Emilio's Cafe
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Nothing in Quepos or Manuel Antonio compares to Emilio’s Café. This place has it all, starting with an incredible, expansive ocean view. The owners recently finished a remodel (Dec 2021) and created perfection. It’s open-air, naturally cooled by ocean breezes and quiet fans, with modern, artsy décor. The Coffee! Emilio’s is the first and only place we’ve found in Quepos offering gourmet coffee with Chemex and V60 methods. I like it black, but they offer coconut, soy, or almond milk if you want. There’s also decaf available once you’ve reached your caffeine limit. Cold-brew and other chilled drinks are also provided. In addition, they have all the standards too: Americano, espresso, cortado, cappuccino, latte, mochaccino, hot chocolate, etc. We don’t drink early in the day but there are plenty of creative cocktails on the menu as well as a gluten-free beer! The Eats! Delicious, fresh and creative dishes and desserts are offered. For us, finding gluten-free meals and pastries in Quepos made our day. Vegans and vegetarians are also well served here with lots of options. We came for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on our recent visit to Manuel Antonio. Everything was wonderful. For lunch, there are five gourmet salad choices, eight Italian/Mediterranean style sandwiches, four pita sandwiches, five exotic appetizers, and eleven main course choices, including sea bass, fish, chicken, and vegan curries. Dinner is even more elaborate, and the first night we came, they were complete with reservations, so be sure to call in advance. Breakfast is amazing! The WiFi and Workspace! The WiFi speed was slightly disappointing, six down and two up, but certainly workable on our visit. The seating was done right. The table and chairs are a perfect height. The owners got it right. So many places miss the boat on this. Perfect ergonomics! To my digital nomad’s crews, always show respect for businesses that provide a great environment and quality products. Emilio’s is 5 star. Be sure to spend a reasonable amount and don’t go more than an hour without adding something to your order. Running a café with a killer location, view, and high-quality food and drinks isn’t cheap. If you’re looking for something more economical, work from your hotel or hostel room or visit one of the many locally-owned cafes. The nomads that don’t show common sense force owners to limit their Wifi speeds or implement minimums. Don’t be that person. The background music was fine. Thankfully, no elevator covers and nothing too loud. It had a Latin flavor which was great. When we arrived in Quepos, Emilio’s underwent a remodel and wasn’t open. So we tried almost all of the other coffee shops. None of them came close to Emilio’s quality, view, and ambiance, except one: Emilio’s 2nd location in Quepos, Marina Pez Vela. A place like this makes visiting Manuel Antonio that much more enjoyable. The National Park is a treasure. Go in the early morning to avoid the crowd and then after you finish hiking the varied trails and work up an appetite, come over to the best café in town.
Earth ExplorerEarth Explorer
50
Emilio’s was on my ‘to-do while in Manuel Antonio’ list and aim so glad I went! The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was nice, and the menu had fantastic variety. I went to Emilio’s at about 5:45-7:30 PM on a Monday night and didn’t have to wait for a table for two people, but it was quite busy inside. We started by sharing the Caribbean Ceviche, which was phenomenal. This was also brought out with fresh bread and butter, also fantastic. For entrées, I ordered the whole red snapper, which came with vegetables and rice - it was delectable. The coating on the Costa Rican style snapper was just perfect. I ordered the grilled version (but had the choice between grilled and fried). My friend ordered the Caribbean fish fillet, which she also enjoyed. Her entrée also came with rice, which had been cooked just right. We both ordered drinks, the house cocktail - which was (no surprise!) fantastic. It was the perfect blend and provided such a smooth and flavorful drink. Truly one of the stars of the show, I loved it. I had initially started out with the strawberry mojito but ended up asking for a different drink because it didn’t taste very good. However, our waiter was very friendly and understanding about me wanting to order a different drink. I’m unsure if I was charged for both, but wouldn’t have complained if I was. All in all, great food! I want to come back for breakfast before I leave the area. I also want to pick up a piece of one of their wide varieties of cheesecakes and other desserts.
Blanche WetzelBlanche Wetzel
00
I initially went Emilio’s Cafe because of its close proximity to me. But ever since going here I will now be going of my way to visit anytime I am in the area. The view is amazing! Matched only by the great assortments of food and incredible service. For lunch I ordered their calamari for appetizer and Jump Shrimp for entree - no words but perfection, the sauce was a perfect blend and the portions were large. For dinner I had the 350 grams(12oz) steak medium rare. I’ve found that every place in Costa Rica I ordered steak from typically cooks it rarer than expected, this was no exception. The streak was essentially rare. But that was not a big issue because the meat tasted so fresh and is huge! The garlic vinegar sauce it comes with added such a unique flavor that was classy and homie. Large portion of fries on the side, for desert I got the ny cheesecake and the chocolate brûlée cheesecake. Not a fan of the brûlée but the ny was a classic cheesecake, could’ve been firmer but the taste was delicious. I will certainly be returning.
Rouie DRouie D
10
Emilio’s is a definite must visit if you’re in Manuel Antonio! We asked around about a great coffee on our first visit to the area and everyone recommended Emilio’s - now, after our third visit here (in just a year!), Emilio’s is the first recommendation out of our mouths when asked where to go in Manuel Antonio! Their coffee is fantastic, make sure to get some beans or ground coffee to take with you! The food, views, and service is also great. We’ve enjoyed lunch and dessert there - the food is great but the dessert is AMAZING! This is one time to absolutely not pass on dessert! We’ve tried the chocolate mousse, the Oreo cheesecake, and carrot cake, and all come with a satisfied sigh after every single bite. They’re all so good! The poke bowl was fresh and tasty and the Caribbean fish lunch was delicious and a definite recommendation. Everything is great and we’ll be back again and again. I highly recommend!
Katrina KowalskiKatrina Kowalski
40
Having been dining in Costa Rica for last 3 weeks we found Emilio’s…By far the best of the best ❤️❤️❤️. Service: we were so lucky to be served by Adriana! By far most professional and kind waiter - thank you Adriana for being around us every time we came! We had come here 3x in a row - every single evening. Service was always very fast. We started off by having cakes here - the first night and they were heaven in our mouths - literally any cake we tried each time (in total maybe 5 different cakes) was like an amazing feria of flavours! And we tried diff dishes 2nd and 3rd evening - all of them just worth trying (falafel salad, veggie curry or red snapper - just to name few). Lastly we tried couple different drinks like pina colada - again - only positive things about taste, flavour and experience. This is the place to go to while in Manuel Antonio.
RafaRafa
00
Delicious dinner and breakfast: We went here twice during our stay in Manuel Antonio once for dinner and then the following morning for breakfast (even though our Hotel offers a free breakfast). I had the seafood trio with squid (whole not pre cut) whole shrimp and red snapper. Each fish was very fresh, well grilled and delicious. I do not eat rice so they provided me with extra vegetables which were also very good. The view is one of the best on the hill and prices were reasonable. The service was very good and everyone spoke English on request. The cappuccino was very good, this is an excellent coffee spot. The cakes and desserts looked amazing and very complex. The breakfast options are fantastic and the sausage is unique but delicious. As others have noted the Americano breakfast is a nice reprieve from rice and beans.
Howie LevyHowie Levy
00
Nearby Attractions Of Emilio's Cafe
Hotel Costa Verde
Si Como No Resort, Spa & Wildlife Refuge
Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort
Zip Coaster
El Santuario Canopy Adventure Tour
Sukia Park and ZIP LINE Tours
Mountain Top Park Costa Rica
Playa Playitas (Manuel Antonio) - Playitas Beach
Playa Tulemar
HOTEL VOS | Vista Ocean Suites Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Hotel Costa Verde
4.6
(570)Click for details

Si Como No Resort, Spa & Wildlife Refuge
4.6
(453)Click for details

Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort
4.8
(302)Click for details

Zip Coaster
4.5
(207)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Emilio's Cafe
El Avion
Manuel Antonio Falafel Bar
El Patio de Café Milagro
El Wagon
Agua Azul
Restaurante Ronny's Place in Manuel Antonio
Soda El Angel
Le Papillon Restaurante
Restaurante Cerdo Feliz
El Lagarto

El Avion
4.4
(2.2K)$$
Click for details

Manuel Antonio Falafel Bar
4.8
(1K)$$
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El Patio de Café Milagro
4.6
(914)$$
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El Wagon
4.5
(872)$$
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Basic Info
Address
Manuel Antonio Entrada Hotel Parador, Puntarenas Province, Quepos, Costa Rica
Map
Phone
+506 8655 5965
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Website
facebook.com
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Reviews
Overview
4.6
(797 reviews)$$
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attractions: Hotel Costa Verde, Si Como No Resort, Spa & Wildlife Refuge, Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, Zip Coaster, El Santuario Canopy Adventure Tour, Sukia Park and ZIP LINE Tours, Mountain Top Park Costa Rica, Playa Playitas (Manuel Antonio) - Playitas Beach, Playa Tulemar, HOTEL VOS | Vista Ocean Suites Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, restaurants: El Avion, Manuel Antonio Falafel Bar, El Patio de Café Milagro, El Wagon, Agua Azul, Restaurante Ronny's Place in Manuel Antonio, Soda El Angel, Le Papillon Restaurante, Restaurante Cerdo Feliz, El Lagarto
