Pura Vida Restaurant & Cocktail Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

A small restaurant, but do not hold that against it. Pure Vida was a pleasant surprise, with a menu that offers lovely flavours from Costa Rica. We can particularly recommend some of the appetizers such as the fries, the corn ribs, and the guac and chips. The plantain that came with the guac was amazing, and the fries had unique seasoning, that made them some of the best fries I've ever had. The mains were good too, I'd recommend going for some of the more unique and traditional dishes, as they'll have more interesting seasonings and flavours. Definitely planning to come again to explore more of the menu. My only complaint would be that it can be a bit too salty sometimes, but not so much that it becomes inedible.

The service was mostly good. The servers were nice and helped us with any questions we had, and gave helpful advice. The food was prepared quickly, in fact, they can slow down a bit, our mains were served when we were still in the middle of our appetizers. This seems to require a bit more coordinating between kitchen and front of house. It made it feel rushed. The drinks took a lot longer, they came halfway through the mains. All issues that require some finetuning. All this may be because it was a busy evening.

The atmosphere is very informal, with nice decorations and lots of green. It all felt very tropical. There was a loud group while we were eating, but that comes with the small space, I guess. I don't understand the number of huge screens with unrelated stock videos; they're distracting. I see this in other restaurants, and I...

Delicious food. Friendly service. Playful (and playa-full) atmosphere. Our group — three couples, with three toddlers! — has a perfect dinner at Pura Vida this past weekend. The owner Jaime was incredibly attentive and explained the menu items with care in both English and Spanish, because our group speaks both.

We ordered several dishes and loved them all. My picky toddler devoured the rice and beans and specifically asked for more corn. But we all agreed that the Pura Vida Ceviche and Tres Leches cake were the real show stealers! We all had the same reaction with those dishes, a passionate "oh my god!" on first bite.

Jaime mentioned that his chef is a real Tico with lots of experience, and you could really taste that in the food. Some items are his family recipes. The music was set to a toddler and elder Millennial-friendly volume, haha. Enough for a vibe but we could comfortably talk.

Also, many nice spots in Toronto have boring or kind of dingy bathrooms, but it's the opposite at Pura Vida! The lovely tropical/beach decor extends all the way downstairs. Accessibility note though: the bathroom is in the basement.

¡Muchas gracias Jaime! Encantado de conocerlo. Espero que tu nuevo...

Gluten-Free Options: Yes Halal/ Kosher Options: No Vegan Option: Yes Vegetarian Options: Yes Nut Free Options: Yes Dairy Alternatives : Unsure

First Impression: Cute spot with fun decorations. The space is a little small but has plenty of seating.

Order: The fish casados (Pura Vida special lunch) and beef empanadas.

Favourite: Beef empanadas and their coleslaw that came with the casados. The beef empanadas were filled with tender beef and cheese and nice and crispy on the outside. My husband is Colombian and I am used to the Colombian empanadas so these were a nice different surprise. The coleslaw is not like the average slaw you get in Canada, it’s very fresh and healthy.

Critiques: We found the portions small, especially the fish in the casados.

Bonus: They have a photo moment at the entrance for people who love to capture their memories.

Take Away: A great spot for Costa Rican food. My husband and I would love to try more of their options - especially their Costa Rican specialty coffee.. yum!

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