Trattoria Ragú — Restaurant in Alajuela

Although this restaurant is so highly rated by hundreds of others, it still had that feeling of stumbling onto a hidden gem. From the moment we sat down, we enjoyed the entire experience. The fresh bread and spicy olive oil were so simple and so tasty. My wife had the seafood risotto and could not describe in enough detail how delicious it was. I asked the owner which dishes he was most proud of, and went with one of the two recommendations—carbonara. The best of Italian foods is so good because of its simplicity, the quality ingredients, and the chefs skill. The pasta was cooked perfectly, the fresh Parmesan on top was just salty enough. My youngest enjoyed the gluten free pasta—which was how we found this place to begin with when searching for his dietary needs (they offered GF spaghetti or penne). After our meals, the owner brought us limoncello as an aperitif on the house, which was nicely chilled and not too sweet. And then brought two wands of bubbles for our kids! We ordered the tiramisu for dessert and it was perfect—not too light and not too dense (mediocre varieties tend to be one of the two). I have saved this place to return on my next trip to San Jose. I’m so glad to have found such good Italian food in Cost Rica. And take time to talk with the owner, who is from Capri! He’s a...

AMAZING FOOD, ATMOSPHERE, & PEOPLE!!! It is our last night in Costa Rica before heading back to the US, and this restaurant gave us the most amazing last dinner and experience in this beautiful country! From the moment we got seated, the owner helped us with translating the menu into English, and the servers worked at such a high standard and made us feel so welcome! The owner even took the time to bring us our plates himself which was the sweetest touch! The servers were incredibly friendly and helpful during the entire dinner. The garlic bread, carbonara pasta, and tiramisu were the BEST homemade Italian foods we've ever had!!! And we even went to Italy, haha!!! To top everything off, they brought us free limoncello shots to end the evening!!! They made us feel right at home and so appreciated! The owner talked to us about our travels and his own from the island of Capri, and it was such an incredible experience all-around! We will DEFINITELY be returning back to Ragu next time we arrive in Costa Rica!!! Much love &...

I consider this authentic Italian restaurant as a hidden gem (maybe not too hidden as they have earned multiple Trip Advisor Awards). The owner Anthony is from Italy, and he is super friendly, providing humble and diligent customer service. His place is very close to the airport, making it an easy destination for hotel in-prisoned travellers looking to unshackle themselves from the corporate dining experience. Ragù is a small neighbourhood restaurant with traditional homemade meals cooked from the heart - think of red and white gingham table clothes. We had a late seating and at the end of the evening we could still hear and see tremendous joy and love in the kitchen. The pesto was spectacular, and everything we ate was fresh and delicious. Anthony won’t...