Sobre las Olas by Gondwana — Restaurant in Cahuita

I was really looking forward to eating here after passing by the restaurant several times and viewing the menu. We made a reservation for a sea side table for 6:30pm. When we arrived there were not many people in the restaurant and a DJ was playing what I would call 'electronic' music (not our favourite). We ordered drinks and some gyozas to start and said we would order our main course when the gyozas arrived. That was our first mistake! We received our beers pretty quickly and then the waiting began! While we waited, the 'electronic' music gradually increased in volume so that my husband had to ask the DJ to turn it out a little as we couldn't hear ourselves talk. The gyozas arrived and we ordered our main courses - some tempura vegetables and shrimp and a bowl of ramen. It took another 45 minutes for us to receive the main course. Once again the DJ turned up the (by now totally inappropriate) music and I had to ask him to turn it down. He did so, but not happily. All my husband and I wanted was a tasty meal sitting beside the ocean, listening to the waves. It took way too long, the ramen was tasteless, the tempura was okay but not really hot, and the music ruined the evening. I am not sure why our meal had to be so complicated but as soon as we finished we left. We will...

Highly recommended restaurant YET highly disappointing. First cause for concern, utterly incoherent menu. "I'll have some edamame, greek salad, hummus and some carribbean style salmon please". Two menus were present, with different prices for same items, the only consistency was the inconsistency. Staff was nice, but slow and incompetent. Food was very overpriced, they try to be fancy with spiralled and unseasoned carrots, that supposedly improve the plating but do little more than pollute your plate. The main components of the dishes were subpar at best. Specifically the edemane were a joke, unsalted, microwaved and topped with stale gochugaru. The so called ceviche had the knife work blind amputee and the seasoning of somebody working in a chemical weapons department, acidic enough to kill a horse. The ceviche consisted of only fish and leche de tigre if anybody finds the missing sides a finders reward shall be issued. Some of the produce was fresh and tasty, clearly sourced locally, that is the only positive aspect I can see in this establishment, but considering price and portion size Id rather risk my life and go spear fishing...

I'm torn about this review because the menu offers a lot of amazing items, the view is spectacular, and the service was nice but not attentive. Twice, I had to walk inside to ask for things that should have been brought to the table or offered.

The sushi was good. They really have a knack for tempura which is something many places here in Costa Rica get wrong. I had the 15 piece sushi combo. Delicious and enough to take home a few or dinner.

My friend had the lomito with veggies and mashed potatoes. Meat was cooked well and she liked the veggies but said potatoes seemed like made from a box, which is unusual for the area.

The place has great music, upscale decor, but then serves the meals with the cheapest silverware in the area. If there is one thing this place can do to raise the perception of the place is get decently weighted silverware. It doesn't sound like a big deal but it's really noticeable.

Overall, I like the food and the view. I will return for...