees and some beers. Given that Aroma a Cafe is not just a cafe, but also a bakery, you may want to try some of their desserts.

Indranil ordered a classic burger with a passionfruit smoothie, while I chose a fish wrap. Both the dishes were freshly-made with good ingredients and tasted delicious. Also, much to our liking, both plates came with servings of fries on the side! The passionfruit smoothie was refreshing. We were too full to try their desserts, May be, next time?

In this age of accelerating prices in Uvita in 2023, Aroma a Cafe still serves great food at reasonable prices.

Fair warning though, the food takes forever to arrive! So, this may not be the best place to go to when you are starving. Choose Aroma a Cafe for a relaxed breakfast or brunch or coffee.

Beehive Mediterranean Restaurant Bar and Boutique

• Cuisine: Mediterranean
• Go here for: Healthy food, Birding opportunity, Swimming pool
• Google Maps Location: 300 meters north of the gas station in Uvita town

Beehive Mediterranean Restaurant Bar and Boutique serves delicious yet healthy food. As the name suggests, they specialize in Mediterranean cuisine. Located conveniently on the highway near main town, it should be a must try restaurant in Uvita for visitors.

But before getting our main plates, we started off with an order of hummus and pita to share. As we waited for our order, we looked for birds from the open balcony because the elevated position of the restaurant gives an eye level view of the lower forest canopy.

I ordered a chicken breast marinated in a special sauce made with yogurt, lemon zest and herbs. The dish was served with some lemon herb potatoes on the side. I totally relished this flavorful dish and can easily say that this is one of the best chicken breast dishes I have ever had.

Indranil had ordered their house burger. The big burger with a grilled beef patty was served with sweet potato fries and pickles on the side. Indranil says the burger actually tasted ‘healthy’. Whatever that means! You have got to ask Indranil. I guess it could be because of evidently less use of oil, or four slices of sweet potato fries on the plate instead of a bucket full of deep fried french fries.

Falafel Uvita

• Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
• Go here for: Falafels and Hummus
• Google Maps Location: On the road to the National Park entrance

If you are looking to taste some Mediterranean flavors in Uvita, look further than Falafel Uvita. A 4-minute walk from the Uvita beach sector of the Marino Ballena National Park, this place is good for grabbing a quick bite or a light lunch.

Their menu is small but features the Middle Eastern delights like shawarma, falafel, schnitzel, sabich and kebab. For your pick of the dish, you can either choose it to be served as a main or as a filling inside a pita pocket. Both options come with fresh salad, hummus and french fries on the side. If you choose your dish as a main, you will get pita bread on the side. They also have various flavors of hummus on the menu that you can order seperately.

For our meal at Falafel Uvita, both of us ordered falafel pita. As you can figure from Indranil’s expression in the photo here, we relished the flavors of dish.

P.S: Falafel Cafe in Samara still remains our top favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in a beach town.

Five Maes

• Cuisine: Burgers
• Go here for: Good burgers, Super fast service
• Google Maps Location: Pacific Pools Building

Five Maes is the most unassuming of restaurants in Uvita, but they toss up some fantastic burgers.

With no WiFi at the restaurant, they even have the classic “talk to each other” signage on the wall. And while you are looking at the walls, do not miss out the large world map with pins on all the places from where they have had customers. We were surprised to see more than 1 pin on the map of India!

The menu at Five Maes offers a variety of burgers, from the classic hamburger and cheeseburger, to interesting takes like teriyaki burger with grilled pineapple and handmade veggie burger. You can custom create your burger order by choosing the toppings, some for free, some as add-ons. Apart from burgers, they also have various options for chicken wings and hand-cut fries.

We ordered the classic hamburgers with our choice of toppings. They arrived in almost no time and tasted yummy.

What we did not like about Five Maes is that, the burgers do not come with the fries on the side. You have to buy your portion of fries separately. But we do realize that some people may like that, as the pricing becomes a steal deal.

Gelato Artesanal Uvita

• Cuisine: Dessert!
• Go here for: Artesanal ice-creams, Vegan ice-creams
• Google Maps Location: Next to Sibu Cafe in Uvita

Don’t we all have a weak spot for ice-creams? Gelato Artesanal in Uvita has just the right offerings for your ice-cream cravings. They serve gelatos made with natural, organic ingredients. Even if you are looking for vegan ice-creams, Gelato Artesanal Uvita will not disappoint you.

When you are in Uvita, you may choose to have a relaxing holiday or sign up for the plethora of things to do in this quiet beach town. But whichever be your mode of vacation, relaxing or active, you can always fit in an ice-cream to make your day a bit more snug. And you will have a variety of flavors to choose from at Gelato Artesanal.

Gelato Artesanal Uvita is also owned by Sibu (more about Sibu later in this post).

2023 Update: The interior seating layout at Gelato Artesanal in Uvita is now different. They do not have the divan and cushions kind of seating anymore, like the one you see in the photo below, where Pubali is leaning against the wall. Instead, now there are couple of tables with chairs at the center. While on the walls, they have showcases full of bakery products that you can purchase for takeaway.

Hola India Restaurant Uvita

• Cuisine: Indian
• Go here for: Fine-dining with Indian food in a semi-casual setup
• Google Maps Location: Plaza la Perla del Pacifico

If you are in the mood to try Indian food in Uvita, head to Hola India, the only Indian restaurant in town. Located in a plaza, the restaurant is a small semi-open space, but with aesthetic decor that well depicts the Indian theme. With nice Indian music playing in the background, this place can be a good choice for a dinner date.

Ranging from samosas and chaats for snacks, to a wide selection of mains in beef, lamb and chicken, rice and rotis, their menu is quite elaborate. You get several options for vegetarian dishes too. The pricing is not bad either. But, if this is your first time eating out at an Indian restaurant in Costa Rica, be aware that Indian dishes here carry higher price tags in Costa Rica.

The clientele at Indian restaurants in Costa Rica mostly comprises of westerners and Ticos. So, to cater to their taste buds, the restaurants usually tone down the level of Indian flavors and spices while preparing the dishes. As you can imagine, this makes us overly critical when dining at Indian restaurants in Costa Rica. Often we end up finishing a meal, and saying to ourselves, we could have made this at home better.

We went for evening snacks and tea at Hola India Restaurant Uvita. Unfortunately, they did not have tea available at that moment. But for snacks, we had a plate of samosas and a plate of aloo tikkis. The dishes did not disappoint.

Hola India Restaurant also has two other branches, one in Manuel Antonio and the other in Jaco.

House of Ginger

• Cuisine: Chinese, Asian, Thai
• Go here for: Delicious American Chinese food, Vegan options
• Google Maps Location: Costanera Sur, Uvita

Located on the Ruta 34 highway, about 2 km south of Uvita BCR, House of Ginger is an Asian cuisine restaurant that serves American style Chinese, Thai and other Asian delicacies. If you are looking for vegan options, they have got you covered.

House of Ginger has indoor as well as a garden area seating. We chose to sit in the garden for our dinner. Indranil ordered General Tso’s Chicken from their “The Most Populars” section of the menu. The dish was served on a bed of jasmine rice. I went for the Hot Spicy Szechuan Chicken that was served with jasmine rice on the side. Both the dishes tasted great, and were filling. As with many Asian restaurants in Costa Rica, you get a pot of piping hot Chinese tea, on the house.

We do frequent some of our favorite Chinese restaurants in San Jose. Those restaurants are primarily owned and run by the Chinese settlement population of Costa Rica and have a distinct taste style. So, at House of Ginger, the Americanized taste of the Chinese dishes was a welcome change that we appreciated.

2023 Update: Our recent dining experience in Macrch 2023 barely met the expectations the last one had set! Indranil and I ordered different dishes, of different flavors. But both the dishes not only looked the same, they tasted nearly the same, neither not doing justice to Asian recipes. This time, there was no complimentary jasmine tea either. Seems like there has been a change of owners or chefs at this Chinese restaurant in Uvita.

Kirin’s Tea House

• Cuisine: Chinese
• Go here for: Chines specialties like Kung Pao Chicken, Dim Sums and Wantons, Big Portions, Friendly staff
• Google Maps Location: On the same property as Osa Mini Golf

When it comes to restaurant choices, there are places that you remember for the incredible taste of their food, and then there are places that find a place in your heart because of how you were treated. We remember Kirin’s Tea House for the latter.

It’s a newly opened (2023) small family-run place in one corner of Osa Mini Golf. Upon arriving, we felt right at home with their warm welcome and smiling faces. The friendly behavior continued, by all members of their staff/family, through the different phases of our dining at Kirin’s – ordering, eating and paying. On top of it, the food was great too!

If you feel like eating Chinese food in Uvita, give Kirin’s Tea House a try.

We ordered a plate of their House Special Fried Rice and a Kung Pao Chicken to share between the two of us. While preparing the food, they confirmed with us what level of spice would we be comfortable with. When our order was served, we were shocked to see the portion size. It was more than what we needed to fill ourselves up. But the dishes were so tasty that finished every last morsel on the plate!

La Choza de Alejo

• Cuisine: Tex-Mex
• Go here for: Drink and dine in a large semi-open restaurant
• Google Maps Location: On the road to the Sector Colonia entrance of Marino Ballena National Park

A big semi-open style restaurant on a quiet lane, La Choza de Alejo serves Tex Mex food in Uvita. This place has a chilled vibe, perfect for hanging out with friends or sharing a cozy meal with your loved ones. They also have an extensive offering of alcoholic beverages, which of course includes several options for tequila!

We went to La Choja de Alejo for lunch. Indranil ordered a Pork Burrito and I chose a Chicken Chimichanga. When our food was served, we had two immediate reactions. First, the plating looked fantastic! Second, the portion sizes looked really big.

Although there were several accompaniments for both the dishes, the burrito itself was served on a bed of salsas. While placing the order, Indranil had to choose between salsa roja (red sauce) or salsa verde (green sauce). He chose the latter. Bathed in salsa is not the typical way of serving a burrito, but Indranil did like this variation.

The tastes of both the dishes were enjoyable. However, the portion size was really too big for my appetite. So, I kind of got tired working my way through the chimichanga. But I understand that some people may actually like the large portion sizes. So, do not hesitate to give La Choza de Alejo a try if you like Tex Mex cuisine.

La Fogata

• Cuisine: Local, Pizza
• Go here for: Local style wood-fire pizza
• Google Maps Location: 270 meters off Costanera Sur, Uvita

La Fogata is a small restaurant with a rustic decor and friendly staff. They have a pretty big menu of appetizers, mains and wood-wire pizza. We went to La Fogata especially for the wood-fire pizza. There are several options to choose from, including vegetarian.

We ordered an eight inches pizza in half and half. One part was meat based and the other pepperoni based, but both loaded with several other veggies and toppings. The portion size was decent for two. I chose to complement my pizza bites with a glass of red wine, while Indranil went for a good old cerveza. Wine tasted good and beer was chilled.

As for the taste of pizza, it was a bit different from your typical New York style pizza. It was definitely good but we personally prefer the NYC style.

Las Delicias Bar and Restaurant

• Cuisine: Costa Rican
• Go here for: Filling tipico food, Seafood
• Google Maps Location: Near Playa Uvita, just outside Marino Ballena National Park

Las Delicias Bar and Restaurant serves typical Costa Rican dishes, specializing in seafood. The restaurant is located on the road leading to Playa Uvita in Marino Ballena National Park.

Costa Rican cuisine may not boast of world famous dishes like that of Peru. But it is simple yet delicious, and is often the right mix of wholesome ingredients.

We had our lunch at Las Delicias just after finishing our whale watching tour. Indranil ordered a Casado while I ordered the Arroz Con Camarones. Both the dishes were fresh and delicious.

Los Laureles

• Cuisine: Latin, Bar
• Go here for: Innovative menu, Quiet atmosphere
• Google Maps Location: Calle Uvita

Los Laureles is a lauded restaurant in Uvita. But unfortunately during all our initial visits to Uvita, our travel schedule never aligned with the opening hours of the restaurant. So, while traveling from Drake Bay to Dominical, we had planned for a lunch stop at Los Laureles. And we were not disappointed.

Tucked quietly in an assuming street of Uvita town, Los Laureles restaurant is an oasis of calm and charm. On a hot summer afternoon, as we walked into the restaurant, we were immediately welcomed by the smiling staff and the comforting mix of natural breeze and ceiling fan circulated air.

They offer bar food and other Latin American fare. The menu is not too long, but definitely innovative and impressive. Unable to decide what to order for a light lunch, we went for a combo dish to share. The rack serving contained small servings of buffalo chicken wings, loaded patacones and chicken quesadillas. But the star of the show was avocado and jalapeno hummus, which was also served with patacones.

The lunch was far from light, what we had originally aimed for, but the delicious taste of every bite at Los Laureles left our souls satisfied.

Maracuya Restaurant

• Cuisine: Gourmet street food
• Go here for: Casual dining
• Google Maps Location: Opposite to BCR in Uvita

Right in the middle of the Uvita town, Maracuya Restaurant has a trendy decor with casual sitting arrangement. Their tagline is “Street Food and Cocktail Bar”. In addition to cocktails, smoothies and juices, they serve gourmet street food from around the world.

We went to this restaurant in Uvita with our families, as a group of six people. Our orders varied from salads to chifrijos to casados.

All of us liked our dishes as well as the comfortable street side seating. Enrique, who served us, was very friendly and always checked in with us for any needs.

By the way, did you know that Maracuya, in Spanish, means Passion Fruit?

Mosaic Wine and Sushi Bar

• Cuisine: Sushi + Fusion
• Go here for: Fusion Sushi, Wine tastings
• Google Maps Location: 600 meters on the lane before BCR, Uvita

Mosaic Wine and Sushi Bar is a perfect place for a relaxed afternoon date. Or a chilled gathering with friends. They offer a great collection of wine. Choose your pick and pair it with your favorite sushis.

Mosaic also hosts wine tastings, apart from having different kinds of offers on wine based on the day of the week. They recently also launched their very own wine shop. Follow Mosaic on Instagram for more regular updates on offers and events.

But I think Mosaic’s USP is their fusion food on menu. I had ordered a Sushi Burrito! Burrito and Sushi? Mexico and Japan? Why not! By the way, if you are not up for Sushi, they also have other dishes like Teppanyaki Rice or Panninis or Poke Bowls.

We settled into the cozy atmosphere of shaded outdoor seating and gorged on the food, while watching it rain outside.

Mosaic Wine and Sushi Bar is located on the road that leads to the Uvita Waterfall. Do make some time to visit this little place where you can slide down a waterfall!

Pizza Time

• Cuisine: Pizza
• Go here for: Wood-fired pizza, Beer on tap
• Google Maps Location: Costanera Sur, Uvita

Sometimes simplicity wins. Pizza Time is a perfect example of that. It is a small restaurant that serves a variety of delectable wood-fired pizzas. And they are great at it. For beverage, you have the option of wine or craft beer on tap.

We tried the Eggplant Pizza at Pizza Time, as it was highly recommended by Dan, the host at our guesthouse, El Paraiso de Cristian Uvita. We do not regret listening to Dan’s recommendation. The pizza was perfect!

In fact, this Eggplant Pizza gave us the confidence to try phases of lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. One of those phases even lasted for 75 straight days!

Sabor Español

• Cuisine: Spanish
• Go here for: Authentic Spanish food, Lovely hospitality, Dinner date
• Google Maps Location: Near Marino Ballena National Park

[As of March 2023, Sabor Español is temporarily closed.]

We went to Sabor Español for dinner. With the red table linen, handpicked flowers in glass vases, fairy lights on the walls and candle light on the table, the atmosphere at the restaurant was utterly romantic. Add in to the mix, a jar full of sangria and plates full of scrumptious Spanish food, all prepared and served with a lot of love. If you are planning a dinner date in Uvita, Sabor Español is the place to be!

The menu at Sabor Español is quite elaborate starting with tapas and appetizers, including main dishes based on chicken, meat or seafood, traditional specials, a good selection of wine and concluding with a long list of desserts and digestives.

We opted for sangria jars and ordered the traditional dish Seafood Fideuà. It is a dish similar to the Spanish rice based dish paella, but is made with pasta noodles instead of rice. At Sabor Español, they cook Paellas and Fideuàs for a minimum of two people and it takes about 40 minutes to prepare. But the wait for our Fideuà was totally worth it, and when the final product was brought to our table, it was a thing of beauty that we wanted to devour with our eyes first before treating our taste buds.

A few words about the hospitality at Sabor Español

What we liked the best about Sabor Español is the warm hospitality by the lovely hosts. A Spanish couple from Barcelona and Ibiza run this restaurant in Uvita, where they personally attend to the customers and cook for them.

Montse welcomed us on arrival, took our orders and engaged in hearty conversations with us at different points of the evening. Heriberto came to our table to welcome us and wish us a good evening, cooked our Fideuà, personally came to our table at the time of serving and later checked in on us again. He was happy to see that we had scraped off the last morsels off our pan of Fideuà.

Francisco, a young Tico chap who serves the food and the drinks, always wore a smile. He explained to us the best ways of opening the shells and also offered to take photos of us.

Dining at Sabor Español felt life visiting a family for dinner.

Sibu Restaurant and Coffee Store

• Cuisine: International, Costa Rican
• Go here for: Great coffee, Breakfast, International Menu
• Google Maps Location: On the Costanera Sur, in Uvita town

Sibu Restaurant and Coffee Store may be the most popular restaurant in Uvita. It is frequented by locals and tourists alike. Its location right at the town center of Uvita makes it easily accessible for everyone.

As you can guess from the name, Sibu Restaurant and Coffee Store specializes in coffee. We went to Sibu primarily for coffee and desserts. We were spoilt for choice. The coffee tasted great and the desserts were delicious.

See how Indranil’s coffee, the Sibu Special, was served. You have three different ingredients, coffee, Frangelico and ice-cream, served in three different glassware. You need to mix all three to make the Sibu Special ready to drink.

But Sibu is not just about coffee. Their restaurant menu too has a good collection ranging from pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, salads to closer home, chalupas, burritos and quesadillas.

The breakfast menu at Sibu consists of quite a few options. Whether you like the typical Gallo Pinto for breakfast or the American options, you are likely to find it on Sibu’s breakfast menu.

Cafe Vivo Uvita

• Cuisine: Coffee Shop
• Go here for: Great coffee, Tasty Quick Bites, Vegan options.
• Google Maps Location: Calle Uvita

2023 Update: This is not a coffee stall anymore. It is a full-fledged cafe with plenty of seating inside. Erstwhile Tagua Cafe Vivo, this place is now known by the name Cafe Vivo Uvita.

Tagua Cafe Vivo is a cute little coffee shop with a single small stall selling coffee, cakes and savories. However, as a customer, for choosing where to sit, you do get plenty of space to choose from, including a large garden.

The main selling point of Tagua Cafe Vivo is their excellent coffee. However, we did not get the chance to try it as we were gulping down some craft beer next door (see next entry in the list). We wanted to complement our beers with some small eats, and hence knocked on Cafe Vivo for takeaway. The young cheerful guy at the cafe stand, on learning that we would be seated at the brew bar next to the cafe, offered to serve our empanadas there instead of packing a takeaway.

The empanadas were so tasty that after concluding our beer session, we returned again to Cafe Vivo as we craved for more of their delights. This time we chose a vegan brownie with a kombucha filling. We sat on the chairs facing the garden and dug into the block of the healthy sin. The texture, the sweetness level and the taste of the brownie were a perfect blend of perfection.

We have to return another day to try the coffee though!

The Bakery CR

• Cuisine: Baked goods, sweet and savory
• Go here for: Delicious baked goods, Coffee dates, Vegan options, Remote work – Work from a Cafe
• Google Maps Location: 200 meters from BCR, on the road to Uvita waterfall

This is Uvita’s brand new fancy cafe! With the luxuries of air-conditioning and stable WiFi, the large interior space of The Bakery CR serves for a good option as your “remote work” office. With plenty of options to munch on, and lots of fancy brewed beverages to choose from, you do not even need to leave until you get your work done.

However, we went there not to carry out our “digital nomad” work responsibilities, but to pick desserts. The desserts on display drove us mad, as ALL of them looked so alluring! We were spoilt for choice. To complement our choice of dessert, I also wanted to get some savory snack.

So, after spending eternity on choosing our sweets and savories, we finally got a chicken snack and a tiramisu. The chicken was good, but the tiramisu? Oh, it was melt-in-your-mouth soft with the right balance of sweet and bitter. Probably the best tiramisu in Uvita! We finished it off before we could even think about taking a photo of it!

Whale Tail Brewery CR

• Cuisine: Craft beer
• Go here for: Freshly brewed beer
• Google Maps Location: Calle Uvita

Well, this is not exactly a restaurant in Uvita. At least not yet, because they do not serve any food, as of April 2021. But we can make an exception to this restaurant list for the sake of cerveza love, ain’t it?

Whale Tail brewery has been selling packaged craft beer for about five years now. But only recently did they open a brew-bar in Uvita. It is a small room with a few high tables and chairs, exuding a casual chilled out vibe. To go with the mood of a relaxing beer session, the walls are filled with all kinds of quirky quotes.

We had the chance to interact directly with the owner and the creator of the brews at Whale Tail Brewery. We described our preferred taste of beer and asked for his recommendations. Indranil was given the Viejo Loco, a porter and I was given Pura Mafia, an amber double IPA. Both were smooth and provided us the much needed chill on a sultry afternoon.

2023 Update: Whale Tail Brewery CR in Uvita is now more than just a brewery. They are a full-scale restaurant bar offering a variety of foods, like appetizers, bocas, burgers and pizzas. Their drinks selection also includes different cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, apart from craft beer.

Restaurants in Dominical

For a tiny surfing town with laid-back vibes, Dominical packs in quite a wholesome offering when it comes to food. So, after you are done with visiting majestic waterfalls and surfing the Pacific waves, treat your tummy to some delicious plates.

These are some of our favorite restaurants in Dominical (ordered alphabetically).

Bar Jolly Roger

• Cuisine: Wings and Burgers
• Go here for: Ocean view, Sunset view, Delicious burgers and wings, Happy hour drinks
• Google Maps Location: About 2km up the road Calles Escalares, kind of in between Uvita and Dominical

Bar Jolly Roger is an American style bar that serves lip-smacking wings. They have more than twenty different types of wings on their menu and six types of burgers. Their food menu consists of primarily that. Burgers and Wings. But they do them right!

To go with the vibe at this bar near Dominical, the decor is quirky with paintings and accompanying witty captions. Grab a chilled drink and enjoy the Pacific Ocean view from Jolly Roger, as you prepare to gorge on big servings of burgers and wings.

Although we visited Jolly Roger for lunch, its location should allow you great spots for watching the sunset. You can actually time your visit for sunset view as well as their happy hour.

Please note, they do not accept card payment at Bar Jolly Roger. So remember to have sufficient cash on you. Costa Rican Colones or US Dollars, either will do.

Also, we recommend having a 4X4 for driving up to this bar restaurant in Dominical. The uphill road is unpaved, steep at places, and has loose gravel as you reach near the restaurant.

Cafe Delicias

• Cuisine: Sandwiches, Small meals, Coffee, Smoothie
• Go here for: Cheap and tasty eats
• Google Maps Location: Dominical main street

Cafe Delicias is a hole in the wall eatery on the Dominical main street. They have various breakfast options, some set meals during lunch hours and sandwiches and other bites available throughout the day. You can compliment your meal with a coffee or a smoothie, there are many options to choose from.

When we were testing the digital nomad life by working remotely from Dominical, we dropped in to Delicias for lunch on multiple days. Some days we dined in and on others, we got takeaway and sat by the Baru river to eat it. We mostly ordered their sandwiches. They tasted great and were filling for a work day lunch. If you order a sandwich between 12-3 in the afternoon, you will get a beverage included in the price.

Cafe Delicias is a great place to start the day with a hearty breakfast or to grab a quick working lunch or to wind away a lazy afternoon with a comforting coffee. A meal at this small cafe restaurant is also light on the pocket, probably that is why it is such a hit among the long term travelers of Dominical.

Cafe Mono Congo

• Cuisine: Costa Rican, Fusion
• Go here for: Healthy food, Vegan options, Riverside location, Chilled vibe
• Google Maps Location: Pueblo del Rio, Dominical main street

Cafe Mono Congo has a chilled out vibe that blends well with the backpacker vibe of Dominical. Free Wi-Fi and charging points make this place a perfect spot for getting work done for digital nomads. The cafe’s location next to the Baru River adds to the charm of this place.

The menu at Cafe Mono Congo varies from soups, salads, bagels, wraps to burgers, gallo pintos and desserts. You will find plenty of vegan options to choose from. Their beverage collection is pretty good with variety of tea and coffee, both hot and cold, juices, shakes, cervezas and kombuchas.

We dropped by Cafe Mono Congo for some beverages and quick bites. All the food and beverages at Cafe Mono Congo are prepared with healthy ingredients. They serve their beverages in cute glass bottles with label ‘Mad Monkey’ on them. You can also take the bottle home and reuse.

Del Mar Taco Shop

• Cuisine: Mexican
• Go here for: Quick eats, Tacos
• Google Maps Location: Dominical Main Street

If you want to grab a quick filling and tasty bite, then stop by Del Mar Taco Shop, a tiny eating joint in Dominical.

As the name suggests, taco is their specialty offering, with options in chicken, beef, fish, shrimp and veggies. One serving of taco contains one piece of taco only. If you want a bigger bite, convert your taco to a burrito for a few more bucks. For beverages, you can choose from sodas, iced tea and a variety of smoothies or juices based on 1, 2 or 3 fruits.

On a hot summer afternoon, we grabbed a quick workday lunch of beer battered fish taco and chicken taco, and washed them down with a passion fruit juice.

Note that Del Mar Taco Shop accepts cash only.

El Rancho

• Cuisine: Local, International
• Go here for: Pool view, Chilled vibe
• Google Maps Location: Next to Rio Baru, inside Hotel Villas Rio Mar

El Rancho is the onsite restaurant at Villas Rio Mar hotel, but is also open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Surrounded by landscaped gardens and located next to the recreational pool, the restaurant has a nice setting. Soft music plays in the background and birds and bees hum near the bushes. The restaurant is quite big with spread out tables. So, it worked as a good spot for our remote working days during that period of social distancing.

During our stay at Villas Rio Mar hotel, we got to have breakfast at El Rancho everyday and also had dinner there couple of nights. For breakfast, they usually serve a buffet spread of gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, sausages, fruits and pancakes or toasts, accompanied with coffee and juice. For dinner, over multiple days, we had sampled different dishes like an appetizer platter, fish fingers and dry fruit special rice.

All were great but the star of the show was a brownie with ice-cream. Dessert bias? You decide.

Fuego Coffee Roasting Company/ Fuego Brew Company

• Cuisine: Latin, Pizza
• Go here for: Coffee, Craft beer, Fusion food
• Google Maps Location: Dominical main street

Fuego Brewery Restaurant is a large restaurant in Dominical. This restaurant’s selling point is fresh brews, whether it is craft beer or coffee roasts. The coffee roast and cafe part of this business is called Fuego Coffee Roasting Company and the restaurant is called Fuego Brew Company. Even if you order a coffee while dining at the restaurant, you will need to walk down to the small coffee shop to pay for the coffee separately.

We went to Fuego for breakfast. We were seated upstairs at a coffee table with sofa seats on either side. The wood based interior was airy and comfortable, with distant views of the Pacific Ocean from one side. As we were craving for a good gallo pinto that morning, both of us ordered the tipico breakfast. But Fuego puts a spin to the typical pinto recipe. They wrap the rice and beans based gallo pinto inside a cheese roll. While we definitely appreciated the innovation, we prefer the traditional version. Also, the cheese overload was a bit too much to start the day. The plating was excellent and the coffee was good.

Since we went to Fuego in the morning, we skipped tasting their beer brews. We will give that a shot during our next visit to Dominical. But whatever you go for at Fuego, coffee or craft beer, breakfast, lunch or dinner, expect to pay an expensive food bill.

La Parcela

• Cuisine: Latin, Seafood
• Go here for: Ocean views, Excellent seafood
• Google Maps Location: Near Punta Dominical

The decor at La Parcela restaurant oozes tropical ocean vibes. Since the restaurant is perched on the top of a hill near Punta Dominical at the end of the Dominicalito Beach, you get to enjoy 360 degree views of the ocean from here.

While you fix your gaze at the splendid ocean views from the restaurant, the blue and white color theme quietly makes you feel at home.

After a busy day of walking on whale’s tail at Marino Ballena, chasing waterfalls in Uvita and watching sunset at Dominicalito, we went to La Parcela restaurant with the intention of having a light supper and some chilled beer.

The beer was chilled but the dinner was far from light, although we had ordered couple of appetizers only.

The portion sizes were huge and the tastes were delectable. They have a lot of options in seafood, some unique ones too, like shrimp quesadillas. So, that is what we went for, a plate of shrimp quesadillas and a serving of fish fingers. Both dishes were served with large portions of fries on the side.

Excellent food, stunning views, impressive decor and friendly staff make La Parcela one of the best restaurants in Dominical and Uvita region. This is a restaurant that we would not hesitate to repeat.

Little India Dominical

• Cuisine: Indian
• Go here for: Indian food in a hole-in-the-wall setup at a food court
• Google Maps Location: Opposite Cafe Delicias

If there is an Indian restaurant in Uvita, how can Dominical fall behind? So, now you have an Indian restaurant in Dominical too, Little India Dominical.

Staying true to its name, this place is a little food booth, sharing space with some other food joints in a food court like area. The seating comprises of only a handful of tables, but neatly decorated with flowers and silverware.

As of March 2023, the food court was still being properly set up. So, while you are eating at Little India Dominical, you may have some construction work going on, not far from you.

We have not dined at Little India Dominical yet. But we did go to the restaurant to check out the place and see their menu. For such a small place, the menu is quite extensive. From chaat to curries to biriyani, you will find pretty much all the regulars.

Little India has another restaurant branch in Jaco.

Phat Noodle

• Cuisine: Thai, Asian
• Go here for: Rice Bowls and Noodle Bowls, Chilled atmosphere
• Google Maps Location: Dominical main street

Phat Noodle is located in a quiet corner just off the busy main street of Dominical. They specialize in Thai cuisine and offer other Asian plates as well. This is a good spot for a filling lunch after a good surfing session at Playa Dominical.

Indranil ordered Chicken Thai Red Curry with Rice. I went for a Pad Thai Noodle Bowl with Chicken. Both were good. The potion sizes were big for us. They have beer, wine and kombuchas on their drinks menu.

Phat Noodle has a casual atmosphere with shaded outdoor seating. You can also order online from Phat Noodle if you are in staying anywhere between Hatillo and Uvita. You can check out the Phat Noodle menu on their website for takeout and delivery.

2023 Update: Now, Phat Noodle is open in Uvita too. You will find an Express outlet in the Uvita Gastro Park.

¿Por Que No?

** Temporarily Closed **

• Cuisine: Seafood, Contemporary, Fusion
• Go here for: Ocean view, Costa Rican Fusion Food, Thai Fusion Food
• Google Maps Location: Costanera Sur, just south of Dominical

¿Por Que No? restaurant also offers beautiful ocean views. But you will get a closer view of the ocean frame instead of a top aerial view. Unlike Aracari Restaurant in Uvita or Bar Jolly Roger near Dominical.

This restaurant has a tagline of ‘Tasty Treats, Funky Beats’. As you sit at this relaxing outdoor restaurant in Dominical, the chef will toss up the tasty treats for you. Indranil and I were happy with our vegetarian orders of Thai Fusion dishes.

¿Por Que No? is the in-house restaurant of the hotel property Costa Paraiso. In fact, this Dominical restaurant is closer to Playa Dominicalito, a bit south of the Dominical town.

Final Thoughts

We admire the South Pacific Coast of Costa Rica for its mix of raw nature, serene beaches and exotic wildlife. That is why we keep going back to Uvita, Dominical and Ojochal. Since we love to sprinkle our travels with a dash of deliciousness, the assortment of repeat-worthy restaurants in Uvita and Dominical adds more fun to our travels in Costa Ballena.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Dominical and Uvita that we have not covered here yet? Please feel free to contact us if you want us to try a meal at your favorite Uvita restaurant or Dominical restaurant. We will make sure we put it on our list for the next time we visit Uvita and Dominical.

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Our resources to help you plan your Costa Rica trip:

• Best Time to Visit Costa Rica
• Costa Rica Packing List
• Costa Rica Activities: Things to Do
• Costa Rica Itinerary (from San Jose airport)

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