The 17 Most Popular Foods in Costa Rica

Fruit Stand on the way to Jaco from San José

Eating Like a Local in Costa Rica

Food in Costa Rica is second only to the country’s beauty. Known for its use of fresh ingredients, like fruits and vegetables, the cuisine in Costa Rica is generally on the mild side.

Costa Rican food is much different than other Latin American food, especially Mexican food. Of course, Mexico is not the only place to find its spicy food. San Diego which is just north of Mexico is also known for its Mexican and Latin American influence in its cuisine.

Exotic fruits grow locally in the tropical environment, so there is always something to make the food exciting.

Meals in Costa Rica often contain both rice and black beans, or at least one or the other.

Dine Like the Ticos Do

Though the food available in Costa Rica is expansive thanks to the high tourist traffic, the traditional foods and meals are still my favorites.

I especially love when I see families gather around in celebration over a traditional dinner.

Costa Rica’s 17 Most Popular Foods

Here are some of the most popular foods in Costa Rica. I have to say, too, that all of these are on my own personal favorite foods list!

Gallo Pinto with eggs

1. Gallo Pinto

Gallo Pinto is a breakfast dish made of rice and beans (well that’s no surprise!). It’s so unique and delicious that it’s my most recommended food, as I think everyone should try it if they want to know what Costa Rican food is like.

The cuisine itself has roots in both Costa Rican and Nicaraguan culture, and is typically referred to as just “pinto" by the locals.

The dish’s main ingredients (rice and beans) are mixed together and paired with other ingredients to give it some spice, like red bell peppers, cilantro, onions and most importantly Salsa Lizano (Salsa Lizano used to be very hard to get but now you can buy it on Amazon).

This is my favorite breakfast item by far, and I love it so much I’ve even started making it at home. The key ingredient, Salsa Lizano, is mainly used in cooking rather than as a topping or dip.

It’s similar to worcestershire sauce, but I think it has a bolder flavor, and it tends to be a bit thicker too. It imparts its signature flavor in lots of Costa Rican foods, but I love it so much that it’s started finding its way into recipes even when I’m cooking non-Costa Rican food.

When the beans and rice are mixed together, they create some coloring variations that make it look like the rice is speckled. This is how the dish got its name, because gallo pinto means “spotted rooster."

Amazing & delicious beef casado

2. Casado

Casado is probably the most traditional dish in Costa Rican cuisine. It is not a singular dish, but a dish made up of many foods. In fact, it could be thought that a casado is a marriage of the foods that are served together, since marriage is the meaning of the word casado.

If you order a casado at a restaurant in Costa Rica, you can expect to be served a plate that contains the following: rice, beans, salad, tortillas, fried platano maduro, and meat (beef, pork, chicken or fish).

The location within the country will determine which meat you receive, or which you can choose from. A casado typically also includes a fresh fruit juice.

This is my go-to dinner item because every restaurant has a unique way of making it. I can learn a lot about the restaurant just based on how they serve this dish, and since each chef gives the dish their own unique flair, it’s a food I could order a hundred times without getting bored.

Most of the time restaurants also have a Chilero Sauce bottle on the table. This is one of the most popular spicy sauces found in Costa Rica. Chilero Sauce ingredients used to be hard to find as well, but it is also available on Amazon!

3. Arroz con Pollo

Arroz con pollo, which translates to “rice with chicken," may sound like a simple dish on the surface. But take one bite and you’ll know the flavors are anything but simple.

Arroz con pollo is a popular dish around Latin America, but Costa Rican cuisine puts its own unique twist on this well-known favorite.

In Costa Rica, the rice is flavored with achiote paste. The paste gives this version of arroz con pollo a distinctive reddish tint and even a touch of sweetness that balances the other flavors.

This is another dish that I love and often cook at home too.

Costa Rican Ceviche

4. Ceviche

Ceviche is made with fish or shellfish diced into tiny pieces and citrus juice. It’s served cold and often scooped onto chips.

The most well-known version of ceviche comes from Peru, but Costa Rican ceviche is also very common. Both versions feature seafood that’s been marinated with lemons and other citrus fruits, but in Costa Rica, the dish is a little more soupy, where the Peruvian version is mostly dry. Some Ticos even serve this up with salsa tomate, aka ketchup.

I’m allergic to fish and seafood so I haven’t been able to try ceviche myself, but it certainly looks delicious, and other members of our team have assured me that it is! I’ve heard that it’s a refreshing snack or appetizer on hot days.

5. Caldosas

Caldosas are commonly eaten as a snack. This is a personal favorite of one of our site’s team members, Dani, who loves them.

The dish starts with a bag of Picaritas, which are rectangular, barbecue-flavored commercial corn chips. They’re topped with a few heaping spoonfuls of ceviche, shaken in the bag to mix, and eaten with a spoon.

You might be familiar with Frito Pie in Texas or Dorilocos in Mexico. Caldosas are the Costa Rican version of this eaten-in-a-bag snack, and you can find them everywhere.

Sopa Negra in Costa Rica

6. Sopa Negra (Black Bean Soup)

While dessert is my favorite, and breakfast is a close second, I can also proudly say I have a passion for soups!

Sopa Negra is no exception, and this traditional soup of my country is sure to be filling. This soup is a great option for vegetarians, and some recipes will meet other dietary restrictions, like gluten­-free.

This soup is delicious, and the Costa Rican flavors really get to shine in this deceptively simple dish.

Some of the main ingredients include black beans, onion, bell peppers, cilantro, tomatoes, hard or soft boiled egg and spices, along with optional Tabasco sauce.

Delicious Olla de Carne

7. Olla de Carne

Can beef stew be considered soup? It can in my world!

The hearty olla de carne is a favorite weekend dish that you’ll find being prepared in many homes across the country on any given month of the year. While the stew can be compared to some stew from other cultures, there is, of course, a set of ingredients that help make it unique in look and taste.

Costa Rica is a mecca for fresh ingredients, and these are tapped into for the olla de carne recipe. These ingredients include carrots, corn, and green plantains, plus some ingredients that are staples in Costa Rica but may be hard to find elsewhere, like yuca, taro root, cassava, and Salsa Lizano.

I love making this stew at home, but sometimes it’s hard to find these fresh ingredients outside of Costa Rican markets. Combined with other vegetables, this stew is full of rich flavors.

You aren’t likely to have room for side dishes, but olla de carne is often served with rice and beans.

8. Rice and Beans

You might think we’ve already covered rice and beans with the first entry on this list, Gallo Pinto, but there’s another variation that’s popular on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

Most commonly found in the Limon Province, this fun twist on a local staple adds a little spice with habanero peppers. It also features red beans, white rice, and coconut milk. I’ve seen it served as either a main dish or a side for lunch or dinner.

Delicious typical Chifrijo, Alajuela

9. Chifrijo

If you’re looking for a great meal, or snack, chifrijo is what you are looking for.

Chifrijo is served at local events and farmer’s markets, as well as at restaurants. I love ordering at bars, as it goes great paired with an ice cold beer or two. The name is a combination of the two main ingredients: chicharrones and frijoles.

Chicharrones are fried pork rinds, while frijoles are beans (I bet you aren’t surprised to see beans on the list again!). The dish is an amazing layer of ingredients that are served with fried tortilla chips, corn tortillas, or bread. The layered ingredients include the two main foods, along with rice, and either tomatoes or pico de gallo.

Chifrijo is an appetizer, or boca, as it’s called in Costa Rica.

Fried plantains or Patacones

10. Patacones

Patacones are deep fried deliciousness. It’s mainly served as a snack and basically consists of flattening plantains and frying them two times.

I like to have them finished off with a little bit of sea salt, and served with pico de gallo or mashed black beans (a black bean dip).

Like chifrijo, patacones make a great boca or appetizer!

Costa Rican Tamal at Caballo Blanco Restaurant

11. Tamal

A Costa Rican tamal is not apples to apples with a Mexican tamale. While at first glance the fillings might look the same, there are a few huge differences in the preparation.

First, Costa Ricans are fond of garlic, but really go really, really easy on other spices. Mexican tamales will have a much spicier flavor than a Costa Rican tamale.

The other big difference is in the wrapping: Mexican tamales are wrapped in corn husks, while Costa Rican tamales are wrapped in banana leaves. Tamales can be a meal all on their own, but they are also often paired with beans and served for breakfast.

12. Dining at the Local San José Market

This one’s less of a specific type of food and more of an experience, but it’s one I’d highly recommend!

If you’re in or near San José, you’ve got to stop by Mercado Central downtown. It’s a local market filled with diverse foods, plus vendors and stores selling various goods.

Two of our team members, Javi and Dani, visited this market not too long ago. Dani said it brought back memories of being a little girl, when her dad would take her to get ice cream at Helados de Sorbetera Lolo Mora.

Costa Rican culture is all over the Mercado Central, making it just as fun to explore as a tourist as it is for residents.

Tres Leches

13. Tres Leches

If you’ve got a sweet tooth like I do, a slice of tres leches cake is a must when you’re traveling in Costa Rica. I’d even say it’s my favorite Costa Rican dessert!

The name tres leches refers to the “three milks" that are used to flavor the cake. Most common are evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk, though some recipes will swap one out for heavy cream instead.

The different types of milk are baked into a white cake which is then topped with sweet frosting. Tres leches tends to be very moist and super flavorful.

Arroz con Leche at BRI Art Café

14. Arroz con Leche

This is a dessert, so obviously it’s one of my favorite things to order when I’m in Costa Rica. It’s the perfect way to satisfy my sweet tooth.

The easiest way to describe arroz con leche is to say that it is rice mixed with milk. But the taste is much more complicated, and delicious, than that makes it sound. The recipe also calls for sugar, salt, lemon zest, and cinnamon sticks – see, I told you it is delicious!

Empanadas de Chiverre

15. Empanadas de Chiverre

Empanadas are usually savory, but there are plenty of sweet varieties served as desserts too. One of my favorites is Empanadas de Chiverre.

These kinds of empanadas use wheat flour rather than the typical corn flour, and they’re baked rather than fried, so they tend to be a little fluffier and lighter.

The Chiverre fruit that’s used as a filling is a type of squash that’s on the sweeter side, making it the perfect filling for these dessert empanadas.

Unlike squash in the US, Chiverre ripens in the Spring, so you’ll often see these empanadas served around that time of year. They’re popular at celebrations during Holy Week, the week around Easter.

Costa Rica flan

16. Flan

More dessert! Flan is a sweet treat that mixes together milk, vanilla, sugar, and eggs, resulting in a delicious egg custard! Though cooked in a pan lined with caramel, it is chilled before it is served.

Most flan is caramel flavored, but coconut is another common variety that I think is delicious.

It’s commonly believed that flan came from the Romans, and that today’s recipe is a variation of the original, which used honey instead of sugar.

17. Fresh Fruits at Mercado de San José

When talking about Costa Rican foods, I’d be remiss not to mention the fresh fruit that’s native to the country.

Swing by a farmer’s market or fresh fruit stand to try locally-grown favorites like guava and cas. Other fruits grown in Costa Rica can be found throughout Central America. These include papaya, guava, goldenberry, lychee, and starfruit, among others.

Some fruits are grown around the world, but the Costa Rican variants may taste a little different from what you’re used to at the grocery store. Common fruits like blackberries, bananas, mangos, avocados, pineapples, and strawberries are all popular among Ticos too.

I’m calling out Mercado de San José here since that’s the market I’ve been to and one I enjoy shopping at, but you can really go to any local farmer’s market. Costa Rica has plenty of fresh food markets, so matter where you’re staying, there’s likely at least one within driving distance.

Well, there it is, my list of the 17 most popular foods in Costa Rica. I hope that this helps you choose what to order during your visit, and that you get to try each and every one of these dishes at least once in your life!

No matter which dishes you choose, you’re sure to enjoy yourself!