El Lagarto Steak House & Seafood — Restaurant in Sámara

I recently dined at El Lagarto in Samara, Costa Rica, and unfortunately, my experience left much to be desired. My friends and I were excited to return to this restaurant, as we had had great experiences at their previous location, but the overall quality of our meal fell short of our expectations.

I ordered the porterhouse with three jumbo prawns and a glass of wine. The meat was disappointingly tough to eat, and it didn't provide the satisfying dining experience I was hoping for. However, I must admit that the prawns and the potato side were quite good. To make matters worse, when the bill arrived, we were taken aback by the high price tag of $120 Canadian dollars.

The service at El Lagarto also left much to be desired. The staff appeared hurried and disengaged, which detracted from the overall dining experience. When my friends ordered the ribeye steak dinner, they were convinced they were served a striploin instead, which was also tough and chewy to eat. They accompanied their meal with two cocktails and two beers, and their bill came to a staggering $180 Canadian dollars for two people.

When we expressed our displeasure with the waitress, she simply shrugged and walked away, which left us feeling even more frustrated. We couldn't help but compare this experience to our previous visits to their old location, where the food and service had always been outstanding.

On a positive note, the location of El Lagarto is fantastic, right on the beach, providing a lovely atmosphere for dining. However, the subpar quality of food and the lacklustre service left us disappointed, especially given the exorbitant prices they charge. I don't typically write reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience, as I believe that when you're paying a premium for a meal, you should expect a corresponding level of quality and service. In this case, it just didn't add up, and I hope that El Lagarto can work on improving these aspects of their dining experience...

I had a really disappointing experience here. The prices were outrageously high, and the food did not live up to expectations. I came with a college group of 12, and unfortunately, we felt completely overcharged.

For example, one student asked for cheese on her potato and was given a single slice—only to be charged $3 for it. I ordered a Pellegrino, which ended up costing over $7. The food itself was just as underwhelming. We started with a salad with chicken. It had no dressing, and the chicken was extremely dry—all for $18. I ordered the tuna special, but they never asked how I wanted it cooked, and it arrived completely well-done, with no pink center at all. My coworker’s meat dish was also dry and barely edible. One student ordered a mushroom entrée that took an hour and a half to arrive—only to come out completely burnt. He could barely eat it, said it was one of the worst meals he ever had. Despite the long wait and poor quality, nothing was comped.

I attached a picture of my receipt for reference!

To make matters worse, the service at checkout was just as frustrating. The waitress/manager with a septum piercing was incredibly rude, both to our group and to the waitress who served us. She made an unnecessary comment about one of my students being in a rush—when, in reality, he had been waiting at the counter for 10 minutes just to pay. While I was still standing there, she even started berating our waitress, Sadie, in front of customers, which was completely unprofessional. She clearly was having a bad night and everyone could tell.

The only positive aspect of this experience was our server, Sadie, who was kind, accommodating, and truly did her best. She deserves a raise. Unfortunately, the overall experience was so poor that I cannot recommend this restaurant. Was the most expensive, and worst meal we had...

Hola, como estas. BECAUSE I AM NOT GOOD.

Let me start from the beginning. I got ready really nice. THE FIT WAS OUTSTANDING. Only to find out, I got ready for my funeral. The walk to the place was spectacular. The vibes were right, the air was warm, the sand was…sand. The stars were out and shining so bright.

Little did I know it was the ancestors warning me to turn around. I didn’t listen.

When my friends and I were sat down at the table, the view was spectacular. To be honest it was actually a great place for photos. That’s it.

ITS JUST A MUSEUM.

The server didn’t speak Spanish which was the first red flag. I ordered the stuffed chicken. It wasn’t bad and I actually like the flavor. But they gave me chicken, a hard ass potato, a slice of zucchini, and a random ass tomato.

Enough said.

Everyone else at the table complained about the flavor of their food. DO NOT BUY THE MUSHROOMS ON THE MENU. ITS JUST MUSHROOMS WITH CHAR. Anyway, it came time to pay…65$ FOR RANDOM INGREDIENTS AND CHICKEN.

The servers were so disorganized and put the wrong thing on peoples bills. The one with the septum piercing has an attitude that makes you want the place to burn down. Like I said before, this place is just a museum and photo spot :).

I never paid so much for food in any foreign country. Like I said before, my food was pretty good. But my friend paid 3$ for a slice of Walmart cheese. Was the cow fed with 24k gold and housed in the White House?

For anyone who wants to go here…bring your life savings and your biggest appetite. That’s the only way to enjoy this place nicely. Forget having patience. That will go away after the first bite of food.

That’s if they remember to give it to you.

Bathrooms are nice btw.

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