Le Papillon Restaurante — Restaurant in Quepos

I was very disappointed by the food at Papillon given that it seems to be one of the top rated restaurants in Manuel Antonio. Not sure if the chef maybe changed or they had a very off night…

The location and service is lovely, but the food? Frankly, I can cook better than this and possibly so can you. It’s also really expensive, and you seem to be paying for the view. We couldn’t see anything because it was night time, so I will concentrate on the food in this review.

Having travelled all over the world (particularly Italy) this food is substandard and nothing like the quality the cost implies it will be. The rating of 4.9 on Google is particularly mystifying, I can only venture that the target market for the restaurant know very little about this food and the way it should taste.

You get one small cut cube of focaccia-like bread handed to you with tongs to start, no butter or (Oliver oil dish) which was rather laughable. The quality of the bread was acceptable, but the lack of generosity was the red flag in a restaurant of this stature.

The tuna tartare tower starter was the only decent thing I ate and the sesame sauce added some pleasing dimension to it. It gets two stars for that and the service.

The Caesar salad was absolutely shocking, one of the worst I’ve ever seen in the world served at a restaurant. Some limp iceberg lettuce leaves, stale-tasting white tiny croutons and Parmesan slapped on a flat plate with dressing. Our immediate reaction was stunned laughter. Even without chicken, there are much better ways of presenting this dish and the croutons should be larger and lightly browned.

For the mains, lobster fettuccine (tagliatelle to most folks) was distinctly below average. The pasta was way past al dente, the half spiny lobster you get on top was well sourced, caught locally but on the verge of overcooked, and the tomato sauce had a metallic taste like it was from a can and hadn’t been cooked down for long enough with enough ingredients to add the richness, complexity and umami required.

Spaghetti bolognese was pre-blanched, lifeless, flabby pasta with a basic meat sauce served with thick grated Parmesan, of all things. Somewhat like a microwave pasta meal.

We skipped desserts because the restaurant had lost us at that point and I had seen another shocking review with a picture of the airline-like cheese plate.

The menu and the chef in this place need to be overhauled, it’s very below average for the price and dishes taste like they don’t know what a good version of this should taste like (and neither do the customers).

The service was prompt, genial and listened to my feedback but offered no way to address it, but overall was perfectly pleasant.

Whether one expects Italian food, with its heavy reliance on domain specific ingredients to be any good in a beach town in Costa Rica is a different matter, but lots of ingredients such as the fish and shellfish as well as the tomatoes are local, and started out decent. I’ve eaten good quality stabs at Italian food at a Sandals before and they are similarly remote, so it...

The WORST restaurant in Quepos. Beware that all the good reviews are probably just coming from the staff. The level of service is extremely low and not up to par of what they are trying to make themselves look like. My husband invited me to a sunset dinner here after reading all of the positive feedback but our experience proved a completely different story. We were met by an extremely rude gentleman who asked if we have a reservation (actually, never needed it in a 2-week stay in Costa Rica since there are not many people travelling right now). When we said no, he went to grab the menu and asked someone else where he should sit us. There were only THREE tables occupied out of 30(!). The place was literally EMPTY. But after talking to that other man, he was dare enough to say, “We are fully booked right now. If you want, you can take a sit at the bar and maybe we’ll have a table closer to 6” - when the sunset will be already over while that’s the only reason people are even willing to overpay for their food. Long story short, it looks like this person judged us by our looks (30s is apparently too young for their place?). But hey, they can judge you for any other reason also! If you are from the US, you know that it’s a discrimination and it’s totally unacceptable. Somewhere in their head they decided we are not worth a table for the sunset. The worst (and the cheapest) thing you can do while running the so-called “upscale” restaurant is to let your servers make assumptions how much people will spend at your place judging by their age, race, or gender. This place is a total and utter disgrace and I strongly suggest you to spend your $$$$ elsewhere, where they actually value it.

P.S. They also force you to park at the sketchy backyard / service shack, and hike all the way up to the restaurant. So if you dare to wear a dress with high heels, that’s another reason for you to steer clear of this presumptuous and disgraceful establishment that falls SO short of ANY...

If you’re in Manuel Antonio and looking for a dining experience that dances on your taste buds and lingers in your memory, El Papillon at La Mariposa Hotel is an absolute must. We indulged in the surf and turf, octopus, salad, and ceviche, and each dish was nothing short of spectacular. The flavors were vibrant and perfectly balanced, with the freshness of the seafood shining through every bite.

The ceviche was a masterpiece—bright, zesty, and unbelievably fresh. The octopus was tender, perfectly grilled, and drizzled with a sauce that was simply divine. As for the surf and turf, the steak was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the seafood was grilled to perfection. Even the salad was a revelation, crisp and flavorful, complementing the richness of the other dishes beautifully.

But beyond the extraordinary food, what truly made our evening unforgettable was the exceptional service. Fabian, our waiter, was absolutely precious. He was attentive, charming, and made us feel genuinely welcomed. His recommendations were spot-on, and his warmth added a personal touch that made the evening feel special.

The setting at La Mariposa Hotel is magical, with stunning views that perfectly complement the exquisite dining experience. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply looking to treat yourself, El Papillon is a culinary gem in Manuel Antonio that you absolutely can’t miss. We left with full hearts and even fuller stomachs, already dreaming of...