Eating, Drinking and Nightlife
In Santa Elena , most people eat in their pensions . The restaurant at the Pension el Tucan (closed Sun), open to non-guests, serves good cheap food, especially casados , and is a good bet for breakfast. Dona Laura has a popular kiosk in front of the church serving casados - climb up on the wooden stools and chat with the regulars. For espresso, go to Chunches . Teen's Bakery has pastries and other snacks to take away. Cuisine in many of the top-end Monteverde hotels is very good indeed, and most of them open their restaurants to the public. Menus are usually fixed, and meals are served at set times. Drop round in person to book for dinner and see what's on the menu. Being a Quaker community, there is not much drinking to be done in the Monteverde area, even in gringo-filled Santa Elena. Most restaurants do have alcohol on the menu, but you'll notice a definite whiff of temperance in the air. The Monteverde Music Festival (Jan-March) stages a blend of classical, jazz and modern music, from chamber orchestras to big bands. There are performances daily at 5pm, and a shuttle bus runs from Santa Elena to the venues - ask at your hotel. Cafe Morpho , in the centre of Santa Elena, across from the church. The best bet in Santa Elena itself, offering healthy and well-prepared - if not particularly cheap - food, with a pleasant candlelit ambience in the evening. Fonda Vela , in the Hotel Fonda Vela , Monteverde. Two restaurants at the hotel of the same name - a fairly formal and intimate fireside restaurant and a larger, slightly less staid one - with lovely views out over the property and a varied (though fairly expensive) menu including good, generous breakfasts and succulent dinner specialities - try the chicken in white wine and almonds (US$11). Johnny's Pizzeria , Cerro Plano. One of the most popular restaurants in the area, both among tourists and locals, and it's not hard to see why, with superior cocktails, pizza (US$5) cooked in an open wood oven and superb service in a candlelit colonial decor. There's pasta, meat and fish on the menu too, but everybody seems to come for the pizza. During the day you can sometimes see hummingbirds in the quiet garden. Pension El Tucan , 100m south of the Banco Nacional. Open to non-guests, the restaurant at the Pension El Tucan serves very tasty and cheap local food, especially casados . They're probably the best bet for breakfast in the village, with good gringo fare - the banana pancakes are recommended. Closed lunchtime and the whole of Sunday. Restaurante de Lucia , between Santa Elena and Cerro Plano, 150m from the Hotel Heliconia . Excellent service, a not-bad wine selection and a varied menu, including perfect steak, chicken and pork done just as you like it. Soda La Central , in the centre of Santa Elena. New soda, strategically placed in front of the bus stop to San Jose, Puntarenas and other points, with above-average casados (US$3) and tasty hamburgers with fries (US$2). Stella's Bakery , opposite CASEM. Delicious chocolate-chip cookies, strudel, brownies and coffee in a pleasant cafe-like atmosphere, although the owner is surly. Daily 6.30am-4.30pm.
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