Las Palmas Restaurant in San Jose, Costa Rica

We ate at a second Peruvian restaurant in San Jose on our last night there. It was far worse quality-wise than Machu Picchu. It was more expensive (it cost $40 US!) and the food just wasn't as good.

I had a large vegetable soup that was way too salty and a fresh limeade. The limeade was really delicious, but so were all the fresh juices we had had in Costa Rica to that point. Gonzalo had some fish and it was ok. When we asked how they made their ceviche, they said they made it with vinegar (not fresh lime juice). EW! Obviously we did not order it.

If you're looking for Peruvian food in San Jose, Machu Picchu, despite the super-dorky name, is your best bet. Read my review of it here.

La Choza de Laurel Restaurant in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Gonzalo and I ate in this restaurant TWICE while we were visiting the Arenal Volcano because it was that good. They serve traditional Costa Rican food, but you can also find foods from other places if you're sick of Costa Rican food.

Gonzalo ordered the squid both nights, and it was very tasty. I ordered the typical plate of Choza de Laurel one night and fish the other night. The meals were served on a plank of wood that was covered with a fresh banana tree leaf. We both ordered fresh juices both times and they were amazing, just like every juice we had in Costa Rica. We had mango, papaya, and pineapple mixed various ways in our four total drinks. We were so full after our dinner each day that we couldn't even order dessert!

Please visit their website to see their full menu. If you're going to La Fortuna or to visit the Arenal Volcano, you must eat here at least once. It's awesome!

http://www.lachozadelaurel.com/ (there's an English option, look for it)

Machu Picchu Restaurant in San Jose, Costa Rica

On our first night in San Jose, we asked at our hostel where we could get some good food nearby. The owner asked us a few things about ourselves and discovered that Gonzalo is from Peru, so he suggested a great Peruvian restaurant a few blocks away. Machu Picchu gets its name from Peru's most well-known tourist destination, the centuries-old Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. Gonzalo and I went there when we visited Cuzco in 2004.

The food at Machu Picchu was excellent! Gonzalo ordered Lomo Saltado (or Salteado), a beef tenderloin stir-fry with marinated beef, red onions, tomatoes, fresh cilantro and fried yellow potatoes, served with white rice. Almost all Peruvian dishes are served with plain white rice and potatoes - potatoes have different flavors in Peru and are used for their flavor, not as a main starch. The beef had a great flavor and the vegetables were cooked perfectly. It also came with a spicy sauce - so spicy that we started coughing if we tasted too much!

I ordered ceviche and a seafood soup. The soup came with scallops, shrimp, crab (a WHOLE small crab!), fish, and oysters. It had a great tomato-vinegar flavor and the seafood tasted great. The ceviche tasted old, not like it was freshly marinated. We both ordered fresh juices and they were amazing. I hadn't had guanabana before, so I decided to try it. It was a creamy white drink that tasted tropical and slightly like banana.

The total bill was more expensive than we were expecting (around $30 US) but worth it.