Eat & drink · checked Sep 2026
30 restaurants and bars around Playa Flamingo, Potrero, Brasilito and Las Catalinas, each checked against its own website or listing. Pick a mood, get a short list.
Don't miss · Sunset
Casa Chameleon hotel, Las Catalinas · 15 min from Flamingo
The sunset to plan your trip around: a clifftop lounge and restaurant at Casa Chameleon with island views and deep, comfortable seats. Reservations are usually needed, so book ahead.
Where
The marina, the hill above the beach and the beach itself. Walkable from most rentals, or a two-minute drive.
In town
Beach seafood & grill
South end of Playa Flamingo, on the sand
Tables under umbrellas on the sand at the quiet south end of Playa Flamingo, with ceviche, whole fish and cocktails into sunset.
Hours: Daily 11 AM to 9:30 PM; Sunday brunch 9 AM to noon · Last checked Sep 2026
Seafood tapas & cocktails
Marina Flamingo
Seafood small plates and craft cocktails on a terrace over the boats at Marina Flamingo, open from lunch through dinner.
Hours: Daily 11 AM to 10 PM · Last checked Sep 2026
Steak & seafood, fine dining
Marina Flamingo, 2nd floor
Temporarily closed · see hours
Upstairs fine dining over the marina: steaks and seafood for a special-occasion dinner. Adults-oriented, with a casual-elegant dress code.
Hours: Temporarily closed; reopens Tuesday, Oct 13. Usually Tue to Sun 5 to 10 PM · Last checked Sep 2026
Farm-to-table, global
Mar Vista, on the hill between Flamingo and Brasilito
Hillside terrace with Pacific sunset views, an infinity pool and a playground, cooking with produce from its own garden.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Costa Rican–French café
Downtown Flamingo
Family-run breakfast and lunch spot from a French chef and his Costa Rican wife, known for gallo pinto breakfasts at prices reviewers call fair for Flamingo.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Café & brunch
Marina Flamingo
Marina-view patio café for bagel sandwiches, açaí bowls and specialty coffee, an easy early stop before a boat trip.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Sports bar & grill
Town center, by Marina Flamingo
Sports bar opened in 2024 and full of memorabilia, for watching the game with burgers and local beer on tap.
Hours: Mon and Wed to Fri 3 to 10 PM; Sat and Sun 11 AM to 10 PM; closed Tue · Last checked Sep 2026
Italian, wood-oven pizza
Next to Super Masai
Small Italian place for oven-baked pizza and fresh pasta.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Seafood & all-day menu
Margaritaville Beach Resort
The beach resort's all-day restaurant with an oceanfront patio, one of the few places in town serving breakfast from 6:30 AM.
Hours: Breakfast 6:30 to 10:30 AM; lunch and dinner noon to 9:30 PM daily · Last checked Sep 2026
Beach bar & grill
Margaritaville Beach Resort, rooftop
Rooftop bar with Pacific views at the beach resort, serving cocktails and beach food until midnight.
Hours: Daily noon to midnight; drinks only after 10 PM · Last checked Sep 2026
Pizza & grill
Dunama Hotel
Canatico is now at the Dunama Hotel, bringing the same great pizza and food to a beautiful new setting with amazing ocean views. Stop by Saturdays for karaoke or Fridays for live music. Patrons can also ask about enjoying the hotel pool during their visit.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
The densest run of casual kitchens and bars on the bay, and most of the weekly music, trivia and karaoke nights.
5 to 10 min from Flamingo
Nicaraguan taquería
Surfside, next to La Forketta
A taquería with Nicaraguan flavor in Surfside: big, serious burritos, food made from scratch and smoked meats at the Sunday BBQ. An editor favorite.
Hours: Noon to 8:30 PM; closed Tuesdays · Last checked Sep 2026
Beach club, American & Costa Rican
Surfside, on the beach at the Costa Rica Sailing Center
Beach club and restaurant on the sand in Surfside, built around sunset, cocktails and live music Friday to Sunday.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Seafood & American
South end of Playa Potrero, toward Flamingo
A former private house turned bar and restaurant right on Playa Potrero, with open bay views, a sunset crowd and a kids menu.
Hours: Daily 11 AM to 9 PM · Last checked Sep 2026
Gastropub, smoked meats
Surfside main street
The long-running Surfside hangout, now a gastropub for brisket and wings, with karaoke, live bands and a daily two-for-one happy hour.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Costa Rican, American & British comfort food
Surfside main street
Long-running Surfside hangout serving breakfast through dinner, popular with expats and locals, with regular live music.
Hours: Closed Saturdays; check other days · Last checked Sep 2026
Traditional Costa Rican & seafood
Playa Potrero, on the water
Old-school, traditional Costa Rican cooking right on the water. Order the seafood soup with cream.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
A working beach village with local sodas and seafood, next to the shell-sand beach at Conchal.
10 to 15 min from Flamingo
Argentine grill & seafood
Brasilito beachfront
Open-air Argentine grill on the beach in Brasilito for steaks and seafood, with the sunset over the bay.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Costa Rican soda· $
Brasilito, by the plaza
No-frills Tico soda by the plaza for gallo pinto breakfasts and casados at local prices.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Seafood, Costa Rican–Latin· $$
Brasilito, on the road to Flamingo
Sit-down seafood restaurant on the Flamingo road serving ceviche, grilled snapper and rice dishes.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Costa Rican & international· $$
Brasilito, upstairs at The Conchal Hotel
Upstairs restaurant at a small hotel, popular for fresh-catch dishes, with live music some nights in high season.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Indian· $$
Brasilito, north of the Westin
Brasilito's Indian kitchen, with tandoor dishes and plenty of vegetarian and vegan choices.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Wood-fired pizza, pasta & wine
Brasilito
Evening pizza-and-wine spot with wood-fired pies, fresh pasta and cheese plates.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
A car-free beach town north of Potrero. Park at the edge and walk in to cafés, beach dining and cocktails.
15 min from Flamingo
Costa Rican fine dining & seafood
Casa Chameleon hotel, Las Catalinas
The sunset to plan your trip around: a clifftop lounge and restaurant at Casa Chameleon with island views and deep, comfortable seats. Reservations are usually needed, so book ahead.
Hours: Breakfast 7 to 10 AM; all-day menu 11 AM to 9 PM · Last checked Sep 2026
Spanish tapas & paella
Plaza Mercado, Las Catalinas
Spanish tapas bar on the town plaza for croquetas, paella and cocktails.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Brewpub
Plaza Mercado on Playa Danta, Las Catalinas
Beachside taproom for a Guanacaste craft brewery, pouring house beers with fish tacos and bar food on the town square.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Healthy bowls & breakfast
Plaza Mercado, Las Catalinas
Daytime café on the plaza for smoothie bowls, breakfast and healthy plates.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
A short list of places in Tamarindo and Playa Grande that justify the drive. Plan your ride home so nobody has to drive back.
30 to 45 min from Flamingo
Seafood & grill· $$
North end of Tamarindo, at the estuary
Candlelit tables on the sand where the Tamarindo estuary meets the ocean: the classic sunset and date-night dinner on this coast, with online booking.
Hours: Lunch noon to 2 PM, dinner 5 to 9 PM, daily · Last checked Sep 2026
Seafood & Costa Rican
Beachfront, central Tamarindo
A beachfront Tamarindo institution since 1974, as good for a sand-side breakfast as a sunset seafood dinner.
Hours: Daily 7 AM to 9 PM · Last checked Sep 2026
Sports bar & grill
Avenida Central, Tamarindo
Tamarindo's main sports bar for NFL, UFC and soccer nights, open late.
Check current hours · Last checked Sep 2026
Our short answers to the questions people ask most, based on what each place actually offers.
Every card above has a Directions button too.
Live music, trivia, karaoke and markets run on weekly nights around Flamingo, Potrero and Surfside. Schedules rotate with the season, so see what's on this week.
For the dinner-only and fine-dining spots, especially in high season (December to April), book ahead. Beach and casual places are usually walk-in. Where a restaurant takes online bookings, its card has a Reserve button.
The livelier bars are in Potrero and Surfside, a few minutes from Flamingo. Most run weekly nights: live music, trivia, karaoke. Cards show "Tonight" when a venue usually has something on, and the weekly events guide has the full schedule.
We show hours only when we have checked them recently against the restaurant’s own website or listing, and say when. Otherwise the card says "Check current hours". Hours here change with the season, so confirm before a long drive.
Playa Flamingo, Potrero and Surfside, Brasilito and Conchal, and Las Catalinas, plus a short "worth the drive" list in Tamarindo and Playa Grande.
Editorially, based on what each place offers and whether we can confirm it is open. If we ever run sponsored placements, they will be clearly labeled, and paying never decides which places are included. Restaurant links go straight to the venue and are not affiliate links.
Getting to dinner and back
Taxis and local drivers cover Flamingo, Potrero and Brasilito easily. For Tamarindo or Las Catalinas dinners, sort out your ride home before you go, so nobody has to drive back in the dark.
Town-by-town guide →How this guide works
Listings are selected editorially. Sponsored placements, if any, are clearly labeled and never decide which places are included. Each place is checked against its own website, menu or listing, and every card says when. Restaurant links are direct, not affiliate links. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@playaflamingo.com.