You Need to Try This Place When in La Fortuna, Costa Rica – Restaurante La Parada

When you travel, why would you want to stick to the same chain restaurant food you could get at home? When I travel, I always look for a local hangout and have been richly rewarded with some of the BEST food I’ve ever had. When I was in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, I discovered Restaurante La Parada. This local favorite is an open-air restaurant serving up delicious Costa Rican food 24 hours a day at really low prices. When you are here, this is a MUST!

Restaurante La Parada is one of those unassuming “holes in the wall” that some might call a dive. Like many places in Costa Rica, there are no street addresses here. You’ll find the restaurant in the heart of La Fortuna across from the city park (southern border) in front of the bus stop. La Parade means “the stop” in English. Just look for the crowd of locals clustered together on the long tables under the restaurant’s covered patio. You might even see a neighborhood dog under the table hoping for a treat.

TripAdvisor calls this an Italian and Latin restaurant. There is pizza and pasta on the menu,  but the draw here is the traditional Costa Rican dishes. Surprisingly, Costa Rican food is not overly spicy like you would expect from a Central American country. On my first visit here, I was really taken aback by this and a few other Costa Rica facts. Here, the food here is simple, not overly seasoned, but still flavorful. A traditional staple served breakfast, lunch, and dinner is Gallo Pinto or rice and beans. Then there is ALL the tropical fruit. 

Here at La Parada, I ordered and highly recommend these traditional Costa Rican Dishes:

Olla de Carne – A soup with beef bone broth, large pieces of beef, corn on cob, potatoes, yucca, and other root vegetables. Served with a side of white rice. 

Beef Taco – In the states, you’d call this a taquito. But here, it’s a rolled corn tortilla filled with seasoned shredded beef served a top shredded lettuce and a special sauce. Served with a side of fries. 

Arroz con Pollo – Seasoned rice with shredded chicken. Served with a green salad. This is a classic I could eat every day. You might notice the American currency in the background of the photo. In Costa Rica, many places take both US dollars and the national currency called Colones. 

Restaurante La Parada is open 18 hours a day. So stop in and get a taste of what delicious Costa Rican food really tastes like. 

Nicky Omohundro

Nicky Omohundro is a lifestyle & travel writer and avid family adventurer with her three children ranging in ages 11-16. She grew up traveling to the Netherlands and road tripping across California and the Southwest. For her, there isn’t an age that’s too young to travel. So she’s been traveling with her children since they were babies and they have great shared experiences because of it.

Nicky grew up in Southern California, so she loves the beach and mountains, but not cold weather. Today she resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma which us right in the middle of the country. It’s just a quick flight to go east or west. Big plus!! She founded LittleFamilyAdventure.com, an active family lifestyle and travel website, to encourage families to get outdoors and have “No Child Left Inside.” The site focuses on family travel, outdoor recreation, and healthy living.