Restaurante Tinajas — Restaurant in Arenal

Restaurant: I can’t say enough good things about Tinajas lodge and restaurant and Cindy the owner. My wife and I stayed 6 nights in January and we will definitely be coming back! The location is a bit off the beaten path but that is part of the reason we love it so much. It is a very peaceful area. It is a 5 minute drive down a rock road on a peninsula facing west in Lake Arenal. The property is on the edge of the water with the most AMAZING views, especially with the rainbows and sunsets! The lodge has 3 floors and maybe 6 units. We stayed in one of the apartments on the 2nd floor and it was spectacular. It has one bedroom with king and queen size beds. The larger room (huge) has a large kitchen and the main room/bedroom is surrounded by glass on 2 sides. There is a large covered balcony with views to die for. Nice bathroom and good hot shower. Very clean! Laundry service is included. Prices per night and week were very reasonable. The restaurant and craft beer bar are highly recommended. Again the views are epic. The menu is very extensive and features all Costa Rican traditional foods as well as a wide selection of options. The beer selection is incredible for this area and has local and small batch craft beers. For breakfast, go for the plato tipico or the casado. It has everything you need all on one plate. For dinner, the skirt steak I had was perfectly cooked medium rare and super juicy and tasty. You have a choice of local Guanacaste beef (leaner that typical US beef) or US Prime. They also have a legit wood pizza oven and make excellent pizzas. Decent liquor options at the bar as well. Prices for food are on the higher side for this town but totally worth it. Check out my photos. We will definitely be going back and highly recommend Tinajas Lodge...

Hard to find but don’t give up!

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, this is an all around awesome eating experience! Following the signs to the restaurant was a bit of a challenge navigating the dirt road but don’t that deter you. Note Google has you parking down the street and walking in… ignore it.. you can drive right to the front door.

After finishing school, Nixon (the chef) spent several years training in a major hotel but has returned to the family business. When we commented on the freshness of the greens, he took us over to the side of the restaurant to show us the gardens. Everything is organic and grown right there. Even the ingredients to their special dressing comes from herbs sprinkled around the establishment. The food Presentation (photos attached) enhanced the culinary experience.

The view is of course, amazing. What’s worth commenting is often the quality of the food is in inverse relation to the notability of the view… not here. It’s a family run establishment end to end and definitely worth our trip...

This is a beautiful restaurant. The family is happy to share that Bryan Murillo, the famous Costa Rican Bull rider is directly related to them. They have an organic garden that they use to prepare the dishes. The view from your seat is magnificent. I will have to say the Porterhouse Steak was the best steak I’ve ever had and I’m from Texas and my husband knows how to make a good steak. My husband was impressed as well with the steak. He ordered a tuna steak which was tasty as well. The family is very hospitable and friendly. We had hoped to go again while on vacation but ran out of time. My mouth is watering just writing this. You are supporting a family owned business by stopping here to eat as well. The ambiance is very relaxing, friendly, and cool. I imagine coming near the darker ours you will appreciate all the beautiful wall art as well as it becomes more fluorescent at night. I loved all the flowers on the outside of the...