QCOSTARICA (Costa Rica Chica) When is a soda not a soda?? Well, when you’re in Costa Rica, of course!
In Costa Rica, a “soda” is a very small café, locally owned, and usually has just a few tables and stools at a counter. Typically, you cannot really go wrong with a soda – they always seem have to have authentic and very good Costa Rican food. This is my favorite soda in Grecia, so far (mainly because I haven’t branched out to all of the soda’s yet, and also because once Greg likes a place, he wants to keep going back again and again and again).
Soda La Perla… is what I would call a “hole in the wall” – it is a teeny, tiny place, that I probably never would have went into on my own (in Wisconsin, I was raised to not trust “hole in the wall’s”). We first went here with our friend Peter, one morning, when we were leaving out early for a road trip.
He said they had the best coffee.
AND HE WAS RIGHT. This coffee is yum. Made fresh in an espresso machine. And if you want milk, you get steamed milk, so for me, it is really a latte. The best part? It’s hot to the LAST drop, and I’m not kidding. I’m a stickler for drinking my coffee HOT – not semi-hot, definitely not warm. Luke warm or cold? Never. Look at this perfect cup, and it’s only 700 colonés (about $1.30).
The menu is very basic, just two sides of a laminated paper. They serve breakfast and lunch. However, if you know some Spanish (like me! lol), never hesitate to ask for something that is not on the menu. Like I always ask for bread with my gallo pinto (rice & beans), and it comes out grilled and lightly buttered. And if you don’t know what something means, just try it! Chances are it will be delicious. Like the sandwich picture shown on the menu – it just looks like a couple of pieces of bread slapped together with some stuff inside… not the case. I saw someone order a sandwich the other day and it was grilled and looked like a gourmet panini! That is what I’m trying next time, for sure.
I had the Gallo Pinto con natilla (rice & beans with a side of a natilla – which is a heavy cream with just a hint of sourness, similar to creme fraiche), and Greg had the Gallo Pinto con carne (rice & beans with a type of beef meat in sauce). The bottle of hot sauce is their house sauce, which Greg deemed appropriately good (meaning: SPICY).
So… if you guys live in Grecia or are visiting, try this place. It’s a good dose of authentic Costa Rican food and also their trademark hospitality. Oh, and don’t forget to go to the register to pay your bill when you’re done (this happens at almost all restaurants/sodas here). At La Perla, they just punch it into a calculator and show you the total.
Hours, no idea, but they are always open early in the morning every time we’ve been. How to get there, just 2 blocks west of the park.
For more photos and map, visit Costaricachica.com
