Bar & Restaurante Los Laureles — Restaurant in Bahía Ballena

A Hidden Gem in Uvita — A True 10 Out of 5!

We were three ladies enjoying a late morning lunch around 11:45 AM at Bar Restaurante Los Laureles in Uvita, and from the moment we sat down, we were warmly greeted by who I later discovered was the owner, Cindy. (I had a feeling—her energy and pride in the place said it all.)

She handed us each tablet with the digital menu and said, “I want you to see what you’re ordering.” Let’s be real—we’ve all seen menu photos that look nothing like what shows up on the plate. But not here.

We started with the patacones appetizer—four thick, golden pieces that looked exactly like the picture. I saved one for dinner later. They were delicious and perfectly done.

Then came the entrées—served on wooden boards, looking like something straight out of a food magazine. No exaggeration. The table next to us got their meals right after, and we all had the same reaction—silence. I'm just savoring every bite.

One friend had the buffalo wrap, another had the house cheeseburger, and I ordered the brisket sandwich. (You don’t serve brisket to a Texas girl without getting it tested.) The buns were homemade. The brisket and pulled pork were slow-smoked. The fries? Hand-cut, crispy, and perfectly salted. Every single bite was packed with flavor and clearly made with care.

We also had custom lemonades—lemon and ginger with the option of adding hibiscus. It is so refreshing, especially on a rainy season.

Cindy ran the floor with charm and ease—effortlessly managed several tables while making everyone feel welcome. The restaurant is surrounded by greenery, with a peaceful and calming vibe. Even the chairs were comfortable—no squirming after 15 minutes, which is rare!

The restaurant is attached to Cabinas Los Laureles, and if they give their guests even half the attention to detail that’s poured into the food and service here—you’re in for a treat.

I’ve written a lot of reviews over the years, and I don’t throw this around lightly: Food: 10/5 Service: 10/5 Atmosphere: 10/5

If you’re local or just visiting, support the kind of places that remind you why you fell in love with Costa Rica in the first place.

Thank you, Cindy and team—what a...

Wow! We stumbled upon this place after our first choice was closed due to a power outage. I'm so happy for the power outage! First of all, the setting is perfect for Costa Rica and Uvita in particular. We dined in the cool shade under fans and a straw hatched roof on a long wooden table. The restaurant also owns a private forest surrounding the restaurant/property and you can listen to the forest sounds while dining. Second, the service was exceptional! The owner (sorry, I forgot her name) spoke both perfect Spanish & English! She used to live in the U.S., but moved to C.R. a long time ago. She's very efficient, but also super friendly, funny & interactive. You can tell she loves her job, her restaurant & her patrons. Third, the food!!! Every single dish we had (we were a party of 8 ranging in age from 11 to 63) was exceptional! I'm a 63-year old American who has hundreds of different burgers all around the world & the bacon cheese burger here was the best I've ever had...no exaggeration! It was juicy and tasty and cooked perfectly. The fries were fresh, crisp and cooked perfectly. Others had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, Nachos, Jack Daniels burger and more. The portions were huge and we took several to-go boxes. There is also a full bar. Beers were cold. Overall, I could not have asked for a better experience. Just go...you won't regret it! Thanks again to the staff at Los Laureles for a great lunch experience in Uvita.

P.S. I just checked the Facebook & TravelAdvisor sites and the reviews there are as good & more numerous than here! FB = 94% (366 reviews as of today) & TA = 4.9 (#4 of 92 Restaurants in Uvita) with...

We had high hopes. And unfortunately it didn’t match the overwhelmingly positive reviews. Cindy the server was super sweet and was amazingly handling all of the tables by herself. Wow! And we arrived at 6:30 pm and all the tables in the main room were full. She had to place others in another room upstairs next to the main room. We waited about 10-15 mins for a table for four. We ordered a bacon cheese burger and fries, beef quesadilla, fish tacos, and shrimp and rice. My eldest enjoyed his beef quesadilla. My youngest ate half his burger and said it was good. My fish tacos were fine. The shrimp and rice were really not good. It was lacking flavor and it had frozen veggies (peas and carrots). We’ve been spoiled and getting other similar dishes elsewhere and it had a lot of flavor and fresh veggies. The fried plantain and bean puree was a nice side with this entree. We just didn’t have that wow factor that others experienced. The food was just so-so unfortunately. Cindy brought my drink tamarind late and the salsas. She was super busy so I get it. But she never seemed frazzled and was so happy to chat with all the customers about the family restaurant and...