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.
![Restaurante La Parada menu](https://www.shesonthego.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Restaurante-La-Parada-.jpeg)
TripAdvisor calls this an Italian and Latin restaurant. There
Here at La Parada, I ordered and highly recommend these traditional Costa Rican Dishes:
![Beef soup - Olla de Carne](https://www.shesonthego.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Olla-de-Carne.jpg)
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.
![Costa Rican Beef Taco](https://www.shesonthego.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Costa-Rican-Taco.jpeg)
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 - Chicken and rice](https://www.shesonthego.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Arroz-con-polli.jpg)
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.
![Restaurante La Parada](https://www.shesonthego.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Restaurante-La-Parada-683x1024.png)
![](http://www.shesonthego.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Snapseed-31.jpeg)
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