6 Best Restaurants in Jaco, Manuel Antonio and the Central Pacific Coast

It’s the setting that will lure you, but the food that will keep you on repeat at this seafood restaurant just steps from the sand. Bamboo, wood, and rattan decor will make you want to throw on a Tommy Bahama shirt and order a mai tai. Stars of the menu include grilled lobster, seafood curry, and jumbo shrimp in a creamy garlic sauce. The sound of crashing waves blends with chill-out music, setting the scene as one of the more upscale, and oldest, restaurants in Jacó.

The gritty-gourmet concept of this upscale Jacó hot spot plays with the senses with a menu that features fresh, locally grown ingredients. Check the blackboard for specials—whatever has inspired the chef that day—and wash it down with a signature lemongrass martini. Save room for extraordinary desserts like chocolate cheesecake or peanut-butter-and-banana flambé.

Bordered by a white picket fence, this charming art café serves meals prepared with organic ingredients delivered daily by local farmers. The ever-changing chalkboard menu usually features home-ground burgers with fresh-baked buns or seared ahi on buckwheat noodles with roasted vegetables. Breakfasts are hearty, ranging from banana pancakes to eggs Florentine. Salads are topped with fresh strawberries, and cocktails are made with natural fruit juice—try the lemon basil margarita.