Natu restaurant — Restaurant in Monteverde

We visited you this new year, our first in costa rica in the hope’s for a pleasant, peaceful and prosperous start to the new year, however, our visit was the complete opposite.

We were seated and greeted by a member of staff who was Obnoxious, Arrogant and inhospitable. We were a party of 3, two of which were Vegan — we explained this to the waiter and he confirmed their meals would be suitable for their dietary requirements. At multiple stages through the ordering process, we asked if certain items were Vegan, one of our members is a chef and has worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants across the world. Therefore, understanding the culinary trade and the way in which things are made. The waiter obnoxiously stated “Well it says Vegan on the menu so it’s Vegan.”. We also questioned the type of mustard on the wings (Mustard and Honey) as there are multiple types of mustard and only a certain type of mustard is suitable for our dietary requirements. The waiter stated “It’s normal mustard, the mustard they use everywhere, do you want it or not?” Despite the arrogant tone, we continued to order the food, and the starters arrived and were basic but correct. We ate the starters and proceeded to mains, the mains came, we’d ordered “The VEGAN Bowl”, “The Cauliflower Wings” and the “Vegan Pizza” all which we requested to be VEGAN and the waiter confirmed would be Vegan. We also ordered the Pulled Pork Burger excluding Caramelised Onion and Tomato.

The dishes arrived, the pulled pork burger arrived with the excluded items as the waiter placed down the dish he realised and took the dish away and said “Wait 5 minutes another will come”. During this period, the Vegan Bowl and the Cauliflower Wings arrived. We again, in order to be on the safe side spoke with another member of staff regarding the sauce and asked if the sauce was vegan (as it looked as though it contained egg, given the thickness, he waiter confirmed it did include eggs and took away the sauce and brought a different sauce in an unapologetic manner. The Pulled Pork Burger had been brought back to the table without the excluded items but was stone cold, and inedible. I spoke with a member of staff who apologised and returned the burger. The burger returned with almost no pulled pork and burnt bread (this was either microwaved or items were reused). The pizza arrived with Cheese and without the vegetables as ordered, we then cancelled the pizza as was incorrect and we’d just about had enough.

Just to further clarify the situation, this mix up could have caused the DEATH of a human if they had an allergen to items and they didn’t ask as was previously assured the food was vegan, reiterating the words of the waiter “It says vegan on the menu so it’s vegan”. The fatality of the situation is EXTREMELY SEVERE and could have cost the life of a Human Being.

With all of this taken into account, we paid the bill in total and was required to give a 10% service fee for the most appealing service i’ve ever received in my life.

My further advice to others who’d wish to come here would be not to bother, unless you want to risk...

Natu, which has a freezer door as an entrance next to Nando & Tulia Ice cream in Monteverde, is a must visit for cocktail and foodie lovers. The cocktails and food are fantastic, best I've had in Costa Rica so far. Note: I've only been to Liberia/Hacienda Guchapelin, Tabacon/La Fortuna, and currently at Monteverde. My travels are craft cocktails-based typically. The cocktails all have beautiful presentations and were delicious with a great explanation from our informative server on the influence of Costa Rica on each cocktail. My boyfriend and I had the entire cocktail menu except for the Marino Ballena, only because we aren't martini fans, and Sloth, only because we don't care for tonic. All their cocktails are based on standard cocktails but with twists. The Nando & Tulia (whiskey sour) is a clarified strawberry whiskey sour that taste more similar to a gin and jam to me but great regardless; my boyfriend's favorite cocktail of the night. The Monteverde (rum tonic) comes with a green spongecake and mushrooms; this was our least favorite only because we don't care for tonic cocktails but felt we needed to try it because it was a runner up in a Latin America Sustainable Cocktail competition. The Blue Zone (Mezcalita), wasn't heavy on the traditional smokey taste, which I prefer, but heavy on the corn taste which I enjoyed; however I did not particularly did not taste the pumpkin flavor. The Golden Toad (Old Fashioned) was a sweet old fashioned variation that I loved; there's no burn because it's brandy-based and you can taste the black tea flavor mixed with a sweetness from the liquor with an Amaro finish. It also came with a fun game where if you find all the 7 frogs in the bar with the supplied flash light, you'll win a prize! The Microclimate (punch, didn't specify what kind) was a mix of the same cocktails where it get to taste the cocktails made in different temperature, the first is a sweet and slightly bitter whiskey fig cocktail and the "warmer" version was overly sweet; the mix of the two was a balanced sweet cocktail. The Clodomiro Picado (Penicillin) a delicious, just get it. The Coco Isand (Pina Colada) was unique experience; it tastes of coconut oil instead of a coconut cream, I enjoyed it. I ended with the Costa Rica Coffee (Espresso Martini) is nowhere near a traditional espresso martini, which is why I ordered it; it is a pineapple and blackberry vodka cocktail with coffee foam which was very interesting. We also had the food which was great; we had the burrata, raw snapper, octopus croquettes (the boyfriend's favorite), huevos rotos (my favorite), roasted piglet. The bartenders then gave us a free shot of cacique at the end and gave us a huge list of restaurant and bars to check in San Jose. I highly recommend this place; it was by far, my favorite place in Costa Rica. Simply put, amazing drinks, great food, wonderful service. It was...

This place blew us away completely, from the moment we approached the outside of the restaurant/bar, to the moment we left. It has such a unique vibe. The staff are incredible, passionate, knowledgeable people, with a huge respect for the land and history of the area. They have put so much thought and detail into the drinks and food on their menu, and they have locally sourced the ingredients in all of their menu items. It was just such an impressive experience from start to finish, that we honestly can't say enough good things. Each drink on the menu was served in a unique way, with an engaging and interesting story behind its presentation and the ingredients, rich in history. My first drink was a Negroni with an interesting twist, served with a lava rock as ice, in a glass with a volcano in the heavy base, presented on top of a beautiful aromatherapy box. Each drink had the same unique, thoughtful detail put into it, and each one was as incredibly delicious as the last, but with completely different flavor profiles. My only regret is that we didn't get to try all the drinks on the menu because we didn't find Natu soon enough during our brief visit! We went two nights in a row and sat at the bar both time (highly recommend!), the first night just for drinks, and the second night for dinner and more drinks. We were already impressed with their drinks, but the food was also out of this world delicious. We shared the ceviche, the veggie burger (best veggie burger we've ever had--seriously!), and the chicken & waffles. All were mouth-wateringly delectable. Meanwhile, as we are being fully entertained by the stories behind each menu item and the general atmosphere and decor around us, and our taste buds are being pleased by each sip and each bite, Alexander was providing us with endless entertainment and pulling out all sorts of bar tricks. We just loved every minute at this unique spot, and we hope that we can return again and see what these guys have done. I'm sure by then, we'll have to make reservations well in advance, because they'll no doubt be booked solidly for weeks, if not months, in advance. Do not miss the experience of Natu if you are visiting Monteverde....