Mocapan • Nunciatura — Restaurant in Mata Redonda

Oh boy, where to begin.

Well, we first got smoothies. The smoothies were quite tasty and priced reasonably. I especially liked the one with spinach. I might as well use this paragraph to say the service was good as well.

Otherwise, everything we had was somewhere in the range of bland to downright awful.

The double espresso was just wildly dark and bitter. I recommend ordering flavored or iced drinks. There was a good selection of things blended with chocolate or fruit; the espresso is not meant to be challenged one on one. You'll lose.

We had a breakfast sandwich with a fried egg as well. The egg was fine, but the avocado and tomatoes were pretty bad, a rarity in Costa Rica. The sandwich itself was otherwise very bland, and the bread was surprisingly stale and bland as well, despite looking quite tasty. The accompanying salad was about as bad as it gets: coated in dressing that is really just corn syrup from the grocery store, and otherwise quite boring.

The large salad with falafel was also bland and served with stale bread on the side. Sadly, the falafel was so burnt it was offensive, and had there been any semblance of passionate cooking in this place, we would have asked for a replacement, but it seemed pointless. Luckily, the beet hummus served with it was decent, though the salad really needed salt (perhaps in the dressing).

Because we were hungry (and all the other cafes nearby were closed for holiday), I decided to give the pastries a shot. They weren't downright horrible, but I'm sure they were shipped here frozen and thawed in the morning. Stretchy, chewy dough, uninspired fillings, little flavor besides sugar.

This place is honestly horrible. Save yourself the trouble and go anywhere else. There's a French cafe nearby with fresh pastries and at least one coffee shop over on 60th I think that has excellent...

The best waffles I’ve had in Costa Rica. I’m from the US and have spent the last 18 months on and off in Costa Rica. For my taste, a lot of pancakes, waffles, and sweet pasties tend to be on the dryer-side. The waffles with ice cream and fruit I had at Mocapan were great and one of the first I’ve found that were fluffy (not too dense). Surprisingly I enjoyed the waffle without any syrup which is unusual for me since I love an unhealthy serving of syrup. The ice cream served on top had a hint of cinnamon in it which was a very nice surprise and complemented the whole plate. The fruit was fresh and all of it together was deliciousness in each bite. Can’t wait to...

Beautiful coffee shop and pretty delicious food. My only downfall with Ticos is that if you’re Hispanic American you’re better off talking to them in English and not Spanish. The lady taking my order was not super friendly until I started talking in English and she saw my white friend who came in. This is a sad and common part of Tico culture.

My advice is yes come and enjoy the food and environment but this is a part that you have to be ready for (if you’re...