Though a fairly small city, there are some great restaurants in Manuel Antonio, and many of them are vegetarian friendly! Manuel Antonio is home to the Manuel Antionio National Park, one of the most visited tourist destinations in Costa Rica. We stayed there for 10 nights during our latest ‘workcation’, so we had plenty of opportunity to try out a wide variety of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Manuel Antonio.

Because Mike eats meat and fish, but I don’t, it’s sometimes hard to find restaurants with good options for both of us. Manuel Antonio didn’t disappoint, and had several great restaurants that catered to meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

Before we get to our favorite places to eat in Manuel Antonio, here a few tips for what to expect when eating out near Manuel Antonio National Park:

Tips for Eating Out in Manuel Antonio

Don’t expect really cheap eats

Manuel Antonio is definitely a tourist destination, and therefore, we found that meal prices were comparable to what we’d find back home in the Midwest. That said, we found a few happy hours for cheap drinks and snacks and casados (which can often be made veggie with the meat left off) offered a great value.

Manuel Antonio restaurants were quite vegetarian friendly!

In fact, we found that Costa Rica, as a whole, was quite veggie friendly as rice, beans, and produce are staples in local cuisine. There were a handful of restaurants that didn’t have any vegetarian options on the menu, but for the most part, I had plenty to eat.

If you’re really in a pinch and find that a menu doesn’t have anything veg-friendly, you can try asking for a dish ‘sin carne/pescado’ which means without meat/fish in Spanish.

Go early if you want a sunset view with dinner

There are a handful of restaurants, on the west side of the main road, that offer spectacular sunset views with your dinner or drinks. However, everyone else is looking for the same view, so plan to head to dinner 45 minutes to an hour before sunset to stake out a spot and enjoy a cocktail or two before your meal.

You may need reservations (or not depending on when you go)

We visited Manuel Antonio in early February, and it was not busy at all. We were able to walk into any restaurant without reservations and had no trouble getting seated immediately. However, we were told that during the holidays (around Christmas, New Year, and Easter), it an get extremely busy and reservations to popular restaurants are essential.

Where to Eat in Manuel Antonio

Emilio’s Cafe

We ate at Emilio’s twice while in Manuel Antonio and both meals topped our list of favorite dishes we had while in Costa Rica. The open air cafe looks out onto a beautiful view that is a spectacular way to start your morning.

We both had the ‘Tipico” breakfast (traditional Costa Rican breakfast of gallo pinto, eggs, and cheese, and it was our favorite version of gallo pinto! The coffee was delicious too, and we ended up purchasing several bags of coffee to take home as gifts.

We liked it so much that we went back for dinner on our last night in Manuel Antonio. While the vegetarian options were limited, I ordered the veggie curry, and it was truly one of the best curries I’ve ever had (watch out though if you’re sensitive to spiciness!). We also ordered a burrata and grilled grape dish that, while it sounds strange, was spectacular. Mike enjoyed his fish curry as well, though the breakfast was still his favorite.

Good for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Vegetarian & Gluten-sensitive options)

Location: Manuel Antonio Entrada Hotel Parador, Costa Rica

Ape Eclectic Social Bar

Tucked away above a supermarket off the main road (618), this quirky bar served up the best Guaro Sour we had in our entire time in Costa Rica as well as some truly tasty small plates.

We wandered in one evening with the intention of grabbing a cocktail before heading somewhere else for dinner. In addition to our drinks, we were served a complimentary small plate since it was happy hour, and we ended up staying for a full meal!

The menu of small plates was really diverse, and everything was fresh and flavorful. We loved the simple roasted red peppers, a crazy flavorful potato empadada, and Mike enjoyed two helpings of some ‘meat cigar’ dish that was comprised of a spicy shredded beef rolled up in pastry dough.

We left completely stuffed (and admittedly a little tipsy :))!

Good for: Cocktails, Dinner (Vegetarian & Gluten-sensitive options)

Location: 2do Piso Pura Vida Supermarket, en frente de Salsipuedes, Puntarenas Province, Quepos, Costa Rica

Ronny’s Place

Good for: Dinner (Vegetarian options)

Cafe Agua Azul

We loved the food, view, but most of all the service at Cafe Agual Azul.

At first, I was a little disappointed  by the lack of vegetarian options, and I settled on a BBQ cauliflower wrap that I normally would have never ordered if given more options. But I was pleasantly surprised by a filling and delicious wrap served with warm spiraled vegetables in a rich butter, herb sauce (instead of french fries). Mike ordered the red snapper special, which was topped with three giant prawns, and it was one of his favorite meals in Costa Rica.

Tip: We recommend getting their early, even during the slower seasons. While other restaurants were virtually empty, we noticed that Agua Azul was almost always packed during dinner. We arrived at about 5:00 pm and got a great table to watch the sunset. Had we arrived even 30 minutes later, we would have been waiting for a seat for a while!

Good For: Dinner, Cocktails (limited Vegetarian options, Gluten sensitive options)

Manuel Antonio ‘Food Court’

While I don’t know what it’s proper name is, there is a cluster of tiny little restaurants near the Super Joseth supermarket on the way to Quepos that serves up some great quick and cheap(er) eats options. It’s a very casual dining experience, right next to the loud main road, but the food we had was delicious!

Other Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants in Manuel Antonio:

We ate really well in Manuel Antonio, and it was hard to narrow down this list to our favorite restaurants. Even though these didn’t make our top meals, we still recommend you try these solid ‘honorable mentions’:

 Falafel Bar– Delicious falafel, hummus, etc. with a salad bar to doctor up your pita or plate. Good for a quick bite and veggie and vegan options!

La Lambretta Pizza– Solid wood fired pizzas and fresh salads with a view off the patio

Enso Sushi– Solid sushi, with several vegan rolls,  really tasty cocktails

El Patio de Cafe Milagro– Tasty breakfast, some veggie options that are clearly marked, cute patio with live music

Babra Roja– Amazing sunsets, typical bar food (with a homeade veggie burger and a couple of other options), good happy hour deals