Restaurante El Novillo del Arenal — Restaurant in La Fortuna

In a word.... YUMMY! My first time here was in the afternoon I grabbed a pizza it was delicious… Super fun atmosphere great service!

How happy I am to return this evening (the next day)… I went big and enjoyed the delicious beef tenderloin which is served sirloin style. I ordered mine medium rare… Includes Mashed potatoes steamed vegetables with a choice of mushroom or jalapeño sauce.

Again my strawberry smoothie did not disappoint and any place that serves me a Coca-Cola original flavor in a glass bottle & snifter full of ice… I think you've won my heart forever!

Had to save some space for dessert so I took a doggie bag then ordered...

The chocolate brownie w vanilla ice cream… this hit it out of the park!

Everything here is delicious. The ambience is great. There's a modern yet local design. And the staff is so friendly you feel like family by the time you leave!

Special thanks to Victoria on the smoothies, and extraordinary wait staff including The Invincible Andrey & beautiful Angela!

One last important note. The beef here is free range. The restaurant is actually surrounded by farms where the meat originates. There's an extra satisfaction seeing happy cows eating grass living out their lives… And when I pray over my dinner it feels very right.

Thanks...

Review: El Novillo del Arenal – One of the Best Steakhouses in the World

In all seriousness, this might be one of my favorite restaurants in the world. The steak here is simply perfect, and the jalapeño sauce takes it to another level. Every single bite is a delight, right up until the last one. If you love steak, this is the place to be.

What to Order I tried the lomito, churrasco, and skirt steak, and while all were excellent, my absolute favorite was the skirt steak—tender, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. Pair it with the salad and mashed potatoes, and I promise, you might just cry from how good it is.

Service & Atmosphere We loved this place so much that we came here three days in a row and ended up befriending the entire staff. They run the restaurant like a well-oiled machine—each server wears headphones and communicates constantly, ensuring every guest gets top-notch service.

Shoutout to Amazing Staff A special thanks to Michael and Angela, who truly made our dining experience unforgettable. You guys are awesome!

Final Verdict El Novillo del Arenal isn’t just a restaurant—it’s an experience. Incredible steak, amazing service, and an atmosphere that keeps you coming back for more. If you’re in the Arenal area, do not...

We stopped for dinner during off season during our stay in La Fortuna (mid August) the place was EMPTY but that was not an indicator of lack of service or quality of food. Our server was great, extremely polite, and quick to serve. We started with the enyucados and house merlot wine, both very tasty. My girlfriend ordered the traditional costa rican dish (tipicos?) with chicken and I ordered the chicken with white sauce. They were both excellent, the chicken was moist and flavors excellent, garnished very attractively. The only thing I did not like were the rice and beans, but that is being very critical as everything else was FANTASTIC. Dessert was a passionfruit cheesecake that was not listed on the menu (it was listed as "otras" so it was like the dessert special for the night), also soo very good. All of this for $39, reasonably priced for really great food....