International

As with many other countries that attract a plethora of people from other areas, Costa Rica is very diverse in its food cuisine.  Typical food is the most common style of restaurant, but you can certainly find many international flavors throughout the country.  Here, German bakeries exist, with many having drivers go around town, stopping at houses selling baked goods.  French cuisine is quite popular in the more touristy, and expensive areas, where chefs often combine French culinary skills with local ingredients.  American food can be found on almost any menu, ranging from pasta to hamburgers to fried chicken.  Italian is also quite popular in many areas serving pizza, calzones, and pastas on many menus.  As one would expect from a country with so much fresh fish and other seafood, sushi is quite popular.  Chinese food and Japanese sushi are extremely popular. Other international delights such as South American, Lebanese, Indian, Korean BBQ, etc can also be found especially in the San Jose area. The Costa Rica style sushi varies from its origin somewhat, but the main rice, seaweed and seafood concept remains the same.

Another factor influencing the food is that many areas have attracted people of similar nationalities bonding together and dominating an area.  In these towns, the native food flavors may be derived from the nationality of the majority of the residents and the food from their homeland.  Needless to say, finding anything from flambe, to a cheeseburger, to gelato, is possible throughout Costa Rica.