Jaguar Negro — Restaurant in San Rafael

Let me start by saying that the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous! Definitely social media worthy, HOWEVER, the food and the service was beyond less than par.

It was a dinner for my birthday! I was visiting Costa Rica and so excited to visit Jaguar Negro (I saw a nice TikTok review online). When I arrived, the enthusiasm from the hosts were low vibe to the point I checked the time to make sure they weren't about to close - mind you, this was a week day and around 9a (they closed at 12a).

I sat down and while the waiter was more bubbly, he completely took advantage and here's how...he intro'd himself, then immediately said he had something special, brought over a platter of steaks. Obviously they were premium but he never mentioned that the steak platter he advertised had NOTHING to do with what I eventually ended up ordering, which was the Surf and Turf (this DOES NOT come with the meats displayed on the platter) or not the one he recc I should order. I feel he could have communicated there would be an up charge for the steak I chose but instead he brought this huge steak out, along with unseasoned shrimp.

When the bill came it was double the price it should have been because the steak he recc was the same price as my entire Surf and Turf meal. He also charged separately for my potatoes that were supposed to come with my Surf and Turf, which let me know it was wrong.

Anyway, the staff saw the unhappy look on my face and me questioning the bill then sent a Manager over to the table. I explained to the Manager what happened and he said "let me go get your waiter" so unprofessional, why would a Manager direct a customer back to a waiter?

Nothing was taken off of the bill and I am not one to make a scene so I politely closed out, paid the bill and...

Was disappointed in the food but the service was amazing! My husband and I came here for our anniversary and they were so kind to make it a special night. In terms of the food, two of our dishes, the noodle appetizer and the shrimp and black rice dish was so overly salted. We like seasoned food however the amount of salt overpowered any other flavor profiles that might have been there. We had to force ourselves to eat the noodle appetizer, which we could tell would have been amazing if they had toned down the huge amount of salt they added. The ceviche tostadas were pretty plane in flavor, there was no acidity and one of the fish was pretty chewy so I had to pick out those pieces. However the drinks were amazing and the atmosphere was great! Again the service and vibe was worth going for, but the food did disappoint...

We stumbled upon this slightly hidden gem by walking along the urban short trail that displayed functional art and a swinging bridge over a creek. Not fully knowing where the entrance was, we entered through the back porch. Unfortunately they did not provide an printed menu in English and the QR code failed until the server equipped us with the restaurant’s wifi password only to notice that the Brunch Menu was only in Spanish. We spotted pancakes, seasonal fruit and a green detox juice which was perfect for us. The staff and service was wonderful!!! We enjoyed the atmosphere, decorations and ability to sit out back among the luscious greenery. Walking towards the actual entrance we discovered how spacious the restaurant is not in lacking ambiance and details. We are looking forward to...