Restaurante Freddo Fresas — Restaurant in Sabanilla

Slow service, mediocre, Denny's-quality food. We ordered the strawberry milkshake and the strawberry frozen drink (sans milk) and both were very good. For lunch, we had a chicken plate that was a very run of the mill piece of grilled chicken without much flavor, and just kind of sad, mushy sides. I had a Costa Rican dish, the name is escaping me, of rice and beans and crispy pork with salsa on top. It was okay- although the salsa was pickled and not fresh tasting at all. The pork was dry and ... sharp? It was difficult to chew. I got a side of white cheese which was uninspiring and a side of sour cream which ended up being a cereal bowl full of sour cream, I'm not sure why. My husband insisted on a piece of cheesecake because the drinks were good so we thought we just ordered the wrong things. Unfortunately not. It was flavorless and a weird consistency. We each had a bite, then threw the rest away.

The service was extremely slow, although everyone was very friendly. It wasn't busy, and from what we could tell our waiter only had one other table, but he would disappear from 15 minutes at a time which was frustrating. We sat for about 15 minutes after eating, waiting for our waiter to come by and offer the check, but he was nowhere to be found. We tracked down someone else who told us that we were supposed to go up to the counter and tell them our table number to pay. Would have been nice to know earlier, but we survived.

All in all, this place was okay. If there weren't any other options in town it would be one thing, but there are quite a few restaurants so I would recommend trying your...

Our driver took us here on the way from San Jose airport to La Fortuna, and we were very pleased as Freddo Fresas delivers an exceptional culinary experience that beautifully showcases both local traditions and indulgent treats.

Some of the dishes we tried:

The Almond Bread: This was an absolute delight. Soft, fluffy, and perfectly baked, the almond bread was topped with a rich caramel glaze and sliced almonds that added a delicate crunch. It’s a sweet, nutty masterpiece that’s impossible to resist.

Gallo Pinto: A true taste of Costa Rican tradition! The gallo pinto was our first one in Costa Rica and it was flavorful with the rice and beans harmoniously seasoned and complemented by the sweetness of plantains and creamy scrambled eggs.

The Pancakes with Fresh Strawberries: These pancakes were heavenly! Fluffy and golden-brown, they were generously topped with fresh local strawberries and a light dusting of powdered sugar. Paired with a side of whipped cream and maple syrup, it was a perfect balance of sweetness and freshness.

I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Costa Rica...

We stopped at Freddo Fresas for lunch based on high Google reviews. The ambience is very nice, pleasing Costa Rican wooden and open air setting with beautiful landscaping. However, the food could have been better and given the food quality, the prices were a little on the high side. Firstly, the waiter did not speak any English - however unlike our experience in other restaurants, including local sodas - this waiter did not make much effort to understand our order. My husband ordered a casada with the meat choice as chicken but the waiter bought him a vegetarian casada with a side of grilled chicken (additional charge of a little over $3). I guess it was our bad spanish but the casada already mentioned a choice of beef or chicken. I ordered a fish meal - the tilapia and vegetables were average - bland with not much seasoning.

There are other restaurants nearby such as the El Churrasco that are a better value and make a lot more effort to provide...