Costa Rican
- Antojitos, Irvington, NJ
- Division Cafe, Somerville, NJ
- Guanaticos, South Orange, NJ
- Latin Bistro, Summit, NJ
- Maplewood Deli, Maplewood, NJ
- Olga's Place, Elizabeth, NJ
- Pura Vida Deli & Coffee, Keyport, NJ
Favorites
Worth a Visit
Sponsored
On My List to Try
- Bassett Pizza, Dover, NJ
- Don Juan, West Orange, NJ
- East Side Deli, Summit, NJ
- La Cascada, Manville, NJ
- La Parilla, Trenton, NJ
- La Posada, Clifton, NJ
- Tico's Bakery & Restaurant, Middlesex, NJ
- Tierra del Sol, Bound Brook, NJ
- Tierra del Sol II, Manville, NJ
- Tucanes, Prospect Park, NJ
Costa Rican
×
Costa Rican
Taco Tico @ Division Cafe – Somerville, NJ
Costa Rica changed my life. I moved there after college to teach English, fell in love, and now my wife and I visit with our kids.
I tease my in-laws by describing Costa Rican food as Mexican, without the flavor. Costa Rican cuisine doesn’t feature spicy chilies; it is all about straightforward local ingredients: fresh fish, pork, beef, rice, beans, corn, tropical fruit and vegetables.
Gallo Pinto @ Division Cafe – Somerville, NJ
My favorite Costa Rican foods: For breakfast, eggs with gallo pinto (fried rice and black beans with Salsa Lizano), warm corn tortillas, natilla (sour cream), and strong Costa Rican coffee. Lunch, the main daily meal, might be olla de carne (beef soup), or arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). Later on at the bar, preferably at the beach, there’s the wonderful Costa Rican tradition of bocas. Order a drink (like Imperial) and a small plate comes with it. You can’t go wrong with Costa Rican ceviche, marinated in lemon or lime juice with a touch of Ginger Ale; pork chicharrones served in a tortilla with yuca and shredded cabbage; or frijoles molidos (fried beans) with crispy tortillas. I can barely remember what my black bean-less diet was like before I first visited. Other Costa Rican standards are hearty casados (literally, “married” plates) served at lunch counters all over Costa Rica – a piece of protein (grilled fish, pork, beef or chicken) with a fried egg on a heaping plate of rice, beans, sweet plantains and cabbage salad; pork tamales wrapped in banana leaves; and tropical fruit shakes (batidos).
Olga’s Place – Elizabeth, NJ
It’s not hard to find Costa Rican food in New Jersey, if you know where to look. Eight of the 25 communities in the United States with the highest percentage of Costa Rican residents are right here in the Garden State: Bound Brook, Somerville, Raritan, Summit, Dover, Manville, South Bound Brook, and Clinton. A number of Jersey restaurants serve Costa Rican food among other Latin American cuisines. Clifton’s La Posada is a Colombian spot that also serves Cosata Rican and Peruvian dishes. Irvington’s Antojitos is a unique Costa Rican-Ecuadorean combo. We are always on the lookout for Costa Rican-owned restaurants like The Banderas in Summit. Know of a Costa Rican place we haven’t found? Let us know.
Links
Sponsored
I haven’t – I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the tip!
My guys in Costa Rica are telling me I need to go to Olga’s. Have you been there?
Address: 214 LT Glenn Zamorski Dr, Elizabeth, NJ 07206
Phone:+1 908-353-5881
I haven’t found Cafe 1820 in New Jersey yet, but you can find Guayabitas and plenty of other Costa Rican, Central American and intentional foods at City Supermarket – 525 Irvington Ave, Newark (close to South Orange).
Is there a listing for the best food stores in NJ that sell Costa Rican products? We’re from CT but head down to Summit for business every couple months, and are always looking for a place that sells the good stuff, like 1820 coffee, Tropical Fruitas Mixtas drinks, and Guayabitas. So far, I haven’t been able to find those.
No Costa Rican food in Connecticut? How about around Norwalk?
I Live in ct no costa rican food around here I miss it
Mike, I am always looking for Costa Rican food!
This place place looks very authentic, down to the traditional mural on the wall (and the Saprissa event!). Just put it on the map. Might never have found it without awesome reader suggestions like yours.
Thank you!
If you are still looking for excellent Costa Rican food, Tucanes in Prospect Park, NJ is probably worth a visit. The food is wonderful, plentiful, with a very Costan Rican atmosphere and group of patrons.
Love their very traditional Casado Servido, which seems to have every bit of goodness from bits of plantain, eggs, and grilled meat piled on with rice and beans. The pupusas are fantastic, as well.
My home-stay family cooked the eggs in with the gallo pinto – I would seriously ask for Carmen’s gallo pinto as a last meal. I am looking forward to taking my family to CR as soon as possible. So envious that you have been there so often!