I’ve never considered myself a “foodie” and I doubt I ever will. I know I’m in the minority when I say that food isn’t the biggest thing to me when I travel, but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize an amazing meal when I have one. When I stumble upon La Ventanita Restaurant and had the best burrito in Costa Rica, I knew it from the first bite.
The thing about La Ventanita is that unless you’re looking for it, you’ll never find it. We had just finished exploring the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park and were beyond hungry. Jay, Ashley and I hopped in the car and I started to research places around us to eat. There were a few options but none really stood out to me and if you know me you know I hate settling. I want every experience, meal, bar, place, or activity to be worth retelling.
I asked them if they wanted something close or were willing to go on an adventure to find a place to eat. Without hesitating, they both said “adventure” (I knew there was a reason we’d gotten along so well after randomly meeting in Jaco).
I kept scrolling through all the restaurants around us until, for some reason, La Ventanita caught my eye. I did a quick Google search, read a few reviews, and decided it sounded like a place to check out.
A Hot Take on Mexican Food:
I love Mexican food and I’m a BIG fan of burritos. In my humble opinion, they shit on tacos. I’ve never quite understood the hype about tacos. They’re small, messy, and inconsistent in size. I never know how many is the right amount to order, why they end up being half lettuce, and they are always falling apart. If I was going to give my “Mexican Food Power Rankings” it would be:
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Burritos
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Nachos
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Enchiladas
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Quesada
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Fajitas
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Tacos
So when I read the reviews that said La Ventanita Restaurant had the best burrito in Costa Rica I was already sold on the place. La Ventanita is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and by that I mean, unless you were staying at a hotel nearby you would never find it. It’s this charming little house that was turned into a place that makes the best burrito in Costa Rica. While you eat you have incredible views of the jungle and of the La Fortuna Volcano.
When we got there I already knew I was in heaven. Have you ever been to a place and thought ‘everything will be good, it really doesn’t matter what I get” but been unable to pick something because you want to try everything? Yeah, that’s La Ventanita. But being an adult, I made the hard choice.
I live in Kansas City and I don’t think I’d ever been to a place that offered a ‘Pull Pork Buritto’ option and knew it was something I owed myself to try.
Man did I pick right.
It was the best burrito I’ve ever had.
After I finished eating I went back up to meet the owner. His name was Kelley and he was originally from California (go figure). He’d visited Costa Rica when he was younger and about a decade ago decided he wanted to move down and open a restaurant. It’s safe to say he made the right call.
If you ever find yourself near La Fortuna do yourself a favor and go to La Ventanita Restaurant to have the best burrito in Costa Rica. Your stomach will be glad that you did.
Stay Gold.
