Restaurante Buru Seaside Manuel Antonio
Costa Rica
Avis
Horrible service and terrible communication. We were outside talking to the guy at the front, and noticed they had a happy hour deal. I understood it was usually 2-for-1, and since there were three of us, we mentioned we wouldn’t be able to finish a fourth drink. We asked if it would be possible to just get three drinks at the happy hour price instead (basically trying to negotiate a bit). Totally fine if they said no, but the guy explicitly told us it was okay to get 3 drinks for 6,000 colones and even motioned for us to go inside. When we went to pay, I noticed they were charging way more than what we had just agreed on. I questioned it, and the girl working there said, “That’s not how it works, these are our menu prices.” I get that, but that’s not what we were told upfront. If they had been clear from the beginning, we wouldn’t have ordered at all. So I said it’s okay, we don’t want the drinks anymore. Then the bartender jumped in and said it was “too late” because they had already made two of the drinks and that we had to pay. It honestly felt like they were trying to force us into paying when there was clearly a miscommunication on their end. When we called the front guy over, he and the female worker even started disagreeing in Spanish, so it was obvious he stood by what he originally told us. But the other staff kept saying that wasn’t what he meant, and tried to shift the blame onto us, like it was a language misunderstanding. That left a really bad taste. We didn’t want the drinks anymore, but they kept pushing us to pay anyway. I even said I was fine getting authorities involved because this didn’t feel right. In the end, when I started taking photos of the restaurant, they suddenly let us go, so who knows, maybe they just didn’t want a bad review. The customer service and overall experience were really disappointing, especially as a first impression in Monteverde. Not very “Pura Vida” of them.
My wife and I and two friends were staying in Manuel Antonion in Costa Rica for a week as part of a tour of the country. My had spotted Restaurant Buru while walking along the beach and we ended up deciding to get there. The restaurant has a very appealing décor and live music – not a loud electric group but a single guitarist and timba player, which really added to the atmosphere. The service at Buru is excellent, we were escorted to our seats very quickly and in English. Buru has an extensive menu but the selections that attracted me were seafood dishes. I’m not a great lover of a wide selection of seafood, but since we were vacationing in Costa Rica, I thought it was worth a try. My wife ordered the mahi-mahi, and I ordered yellowfin tuna. Both dishes were incredibly good – cooked to perfection! Our friends ordered to hamburger plate and ceviche and both were great. One suggestion if you’re going to order a main dish like this, a starter is too much food. The portions are fresh and delicious and very generous. There are several good restaurants catering to the floods of tourists who visit Manuel Antonio every year, but Restaurant Buru is not one you should miss.
What a great spot! Excellent location right across from the beach. We went for breakfast and later returned for drinks and a sandwich — everything was delicious. We enjoyed it so much we came back the next day for lunch and had a perfectly fried red snapper, beautifully presented. The restaurant is clean, the staff is friendly and attentive, and the prices are very fair. Highly recommended — we’ll definitely be back.
Excellent restaurant and bar right next to the beach. Have been twice in two days! Enjoyed both the happy hour and the delicious food (great casados and really good fish). Service has been amazing and super attentive. Wish I could add an extra star for the sloth sightings we had on both days. Gracias y pura vida 🙏
