The best traditional Costa Rican food
The top 3 according to 93 votes from people: Gallo pinto · Casado · Tico ceviche. (Updated Sep 7, 2026.)
Everyday and festive Tico food: gallo pinto, casado and olla de carne are the big three, according to Wikipedia and Costa Rican food guides.
Automatically translated (original in Español). See the original
Top 10
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1
Gallo pinto
Rice and black beans fried with onion, sweet pepper and Salsa Lizano; with eggs, ripe plantain and sour cream.
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2
Casado
Rice, beans, salad, ripe plantain and a meat or fish: the lunch at every soda.
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3
Tico ceviche
Fish in lime with culantro and sweet pepper, with soda crackers.
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4
Arroz con pollo
Yellow rice with chicken, peppers and peas, a party dish.
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5
Arreglado
Bread roll filled with meat, typical of sodas and afternoon snacks.
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6
Tico tamales
Corn dough with pork and vegetables in banana leaf, for Christmas.
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7
Patacones
Fried flattened green plantain, with refried beans or guacamole.
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8
Chifrijo
Rice, beans, pork crackling and pico de gallo in a bowl, invented in a San José bar.
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9
Olla de carne
Beef stew with cassava, chayote, corn, potato and green plantain.
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10
Caribbean rice and beans
Rice and beans cooked in coconut milk, from Limón.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 10… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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11
Picadillo de papa
Diced potato with meat and culantro, to eat in a tortilla.
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12
Sopa de mondongo
Beef tripe soup with vegetables.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (7)
Pura vida 🇨🇷
El chifrijo es el rey de las cantinas, con una cerveza fría.
Un casado con su plátano maduro, lo mejor de cualquier soda.
Gallo pinto con natilla y huevo, desayuno tico de toda la vida 🇨🇷
El rice and beans de Limón con leche de coco es otro nivel.
Olla de carne cuando llueve, o sea, todos los días en invierno jaja
Los tamales en diciembre, toda la familia haciéndolos juntos.