Costa Rica Going Out
Food and Drink
National specialities:
• Casado (a fixed daily lunch, usually featuring rice, beans, stewed chicken or beef, fried plantain, salad and cabbage).
• Olla de carne (soup of beef, plantain, corn, yuca and chayote).
• Sopa negra (black beans with a poached egg).
• Picadillo (meat and vegetable stew).
• Bocas (savoury snacks served at bars or before main meals in restaurants).
National drinks:
There are many types of cold drinks made from fresh fruit, milk or cereal flour, for example:
• Cebada (fermented barley; an indigenous beverage).
• Pinolillo (corn and cocoa).
• Horchata (liquid corn meal or ground rice with cinnamon).
• Batidos (fresh fruit shakes made with either milk or water blended with ice).
• Pipas (fresh coconut water served in the husk).
• Local lager-style beers such as Imperial are a perfect cure for hot days.
• Coffee is good, but many local restaurants serve lesser-quality domestic brand coffee.
Tipping: Tipping is not necessary but is acceptable if the service was particularly outstanding. Restaurants add a 13% sales tax plus a 10% service charge to the bill.
Nightlife
Shopping
Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1800/1900. There may be variations between areas.
Fresh ideas are just one click away...
Travel Deals
-
Finland Activity & adventure holidays Finnish Lapland has enormous areas of untouched wilderness and mile upon mile of wild rolling fells. This vast open countryside, sparkling in the winter sunshine, just begs to be explored by
-
Orlando Adrenaline Whether you’re enjoying the hair-raising delights of the world’s only flying rollercoaster called Manta at SeaWorld or racing through the Everglades on an airboat in search of alligators, one thing’s for
-
Cambodia Luxury holidays Today Cambodia is symbolised by awesome Angkor Wat, the largest man-made religious structure in the world. However, Cambodia is also home to some of the finest boutique hotels in the world
-
Laos Inspire Me When the French colonised Indochina they had a saying: "The Vietnamese grow the rice, the Cambodians watch the rice grow, and the Lao people listen to the rice grow." This is
-
Vietnam Cultural breaks Vietnam is a country with a rich and varied history that is now firmly focused on her bright future. This is why it has become one of the hottest destinations for
-
Dominican Republic Family holidays The Dominican Republic has soared in popularity as a tropical hotspot for families seeking sun, sand and an affordable holiday in the Caribbean. The island's main attraction is magnificent golden sand
