Restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica, offer dining opportunities that span the globe. From sushi to Italian, from fast food to French cuisine to Argentine beef to Peruvian seafood, you will find far more than just rice and beans in local restaurants
Sushi and Asian Dining in San Jose, Costa Rica
Three downtown restaurants offer sushi. Goyi is easy to spot - across the street from the Tropical Casino on Avenida 3. They spread a fine assortment of sushi and other Japanese fare at prices starting around $5. Our favorites are the California Roll and the Dynamite Roll.
Sushi with a View of the Pedestrian Walkway
The sushi bar in Plazavenida, the new mini-mall, is next to the terrace overlooking Avenida Central. You may miss the Japanese atmosphere of other San Jose restaurants, but the view more than compensates. There's also Oriental, Italian, Costa Rican and other kinds of food. It's across the street from Chelles and Restaurante Mariscar (good Costa Rican cooking and fried chicken too).
Chinese and Thai Restaurants
On Calle 9 about three blocks south of Avenida 2, you will find Tin Jo - Costa Rica's top Asian restaurant. They have Thai, Chinese, Japanese and even Filipino cooking. Seafood and other dishes too. It is a bit pricier than Goyi and other restaurants, and we prefer the sushi from Goyi, anyway.
But Tin Jo's wider variety of selections, such as salmon and steaks, make it better for groups who don't all share a taste for sushi or other Oriental dishes. Beer aficionados will appreciate the Chinese Tsing Tao beer, made from rice and one of the best beers on the planet
San Jose Restaurants on Paseo Colon
On the west side of town, several restaurants specialize in Asian cuisine. Saisaki serves sushi, Japanese, Korean and Filipino cuisine. It is a block off Paseo Colon, down the street from the KFC on the corner. You will find a good Chinese restaurant next door, Jardin Feliz. The "iron dishes," served steaming hot, are the specialty there.
Newest place in this area is a Colombian restaurant in a big house on the corner across the street from Machu Picchu. The Parradilla Colombia has typical meat dishes from Colombia as well as seafood. Great ambiance, with 3-4 tables in each of the big rooms, lots of Colombian decor, open windows overlooking the street, and campesino music on the stereo
Try the Pais Bandeja Anteoquia or the corvina.
Most North American fast food chains are found in San Jose. There's even a Denny's near the airport.
