Eating, Drinking and Nightlife
Considering how much local accommodation is geared toward self-catering, there's a good selection of eating establishments in Jaco. Many of the best hotels have very good restaurants, though as always in Costa Rica, if you're on a budget, make the lunchtime casado or plato del dia your main meal. Sedate during midweek in low season, Jaco can transform itself into a beer-drinking-contest hell during weekends and holidays. For drinking , bar Zarpe at the north end of town is recommended for cold beer and good, if slightly pricey, Mexican bocas . Bar y Restaurante Bohio , right on the beach, is a great place for a sunset drink - check out the church-pew benches and tables under a ranch roof. They sometimes lay on a very loud disco . Other discos include that at the Best Western Jaco Beach , the swankiest in town, though it's only open on weekends, and Disco La Central , on the beach right in the centre of town - popular with gringos, though again it only really gets going at weekends. Alice , at the Cabinas Alice . Good family-run restaurant, serving fresh seafood and shellfish from a varied menu. Bananas , in the centre. Popular for its reasonable breakfasts, including tasty pancakes, for US$3. Barco de Mariscos , in the centre on the main drag. New venue specializing, as its name suggests, in well-prepared fresh shellfish. Casita del Maiz , north end of town. One of Jaco's better sodas, popular with locals, with good casados made with fresh ingredients. Chatty Kathy's , opposite the Max x Menos supermarket. One of the best places in town for breakfast, this Canadian-owned upstairs cafe serves pancakes, cooked breakfasts and delicious cinnamon rolls, as well as light lunches. Colonial , on the main drag. Tastefully designed new bar-restaurant popular with travellers for drinks as well as main meals. La Ostra , on the main drag. Long-established marisqueria (seafood restaurant) set in a quiet rancho next to a creek, and good for both fish and shellfish. Credit cards accepted.
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