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Where to Eat in Alajuela Downtown

Where to Eat in Alajuela Downtown

A very common question in social networks and also in search engines is “Where to eat in the city of Alajuela”. But due to the nature of the topic in question, we cannot afford to give a list of the “best” places. The taste for different types of cuisine is very subjective. What one person likes, may not be the taste of another person.
What we can do is make a list of some restaurants, cafes and eateries that might be of interest to you. We will cover a variety of specialties, from fast food to restaurants with typical and unique recipes. Let’s get started!

Typical food or with regional identity

Let’s start with a category that is, in our opinion, not to be missed.
The typical dishes of each area can help us to understand a little of the idiosyncrasy of a whole community or town, to understand its history.
In Alajuela, there is not only typical Costa Rican food, several immigrants have installed their restaurants with food from their countries. This has increased the gastronomic diversity of the city of Alajuela.
Let’s start with the restaurants with typical Costa Rican food.

La Tortillería: This restaurant specializes in breakfast and lunch Costa Rican cuisine. Casados, gallo pinto, tortillas, potato and chayote picadillos. The ambiance is nothing special but the food is good and affordable.

La Sopa: Specializes in soups, meat stew, stews, among others. It also has a buffet with a selection of dishes to create your own casado, including salads. Its restaurant is very peculiar, located in one of the oldest houses in Alajuela Centro, you can find a vintage style decoration from the mid-twentieth century.

Caribbean Delights: Located in El Patio, a gourmet shopping mall, this restaurant brings dishes straight from the Costa Rican Caribbean such as the famous “rice and beans” and chicken in Caribbean sauce.

Soda Delicias Castillo: It is a soda that specializes in Nicaraguan food. It is quite accessible with comfortable prices.

Special Mentions

In the city there is a block where you can find a number of Mexican, Peruvian and other nationalities restaurants. There are also bars and cafeterias. We leave you the address here.

There is also the Japanese restaurant in Plaza Real, but it can be a bit expensive for people traveling on a fixed budget. El Patio has Mexican and Peruvian restaurants as well. There is even a small store with Korean and Asian specialties.

Chinese Food

Chinese food is so popular worldwide that we have no choice but to place it in its own category.
Alajuela is no exception and there are a number of Chinese restaurants that offer a variety of dishes from affordable to expensive. Let’s mention a few.

Mey Wah: One of the longest running businesses in Alajuela, their dishes are the typical Cantonese rice, chop suey and chow mein. They also have a variety of other dishes such as breaded fried fish and other not so Asian dishes, but they will be fine for some customers. Their latest branch has a very sleek appearance and parking.

Hoipen: Hoipen is similar in menu to the aforementioned restaurant, but is mostly take-out. If you want to eat at the hotel, Hoipen has two branches that allow you to have the whole city well covered.

Soda Yuki: They specialize in a combination of Asian and vegetarian food. The menu is not very large, but may appeal to those looking for healthier alternatives to the Chinese food traditionally served in Costa Rica.

Cafeterias

If you are looking for a snack, in Alajuela there are many cafes and businesses that for about 2000 colones you can get a hot or cold drink and a pastry. Excellent for breakfast or afternoon snack.

El Sesteo: One of the most emblematic businesses in Alajuela. Their specialty is puff pastries with potato filling. They accompany them with orange juice and other fruit juices. They have competition with pastelillos El Carmen that have also carved a niche among Alajuelenses.

Soda La Cruz Roja: This soda has a good reputation. It sells casados, casseroles and picadillos(a potato or chopped chayote dish with meat). But its strongest selling point is the meat, bean or potato empanadas with coffee. A fairly affordable snack.

Cafe Delicias: A cafe in the full extension of the word. They have many types of gourmet coffee available to the customer plus fine pastries.

Fast Food

If you are in a hurry and do not mind simple food that does not deviate much from the classic recipe, the city of Alajuela has restaurants of this type.
Let’s mention some famous restaurants and places in Alajuela before mentioning those already known internationally.

Taqueria Cabuyo: With almost 30 years Cabuyo has made a place in the taste of the Alajuelenses. Their specialty is tacos, but they also serve hamburgers, meat pies and hot dogs.

Hamburger stands: ABGB, have gained a fan base that likes handmade and personalized hamburgers. Los Talleres are other burger experts with two locations in Alajuela. Like Talleres, Hamburguesas La Corte have two locations and are highly sought after by Alajuelenses. On the other hand, there is the Fusion Truck, which started as a food truck and ended up being a fixed restaurant. In addition to hamburgers, they have choripán, potatoes with meat among other dishes.

Last but not least, Hamburguesas Pirata. As you can tell, Alajuelenses like hamburgers.

Pizzerias: Pizzerias have not had it so easy in Alajuela, in downtown only a few have survived such as Pizza Pirata, Pizzeria Oviz among others. In this case, the pizzerias with more presence are Pizza Hut, Pizza Ready, Pappa Johns and Little Caesars.

Special Mentions

Around the Central Park, a few meters from our Hotel Alajuela, are some of the most famous fast food chains in the world: KFC, Subway, McDonalds, Burger King among others.
There is also El Pollote, a popular local Costa Rican chain, where they offer chicken and chicken products, as well as salads and mashed potatoes.

Marisquerias(seafood)

These establishments, in theory only handle seafood. But Costa Ricans use this name to define establishments that serve seafood dishes. Since we are a country surrounded by two oceans, it is no mystery that seafood restaurants are popular.
The dishes in seafood restaurants can be more traditional dishes such as pastas, but with the addition of shrimp, oysters, crab, among others.

Cevichitos: It has been in Alajuela for quite a while now. It has gained a fan base that likes ceviches, breaded fish and pastas. At the same time they have La Hendija, a typical restaurant with Costa Rican dishes and fast food on the menu. You can order from both restaurants and have the best of both culinary worlds.

Cevichera Junior: It is a restaurant specializing in breaded fish, paellas, rice with marine ingredients and fish soup. They have been in the Alajuela market for quite some time and they have maintained good prices and good taste.

Pesqueria Da Limonta: A place with a very exotic and varied menu. The price may be a little high, but it justifies it with very elaborate dishes with a unique flavor to the palate. Perfect for those looking for a gourmet experience.

Memo: This restaurant arrived a few years ago to take everyone by surprise. A very varied menu of rice, ceviche, fried and breaded fish among other dishes. They have made a name for themselves to the point that it is known by most Alajuelenses.

More places to eat in Alajuela

Alajuela is not a large city, but it maintains a very varied culinary culture. The canton of Alajuela is the second most populated in Costa Rica. Many people come from the outskirts of the city to taste a part of this extraordinary range of flavors.
Prices are varied, so the food is accessible to all budgets.
The City Mall has more culinary options along with Plaza Real and El Patio.
Spoon is another local Costa Rican chain present in Alajuela that offers a more varied menu of salads, pastas and dishes such as chifrijo, a Costa Rican recipe.
If what you are looking for does not appear in this article, you can continue your search on Google Maps. Most of the businesses are registered. We hope you found this guide useful and stay tuned for more articles about Alajuela. As always remember that our hotel rooms are at your disposal. We are located in the city of Alajuela, just 5 minutes from the Juan Santamaria airport. Call or write us using WhatsApp and we will respond as soon as possible. Disclaimer: This content was written by a human. Our goal is always to provide you with the most reliable information, based on our own and trustworthy third-party perspectives.