Unlike other restaurants on the southern coast, Dragonfly isn't focused solely on seafood. The open-air eatery—under a peaked roof held aloft by twisted wood columns and hung with modernist lanterns straight out of Dwell—serves Latin-Asian fusion, with dishes like wild-mushroom risotto with Manchego cheese, and honey-chile-glazed chicken breast with sticky rice and fresh mint. Does it sound more California than Costa Rica? Owner Tish Tomlinson hails from Napa Valley.

Open Mondays through Saturdays 6 to 10 pm.

Only four miles from Manuel Antonio National Park, this seafood restaurant isn't known for its location (on a noisy corner) or its view (the ocean is hidden behind a small hill). Its reputation is for fresh fish, and it doesn't disappoint. Ask about the specials right off the boat, such as whole red snapper served upright, as if swimming across a bed of greens. A great starter is the seafood chowder—really more of a bisque, but tasty just the same. Two friendly Labrador retrievers, one wearing a sign warning that he is on a diet, lounge about the open-air dining room. The bar is packed with anglers comparing notes about the ones that got away.

Open Wednesdays through Sundays 8 am to 10 pm.

A tree house is what comes to mind when you catch a glimpse of this tapas bar on stilts. The open-air platform hovers about 20 feet off the ground, just high enough to catch the ocean breezes (although not the ocean views). The only wall is painted a vivid red, the same color as the wild ginger growing in the gardens below. Chef and owner Anne Hegney mixes and matches flavors on her extensive menu of small dishes, so you'll find unusual offerings, such as chicken satay with a macadamia nut rub and seared ahi tuna served in a crispy taco. This place is a good dinner choice if you're staying in the nearby Playas del Coco, or a convenient stop for lunch if you're headed down the Nicoya Peninsula coast to Playa Tamarindo.

Open Tuesdays through Sundays 5 and 10 pm.

Israeli-born chef Eyal Ben-Menachem prepares only a handful of dishes each day— depending on what's freshest in the local markets—at this restaurant on Lake Arenal that opened in August 2006. If you're game, he'll choose for you. Each of the dishes comes with commentary from the gregarious chef, so you'll learn exactly how he prepares the wild mushrooms in a Parmigiano-Reggiano sauce, or how difficult it is to find the baby vegetables for the pork tenderloin. For dessert, try the superb boca negra, a warm chocolate soufflé-like cake with macadamia nuts inside, topped with local ice cream and raspberry and passion-fruit coulis. The restaurant's name refers to the fanciful wood trim on the porch, where you can dine with a view of the lake.

Open Tuesdays through Saturdays 5 pm to 9 pm.

As you'd hope from a place with a thriving cooking school, this gorgeous hilltop Spanish-hacienda-style inn, an hour and a half west of San José, boasts one of the best kitchens in the land. Since its April 2004 opening, the word has spread, so you'd better snag one of the four (very nice, and inexpensive, too) rooms if you want to dine here on the unique brand of Latino-Creole cuisine. The hosts also own Nova Scotia's Trout Point Lodge, so you'll find out how empanadas and tamales are related not just to jambalaya but to smoked-trout cakes as well.

If you're in the capital, the formal restaurant of this Victorian colonial-style hotel is one place where you'll not only eat well but also likely observe the local elite making deals over multicourse meals. The cuisine is decidedly old-fashioned faux-Euro (or "International"), but it's reliably toothsome. Try the tilapia (which is actually native) sautéed in butter and finished with vermouth, or the rack of lamb crusted with fresh herbs, then the typically Tican tres leches, a rich cake infused with condensed milk.

Everyone eventually tires of rice and beans. You won't find them on the "Latin fusion" menu at Sofía, which instead serves local ingredients combined in interesting ways, such as roasted sweet potato and plantain soup and beef tenderloin with a chipotle-butter sauce. You'd expect the place to attract well-heeled travelers from the nearby eco-lodges, but it's also a favorite of backpackers looking to splurge.