Soda El Guácimo
Costa Rica
Reviews
I’ve been going to El Guacimo for decades. Don Carlos and family are the nicest people that you’ll ever meet. The food is typically Costa Rican and homemade. The handmade tortillas are so special as are the casados. Here’s a plan for your first day in Costa Rica. Get up early from your hotel in San Jose, (or better yet stay in or around Escazu) and leave immediately for the Pacific coast. Ask anyone for directions to the limited access highway, Route 27. You need to leave very early, like before 6:00am. I can’t stress that enough. One thing to remember is that in Costa Rica it gets dark quite early and the sun rises around 5:00am, so at 7:00am it’s like noon in the tropics. The trip to Tarcoles should take you about a little over an hour. Pay for a “Quick Pass” at the auto rental place, or take cash. It’s a toll road. You’re are heading towards Jaco, and you’re going to have breakfast at El Guacimo. El Guacimo, on the left, is just before the coast road starts the downgrade to the bridge that crosses the “crocodile river”. If you get there, turn around. Have that hardy breakfast. You can also buy all kinds of snacks to take for the rest of the day. Then continue on your way heading for the beach town of Jaco. Definitely stop at the bridge over the Tarcoles river (the one where you turned around) and walk across (with everyone else) to get the view of the crocs and the Carara National Park. Your next stop could be taking the tour at Carara, a spectacular natural wonder.
Good little stopover on the way towards Jaco Beach and southern Puntieras. Lots of good food options at this location with bathrooms. If you take TRACOPA bus they stop at this location for about 20 minutes.
The casados pollo was excellent! There was so much food, and every part if the dish had so many nice flavors. The chicken was cooked to perfection. The bathrooms were pristine, which is always nice in a foreign country.
A nice stopover restaurant otw to San Jose. The staff were very friendly and the dining setting was nice. They even have some display of 'antiques' . The food was generously good portion and taste well. They even sells snacks too. Strongly recommended for a meal here.
El Guácimo is everything you hope for in a local soda. The food is fresh, made-to-order, and incredibly tasty—all at a fair price. We ordered the Gallo (delicious soft fish taco), which has been my favorite among any soda so far. The Gallo Pinto was also a standout, especially when topped with a dash of their homemade vegetable salsa; be sure to ask for the large bottle, as the pickled broccoli and carrots are exceptional. They have also perfected the Café Chorreado with milk, making it one of the best I’ve had. The staff is genuinely kind and attentive; on their recommendation, I picked up the milk cake and dulce de leche, both of which were excellent. This is a simple, authentic family business with no touristy fluff—just great care and quality. A must-stop.
