Once you’ve gotten your fill of fresh strawberries, picked straight from the garden of this charming cabana in the Alajuelas Province, grab a cup of fine Costa Rican coffee and order a traditional snack. The chorreadas (corn pancakes) pair well with a glass of strawberry juice, and the soups, like olla de carne (meat soup), sopa de pozol (hulled corn and pork), and sopa de frijol (bean soup), are not to be missed. Of course, there’s gallo pinto and casados, but consider a tortilla aliñada, a Frisbee-sized tortilla made with a mixture of corn masa, cheese, and cream. [$$]

The daytime-only institution started out as a small hut in 1982. Today, the rustic wood cabin set amid the lush natural forest near the Poás Volcano is a must-visit. Enjoy a cup of Costa Rica’s world-famous coffee before embarking on a day of hiking the volcano. There are famed Tico breakfasts like gallo pinto, gallotes (large filled tortillas), gallitos (tortillas filled with savory stews), and arepas, but most come here for the casados, a “pura vida” platter of rice and beans with eggs, cheese, picadillo (chopped meat), salad, and your selection of stewed meat. Outdoor dining. Takeout available. [$$]

The garden terrace and huge variety of local fish are the main draws at this popular Italian restaurant. Hidden among the menu of Italian classics — ossobuco, tuna carpaccio, antipasti, the usual pastas and pizza al taglio — the restaurant touts plenty of Costa Rican products. Check out the seafood section, which highlights the bounty of local fish with dishes like sea bream cooked in lime, jumbo shrimp in a Barolo wine reduction, and a mix of corvina, shrimp, and octopus tossed with tagliolini pasta. Order online. Outdoor dining. [$$$]

Born to Costa Rican and Taiwanese parents, and with a resume that includes stints in the U.S., Spain, France, and Peru, chef Andrés Sandoval Tsao has composed a menu that reads like a biography. His pan-Asian-leaning menu features Taiwanese gua bao (pork buns), Vietnamese bo luc lac (shaking beef), pad Thai, and Peruvian chaufa. Some Costa Rican dishes and tacos are mixed in to Tsao’s relaxed tour of global street food. Order online. [$$]

Chef Marco Antonio Ganoza’s modern Peruvian fusion restaurant is one of San Jose’s top destinations, with Nikkei-style ceviches, grilled octopus in a balsamic vinaigrette reduction, and ají chicken risotto. Try the classic lomo saltado or Costa Rican pozol acriollado (corn and pork soup) with a well-balanced pisco sour and views of trendy Avenida Escazu. Order online. [$$]    

After stints at prestigious Spanish restaurants, including the two-Michelin-starred El Coque Restaurante and El Club Allard, chef Nene Murillo returned to her native Costa Rica to dedicate her life to the raw-food lifestyle. She opened Raw Co Juicery & Food, a takeout operation specializing in vibrant dishes that emphasize the unadulterated produce of Costa Rica. When she’s not teaching classes on raw food preparation, she’s whipping up juices with turmeric, lime, ginger, and honey; gluten-free, plant-based sushi and poke bowls; and colorful bowls of pureed dragon fruit or red banana topped with fresh berries. Takeout available. [$$]

Head to this Tico family-style restaurant in the bustling Pavas district for desayuno granjero, country breakfast with fried eggs, gallo pinto, Costa Rican sour cream, plantains, fried cheese, and tortillas. There are a trio of hearty casados, including the casado granjero that’s like your own personal Tico buffet. Many dishes are served on banana leaves, just one of the charming details about this country house, with its heavy wooden picnic benches. For a true taste of Costa Rican home cooking, go with the pozol, a sweet corn and pork rib stew, reddened by achiote and accented with notes of culantro. Order online. Outdoor (covered) seating. [$$]

Under the leadership of head chef Marco Leiva, this is San José’s take on the global steakhouse, with fine cuts of chateaubriand, Brazilian picanha, falda (flank steak) served with sticky rice and bok choy, and porterhouse. Local Costa Rican products are central to dishes like the green papaya salad, octopus with cassava “charcoal,” and a saute of jumbo shrimp and poppies from the garden. Choose from a variety of sides, such as grilled asparagus, blackened yucca, and sweet potato puree, to accompany your steak, all paired with wines from the Americas. [$$$]

At any decent party, Ticos serve a plate of chicharrones along with limes, tortillas, and bocas (bar snacks) for topping like yucca, Costa Rican pico de gallo (aka chimichurri), culantro, and the indispensable Salsa Lizano. Since 1966, this well-known chicharronera has hosted gatherings large and small in the Aserrí district. Locals keep coming back for deep-fried chicharrones — meatier than varieties elsewhere in Latin America — served with black bean puree, rice, picadillo de papa with Salsa Lizano, and other standard bocas. Come with a group and order the Gran Cacique, which can feed four to six, or the chichafrijo grande (chicharrones with whole beans). Add on some ice-cold Imperials and enjoy the mascaradas (masked dancers) and cimarrona music. Order online. Outdoor (covered) dining. [$$]

Although you’ll want to explore all of the vendors at San José’s Central Market, be sure not to miss Costa Rica’s most famous soda (traditional food stall), founded by Natalia Cervantes, affectionately called Tala and now run by her family. The menu consists of savory antojitos (little cravings), like chorreadas, tortillas de queso, and gallos (filled tortillas). The famed Tala Pintos are combo plates with gallo pinto, egg cakes, and the option of cheese, meat, or sausage with tortillas. The filling casados combine rice and beans with your choice of meat alongside picadillo, salad, and spaghetti — all served with lots of chilera (Costa Rican hot sauce). [$]

One of the many gems in San José’s Central Market, this busy ice cream stall has been delighting Ticos and tourists since 1901 with its mind-blowing vanilla ice cream. Yes, just vanilla. A single bite of the the light, fluffy scoop with notes of cinnamon and a heavy hit of vanilla bean will reveal why Alvaro Mora stuck to one flavor. Have it with a ranizado (shaved ice) and refresco en agua (juice), or a blackberry, papaya, or banana refresco de leche (milkshake). Takeout available. [$]

Local ingredients and the regional cuisines of Costa Rica are the core of the menu at chef Santiago Fernández Benedetto’s restaurant set in an old remodeled house in Barrio Amón. His caldosa, or corn chips with ceviche, features the day’s sustainable catch delicately cooked in Rangpur lime with ginger, avocado, chives, radishes, and daikon. He finishes his version of the street snack with a sardine mayo dressing. His empanadas are stuffed with ricotta cheese, chives, and egg yolks, and the Guanacaste-style arroz guacho, a risotto-like dish of rice and chayote topped with grilled chicken and shrimp. [$$$]

The walls at this Argentine steakhouse are hung with framed photos of tango musicians, antique Italian liquor signs, and seltzer bottles, evoking all the allure of a bodegón in San Telmo, the tango district in Buenos Aires. Start with a salad dressed in a do-it-yourself dressing of vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, then move on to the grilled provoleta (Argentine provolone) and perhaps some chitterlings or sweetbreads before your steak — a bife de chorizo (New York strip), entraña (outside skirt steak), or vacío (flank steak) — with a nice malbec. [$$]