San Ramon Resources
FOOD, DRINK and NIGHTLIFE:
Rincon de Poeta (our favorite)
This downtown restaurant/bar has been a big hit since it opened.
The owner Alonso and his great staff Sergio, Pablo, Gigi, Jason,
Hansel, Chepe and the stars in the kitchen take good care of the
crowds nightly. The large restaurant/bar is welcoming to the spectrum
from 20-somethings to families and all demographics in between
who come for the food and ambiance. The small bar makes it easy
to socialize and make the scene. Music volume is moderate and
not overwhelming as many places in Costa Rica are. The restaurant
décor features changing art shows of local artists and
locally crafted furnishings.
I suggest sticking to the boca (tapas) menu so you can
try lots of the offerings and eat at your own pace. The bocas
start at about $1.15 and top out at $2.40/C1200. There’s
so much to recommend. Fresh shrimp both fried or sautéed
in garlic sauce are good choices. Other winners include, seafood
soup, cerviche and patacones, plantano fritters served
with 3 dipping cups of refried beans, salsa and fresh cheese.
Try the local liquor, Guaro, a clear, rough liquor made
from sugar cane.
Rincon Poeta gets busy most nights by 7:30-8PM. Great Staff, Great
Food. Great Crowd.
Fory Fay


A new entry to the San Ramon eating scene, Fory Fay is a very
popular restaurant with two locations in nearby Palmares. They
are well known by the locals for excellent cerviche. If your hungry
try the casado, a big plate of food with your choice of protein
(fish, chicken, meat) plus rice, beans, plantanos, fries, salad
and a fried egg. The atmosphere is pleasant with colorful fabric
draped from the ceiling. There is a non-smoking section which
is rare in San Ramon. This is a great choice for a nice lunch
or dinner. Fory Fay is located across from the church in San Rafael,
a five minute drive from downtown.
Fory Fay is open from 11AM - 11PM daily.
Mi Casita
If you have a hunger for something totally different, visit
Mi Casita near the San Ramon Hospital. Originally opened by Francesco,
an Italian ex-pat who moved to San Ramon from Jaco, and needed
an outlet for his passion...making great homemade pasta. The new
owners, Marco and Gabriella, have worked in restaurants in Italy
and Germany and are equally gifted cooks. Among the pasta choices
are Fettucine Alfredo, Bolonese, and Pomodoro, but for a special
treat talk to the owners and let them create a sauce specifically
for you. Mi Casita is open Monday to Friday for breakfast at 6:30AM
and stops serving at 8PM. Mi Casita is centrally located across
from the hospital on the road to Arenal.
Soda Lucy
A
soda is roughly translated as a diner and is generally
an informal and inexpensive choice for homemade traditional food.
Soda Lucy is a small family-run restaurant on the main street
leading to the University of Costa Rica's San Ramon campus. This
is a popular choice for a nice homemade breakfast or lunch and
is a good spot for people watching and settling in to the San
Ramon community. Lucy, the owner, is a welcoming and warm person
who takes great pride in her bright and airy soda. While
the Central Market is loaded with sodas, this spot has been packed
since it’s recent opening and is a good choice for a daytime
meal.
El Buho
The
latest addition to the San Ramon dining and cafe scene is El Buho,
a restaurant/bar and coffee house that open in 2008. The managers,
Max and Sara, are recent transplants to San Ramon. Sara is French
and brought some of her local dishes with her as well a a different
take on the traditional Costa Rican fare. El Buho is located near
the University Of Costa Rica's San Ramon campus, adding to its
young, vibrant atmosphere that has a definte reggae/surfer twist.
Many nights there is great live music from local musicians.
Mi Choza (aka Los Negritos)
A
small restaurant/bar across from the cemetery. This is a popular
spot for lunch or dinner and is best enjoyed as a couple or group.
The bocas are large, delicious and many are attractively served
on wooden cutting boards. Among our favorites are the shrimp omelette
($1.50) and the cheese taco with salad and papas, yucca and plantanos
fritas. The entire menu looks pretty popular with the customers.
The fruit smoothies are good here and there’s a full selection
of beer and liquor.
La Guaria
A way cool country bar with a loyal and rowdy local clientele
who come for the big, inexpensive bocas, beer, and the lively
atmosphere. La Guaria is a 5-10 minute drive from the center of
San Ramon on the old Palmares Road.
The bar is where the crowd is and it’s rectangular shape
makes for lots of good people watching. There’s another
small room with tables and an outdoor dining area. If you get
here too late, a parking spot is sometimes hard to find.
Las Tinajitas
A
popular stop on the Inter-American Highway 7 KM past San Ramon
on the way to Puntarenas. This is a cafeteria-style restaurant
where you can point and try a variety of local dishes, including
fish, chicken, rice, plantanos, and fresh refrescos/juices. From
its high elevation on the Inter-American Highway, the open-air
restaurant has an ocean view. This is fast food with a Tico twist.
Rinconcito
This
warm, family owned and operated open-air restaurant is a locals
lunch favorite. It is open only on weekdays and only for lunch
casados, or comidas tipicas. A Casado
(married) is the classic Costa Rican meal. It generally includes
either fish, chicken or meat with some combination of rice, beans,
platanos, yucca, picadillo (minced vegetables), and cabbage
and tomato salad at the kitchen's discretion. At Rinconcita the
meals are huge and for C1800 (US$3.50) include a fruit drink and
dessert.
Sol Naciente
A
popular friendly downtown bar owned by Chinese ex-pats Kenneth
and Karen. The beer is cheap and the music good. It attracts the
local college students and has a hippie feel. This is a place
mostly for drinking, seeing friends and hanging out. The regulars
order the Chinese bocas and stop there. The chicken or pork fried
rice and chop suey/Chinese stir-fried noodles are good, filling
choices for $1 / C500 each.
Pizza Roy
When
you are longing for something familiar, try the pizza at Pizza
Roy's. Pizza Roy has three locations in San Ramon. We generally
visit the one across from the basketball court just down (East)
from the San Ramon Farmers’ Market and the University of
Costa Rica. The classic cheese pizza is a mix between New York
and Chicago style, with a thin yet soft crust. There are the usual
and some unusual toppings available for your choosing. The pizza
is prepared fresh, while you wait. Stop in or call 447-77-80 and
place your order for delivery.
Comida Joel
Adding
good variety to the San Ramon eating options, Comida Joel is a
snack counter specializing in Japanese and Korean food. This relatively
new, small establishment is on the same block as Secretos and
Sound Bar 80 meters West of the Parque Central. When you get a
taste for something completely different, try the California roll
or miso soup. The proprietor is a smiling, friendly guy and deserves
your patronage for attempting a bold new offering.
COFFEE and DESSERT:
Café Delicias
This is the first of the local coffee shops. Delicias is a few
blocks East of the University and is hard to miss with its bright
orange façade and corner location. The crowds enjoying
their caffeine and pastries create a fun scene especially between
3:00 and 5:30PM. In a town whose social life is centered in bars,
this is a good alternative.
Take a seat in the lively dining room and the staff will drop
off a pencil and paper menu and you mark your selections to order.
The local favorite is café con leche, a strong
coffee served in a small stainless pitcher with another pitcher
of steamed milk. Cappuccino and other custom coffee drinks are
available. For non-coffee drinkers you can’t go wrong with
the milkshakes. The delicious homemade cakes are displayed well
and should be viewed before ordering. Chocolate, Carrot and Cheesecakes
are among the choices. Delicias has recently expanded into serving
breakfast. The omelettes look good and the breakfasts are less
greasy than many of the sodas (diners) nearby.


Aroma's Café
Aromas is another good choice for coffee and dessert. It is centrally
located across from the Club Social and next to Bar Sol Naciente.
It also draws a large afternoon and early evening crowd for coffee,
sweets, sandwiches and socializing. The café space was
formerly the site of a Middle-Eastern restaurant and has a nice
low, close to the ground seating area in the front window inherited
from the former establishment. The main seating area is open with
brightly painted walls and nice lighting. The cappuccino is popular
here. Our favorite dessert is the tres leches, a local
classic. The brownies will satisfy your chocolate cravings and
they’ll heat them up if you like.

In April 2008, Aroma's opened a second cafe on the Main Street
through San Ramon. This should be a great addition to the San
Ramon local scene and for travelers passing through on the way
to Volcano Arenal and the Rain Forest.
CLUBS:
San Ramon Social Club - Club Centro de Cultura Social
Founded in 1926, the club is both a large building with multiple
bars and an integral part of San Ramon history. For drinking,
dancing and taking in a tradition of San Ramon, explore the club
on a busy weekend night. Wander up to the 2nd floor, if you can,
where you’ll find a lot of cool photos of San Ramon through
the years.
Weekend nights there are 2 Latin dance clubs and I’ve been
with crowds of a few hundred people in each room. One club attracts
30-40 somethings and the other a younger scene. There’s
also Karaoke midweek. When the Costa Rica National Soccer team
is playing, the club draws big crowds to drink and cheer wildly
as the game is broadcast on many screens. There is periodic live
music and special events so check out the schedule.
Secretos and System Sound Bar
These
2 bars are next door to each other just west of the central park.
Things get interesting in both bars after 9PM. On a busy weekend
night, the street outside looks like a scene from “Fame”
with beautiful local teens and twenty-somethings in serious numbers.
The music is loud in both spots.
Both bars have an informal bar downstairs and an upstairs room
that hosts themed nights and live music. There’s sometimes
a modest cover charge to go upstairs. System also has a limited
menu of good bocas if you’re hungry. Experience both Secretos
and System Sound Bar and don’t miss the lively street scene
outside.
Excalibur
This
has historically been the after hours club, open from midnight
until morning. It is currently closed for renovations. Update,
we hear EX is now open under new management.