Tiquicia — Restaurant in La Fortuna

Unless you enjoy getting ripped off, please do not go here. If I could give the service less than one star I would.

My friends and I chose this restaurant for lunch as it had good reviews and was incredibly close to some activities on our itinerary (Rope Swing, Arenal Mundo Aventura). Seeing as we had only a short period of time to get to our ziplining activity we requested take out, specifically asking for recommendations on what would be the fastest meal to prepare and eat on the go. The server Omar suggested the fajitas, as they would only take 20 minutes. On the menu these were made using pork and were about $5500 CRC. He let us know they did not have pork and it would be made with beef. We said that would be no problem. Upon paying we were actually charged $13,000 CRC for the fajitas.

Now there are several problems here. First problem, we were charged more than 2x the menu price of the item shown to us...and were not at ANY point in time advised of any price difference. We did NOT request specialized changes to the dish, but rather we were informed by the kitchen. When we received our food and re-consulted the menu prices, Omar advised there was an up-charge of $4000 CRC due to sirloin beef being used in the fajitas. Now why on earth would you not disclose this information before we ordered?

The next problem here is that even with this up-charge, and even accounting for taxes (13%) and tips (10%), the total charge of $13,000 still DOES NOT ADD UP.

Upon realizing we were upset he tried to ignore our table. His colleague gracefully was able to get us his attention and service. From there, he proceeded to say there is nothing he can do now and we agreed to order the beef. As if being ripped off, and lied to wasn't enough - we were all now stuck with an enormous plate of food that we could not possibly eat to-go prior to our next activity. Given our time crunch, we also couldn't spend anymore time at the restaurant seeking a resolution to this matter.

I requested a phone number for the restaurant to follow up, which Omar did provide. Unfortunately given the nature of a holiday I was not able to follow up or return to the restaurant. It is quite clear that information around costs was intentionally withheld from us. To say I am deeply irritated by this experience is an understatement. I have never taken the opportunity to even leave a negative review on a restaurant in my life. Please do not go here, and if you do, be sure to advocate for yourself and...

Found this place via Google, and are so glad we did.

Everything they serve is home-made, and tastes it. From the unique corn chips to the salsa to the carne marinade- a wonderful combination of flavors that reveals a personal touch and a commitment to quality.

We had classic mojitos (they offer variations) which were excellent- not too sweet, not too tart. Adequately spiked with Nicaraguan rum, they weren't particularly potent, but nor were they lacking in any respect.

My wife had a salad with shrimp- nice variety of ingredients, everything fresh, and a decent if not unusual dressing. Excellent shrimp, and a nice blend of ingredients.

I had carne fajitas, as well as chips with guacamole and house pico de gallo. The carne was remarkable in its flavor- plenty salty, but blended nicely with a cariety of other spices. Only one corn tortilla came with the dish ( :-( ). But tasteful portions of black beans and rice- not the overwhelming carb overload that is so common in the US.

I couldn't help myself- I finished every last bite- every chip, all the guac, all the pico, every morsel. Delicious. If I lived here I would eat there at least 1X / month, and if you passing through (as we were) I would urge you to give it a try. BTW- we were the only gringos there- always a good sign if you want to find some authentic food!

While the service was very expedient, it was business-like...

The restaurant is all outdoors with a covered roof. Relaxed atmosphere. Parking lot in the back. Be wary that there will be bugs and/or flies that come when the food is served! They had very strong and tasty cocktails. We were sufficiently tipsy after 2! Guac & chips - very standard guac with an ornate lettuce in the middle. Puntas de solomo en salsa de cilantro coyote (steak strips) was very tender and seasoned with lots of flavor. I loved the cilantro sauce and the grilled plantain. The veggie/potato side was a bit bland. Panzada de cerdo BBQ – The pork belly was very tough to chew which I left more than half untouched. I liked the fried cheese (kinda like a mozzarella stick). The side salad was bland. Definitely do not recommend this dish. Special of the day - Surf & turf was $26 for both the steak and fish and $22 for only one of the 2 selections. My friend enjoyed the fish but there was also a medley of other seafood (crab, fish chunks, clams) served in a tomato-based sauce. Luckily, she asked for it on the side because every piece of seafood was disgusting with that fishy after-taste that usually indicates spoiled food... Neither of us got sick but we stopped eating it after the first bite. The restaurant has friendly staff—server was animated, friendly, and serviced us often and quickly. Did I love the food, no. Were the drinks good, yes!...