Kooks Smokehouse and Bar — Restaurant in Cóbano

Kooks borrows it BBQ tradition from Hometown BBQ in New York, and it shows. Their meats are mostly imported and far surpass the quality you can get locally in Costa Rica.

Crispy, flavorful, spiced outsides coupled with smoky, juicy, tender inside make for some amazing brisket, pork belly, and pastrami, and a plethora of sauces allows you to enjoy your dish whichever way you want.

Their pulled pork is divine, a perfect smoky pork with tangy BBQ sauce that explodes in your mouth with just the right amount of fat content to allow the flavors to reach every taste bud while not being greasy or oily.

They also sport 2 different types of burgers, a double 3-oz thin patty if you like an In-and-Out or Shake Shack-like experience, or a 6-oz thick patty for a steakhouse burger experience, and they offer two types of preparations for them - a traditional burger or a BBQ sauce burger.

All of the sides are great too, but I feel like I have to call out the onion rings. Onion rings are easy to mess up. Often the batter is too thick. Even more often, you take one bite and the onion pulls out of the batter and you're left with an onion hanging down your chin while you're holding a soggy piece of empty batter. Not at Kooks, these onion rings are as close to perfect as I've ever had. Not too heavy or thick on the batter, and they're cooked perfectly so the onions are easy to bite through.

If you're vegetarian or vegan, they've got you covered too, and it's not like one of those menus that only have 1 item on them.. Smoked beets, cauliflower "wings", mac and cheese, and other options are sure to please everyone. I'll be honest here and say that as a meat eater, I haven't tried most of the veg stuff, but I hear it's good.

Finally, the staff are all amazing. Finding any place to eat during the Covid crisis has been tough, but every time I eat at Kooks, I feel like one of the family. I expect to be going back there often to say hello to everyone while I wait it out down here in...

I was searching the area for some familiar comfort food and stumbled upon this place online. I was looking through the pictures and came across a picture of beef ribs, pork ribs and wings that caught my eye. I couldn't find beef ribs on the menu anywhere so I decided I'd try the pork ribs on this trip. We made it in there today to get the pork ribs while my brother got the wings and my sister got onion rings. My ribs were cooked perfect and had an amazing taste, the wings were smoked then sauced and my brother really liked his too. The onion rings were huge and awesome. I asked the waiter about the beef ribs I saw online that someone had posted and he went out of his way to ask the kitchen about them and ended up sending the owner over to us. After a long great conversation with the owner, I found out that the beef ribs are harder to get here and they're at a price point where they're hard to sell regularly. They're figuring out the best route to go with them, so they are an item that is only available sometimes. He said if he can get a heads up beforehand (4 to 5 days) then he can get them from San Jose and have them smoked in time. Sadly we leave in 3 days so we can't try them this time but by the way everything ride tasted then I'm sure they will be worth coming back to order. The owner was a very professional and courteous person and says they're thinking about serving Brooklyn style pizza by the slice soon, so look out for that and ask when you go in to encourage the process. Perfect atmosphere, amazing service and great food equal 5 stars. Try this place out, you'll find something you...

Let's get real about Kooks, the barman's and waitresses are great, but their security guards? They're more like a rough gang than people keeping us safe, with zero respect for anyone. Good Service,The folks behind the bar and serving tables? They're friendly and quick, making sure our drinks and food are on point. But then you've got these security guards who act like they own the place. Respect? Yeah, they've never heard of it. They walk around like they're the bosses, treating us like we're beneath them. Violence Isn't Cool: I got kicked out violently for no reason, manhandled like I was some kind of troublemaker. It was scary and totally unnecessary. With these guards around, Kooks doesn't feel like a chill spot anymore. It's tense and uncomfortable, and that's not what you want when you're trying to relax.When I tried to talk to the managers about it, they didn't seem to care much. Like they're okay with their guards acting like bullies. If you're thinking of hitting up Kooks, just be aware of their security situation. The barman's and waitresses are cool, but these guards need a serious attitude adjustment. My advice is maybe find another spot where you can have a good time without worrying about getting tossed out by overzealous security. Kooks, you've got a good thing going with your drinks and food, but your security is a major letdown. Time...