La Esquinita de la Abuela — Restaurant in Carmen

From the moment we walked in, I could tell this place was special. Dozens of potted plants adorn the narrow entryway, and you can peek into the authentic, traditional kitchen as you enter the dining area.

We ordered two mango smoothies and they were brought out with an additional pitcher of smoothie (the extra), which was a nice touch I’ve never seen after two years of living in Costa Rica and ordering smoothies. They also made us a fresh lemonade from scratch and a cas drink that was refreshing.

There’s a menu item called “rice and beans” which we ordered along with the Arroz De La Abuela, a cheese empanada, and a fried cheese tortilla. The empanada was huge, the fried cheese tortilla was crispy and savory, the arroz dish was pretty good and was presented with two large homemade patacones, a couple slices of fried plantain, a small salad, and a cute little Costa Rican mug of beans. The Rice and Beans dish was definitely the star of the show- it came with a slow-cooked Caribbean chicken that included a small mug of the sauce/gravy it was cooked in. The flavor was absolutely incredible- so rich and tropical.

Out of everywhere I’ve eaten in San Jose, this was the first spot where I feel like I will make a point to return to the next time I’m in San Jose. Service, food, atmosphere were all top notch. It’s like a soda, but a really nice,...

I had a bad experience at this restaurant. Frankly the atmosphere is great but the decorations make the space overcrowded. At first I thought the waiter, Luis, was friendly and welcoming but he quickly became flustered with our large table and got snappy and irritated with my questions. It took well over an hour to get our food and everyone’s plate came at different times. I was done eating my plate by the time my parents got their food. My plate was mondongo which is the Costa Rican version of Mexican menudo. It was an absolute joke. It was cold and the portion was so small that the entire mondongo portion fit in a spoonful. My sides were flavorless as well. My wife’s drink, Margarita de Maracuja, was basically a smoothie and had zero alcohol. The food was expensive. I paid $44 for me and my wife, and we both left hungry and disappointed. My parents tried to play it cools but I know the we’re also very disappointed. I sincerely would not recommend....

Been in Costa Rica for almost 5 months, tasted some good food all over the place, but La Esquinita de la Abuela is by far my favorite place for breakfast . Stumbled in this morning , the aroma coming from the kitchen guided me from down the street.. Place was empty when i walked in but soon was full with a line outside.. I arrived at about 11am .. Coffee is strong and flavorful, breakfast was perfect, they catered to my food allergies and did it with the friendliest, kindest, and prompt service.. I'll definitely be back soon. I enjoyed a side of carne en salsa, basic breakfast of pinto , hand made tortilla, (they call palmieada), eggs over easy with a side of ranchera sauce.. In the end i added "agua de sapo" , its a sweet ginger lime drink that is i perfect dessert like drink after a supper...