Hemingway's — Restaurant in Tempate

We sat at our table for well over 10 minutes and nobody even acknowledged us. There were many servers working and walking by all around us. We kept thinking surely this or that person would come greet us but- nothing. I'm glad we left because we ended up finding this amazing tapas place called Toucan that was much more in line with the food we like to eat anyways.

P.S. To make matters worse, management has since responded to me by blaming this mishap on the "challenges of working with Native Costa Ricans" and also seeming to imply we sat ourselves and did not go through a hostesses- which in fact we did. The snooty young man at the host stand (I think he was a server) seemed annoyed we didn't have a reservation and made a point to say "Let me see if we have anything". There was a lovely redheaded lady standing there also who seemed very friendly and welcoming- she was the ONLY pleasant part of this experience. As he walked us to the table he said "We don't have any small tables left so I'm going to have sit you at a big table". He then proceeded to sit us at a small 4 top with menus and walk off. After about 5 minutes I saw the pretty redhead gesture to a server to come greet us and still nobody ever did. After 10 minutes of completely being ignored- literally not one person even looked or acknowledged us even though they were milling all around us bussing and resetting and walking by and serving tables- we got up and left. And let me add that we went to many Costa Rican owned and run restaurants where English was barely spoken and we had way better service, so for Hemingway's management to blame it on anything other than THEIR own shortcomings is insulting on so...

Delicious food, fanatic service, great music, and a giant bonfire made for a great evening out.

We had food from the "sharable" section of the menu. We ordered the twice smoked wings which were fantastic. Juicy, tender, and mild spicy. We had the mixed tacos. Delicious. And the crispy pork belly which we found was a too dry though it was still tasty and well marinaded. The fatty bits were yummy but the meat bits were dry.

There are plenty of vegetarian options, fish and seafood, pizza, pasta, steak, tacos, and salads.

There is a little black dog that wanders from table to table, politely waiting to see if anyone will give him some food. He takes it gently from your hand and doesn't whine or paw at you. He comes by, waits for a bit and goes to the next table. He's got a collar so he's not a stray.

Max Gea plays live music on Thursdays between 5:30 and 8pm. He sings popular easy listening English songs. There's also a game floor but I wouldn't call it dancing music like at a wedding or party. Think garden party music.

There's plenty of seating. We got there just after 6 and were seated immediately. Just walk in and a staff member will seat you. We came in from the beach. Dress...

The food is good quality and our server was doing good. However the items are way overpriced. Expect to pay 100 USD for two people, just for 2 dishes and 2 cocktails that doesn't include a second drink or appetizer or dessert.

What really made me leave a 1 star review is the fact that we were short changed, missing around 10 dollars. When I explained to the server, she talked to the manager and brought back the 10 usd (colones equivalent). She said sorry but didn't give an explanation. On the way out we asked the manager what happened, she said that "they found the money on the floor". I actually was watching them through the whole thing and no one found money on the floor, they weren't in a rush to resolve it (looked like this is a common occurrence), and the manager wasn't even apologetic. We had to push hard to get an apology.

I would recommend to find an alternative, and there are higher quality restaurants around and the same price range (and without the risk of getting shortchanged).

Also most of the 5 star reviews strike me as fake since the pictures look doctored and the amount spent is way below even a single item...