Vegan Food in Jaco, Costa Rica
Vegan Food in Jaco, Costa Rica
At approximately 1.5 – 2 hours west of San Jose, Costa Rica (by car), Jaco is one of the closest beach towns to the nation’s capital. Jaco is full of surfing, parasailing, beautiful ocean, and people looking to enjoy that Pura Vida! While there is lots to do in Jaco, Costa Rica, there, unfortunately, aren’t lots of vegan restaurants.
In fact, there is only a lil’ sprinkle of vegan spots in Jaco, Costa Rica, but don’t worry! The two vegan restaurants in town are both AMAZING and have more than enough delicious food for you to choose from during your trip. I’ve been to Jaco, Costa Rica multiple times and I still haven’t run out of new vegan options to try on their menus!
Vegan Food in Jaco, Costa Rica: Vegan Restaurants
Ser Restaurante
Location: 25mts sur y 25mts oeste del BAC en Jaco Walk. Mano Izq, 2do Piso Puntarenas Playa Jaco, Provincia de Puntarenas, Jacó, 61101, Costa Rica
WhatsApp: +506 8837 3987
The Vibe
Ser Restaurante is an all-vegan restaurant owned by a dynamic duo of two sisters. So yes fam, it’s a woman-owned, Latina-owned vegan restaurant to support in Jaco, Costa Rica! Each time that I’ve dined at Ser, one of the extremely kind and helpful owners has assisted me with my order.
It’s very clear that the owners and staff at Ser are passionate about what they do and want their customers to have a great experience! The food is amazing here, but even if it weren’t, I would at least swing by Ser to grab a drink just because of how dope the staff is!
You can’t quite see the sunset from this restaurant, but it’s located on the second floor of its building. Therefore, it’s the closest thing you’ll get to an all-vegan sunset dinner in Jaco, Costa Rica.
All seating is outdoors, with an open-air section closer to the sunset and a covered section of the restaurant by the bar and kitchen. All parts of the restaurant are beautifully decorated, so you can’t go wrong sitting anywhere at Ser.
The Food
If you’re in Jaco and looking to try a vegan version of Costa Rica’s classic chifrijo, I HIGHLY recommend that you slide through Ser Restaurante. They have THEE BEST VEGAN CHIFRIJO that I’ve ever had in Costa Rica!
Usually, I say “It’s all about the sawse!”, but there is no MVP of this dish because everything in it is so good! Every element works in tandem with the rest to create an amazingly flavorful bowl of Costa Rican goodness.
It doesn’t look like much in the picture, but my good golly Ms. Molly… it’s amazing! The Tofrijo is a bowl full of a tofu skin-based chicharron (don’t knock it til you try it!), avocado, red beans & rice, pico de Gallo, cilantro, and basil/parsley pesto with a few lime slices on the side.
Not feeling the Chifrijo, or just looking to try something else? Fret not my fellow VEGAboNd. I’m sure you’ll find another tantalizing dish within their 5-page menu!
Their menu features several healthy and delicious options, like their ceviches, salads, poke, pasta, and couscous, just to name a few. Shoot… they even have a kids menu for the chi’ren!
They also serve coffee-based drinks, tea, kombucha, smoothies, lemonade, and cocktails. They basically have a lil’ summin’ summin’ on their menu to please almost anyone.
In addition to the Tofrijo, I also recommend the Medallones. This dish is composed of two panko and oat flour patties adorned with avocado slices and served on a bed of almond cream, roasted broccoli, and cherry tomatoes. Like most items on the menu, the Medallones dish is as delicious as it is pretty!
Karma
Location: Av. Pastor Díaz Centro Comercial Il Galeone local 12, Puntarenas Province, Jaco, Costa Rica
WhatsApp: +506 2201 7695
The Vibe
Karma Café & Restaurant is an all-vegan restaurant located on the second floor of a small mall right in the heart of Jaco. It was the first vegan restaurant that I ever visited in Jaco, so I try my best to hit up Karma every time I come into town. #loyaltyloyaltyloyalty
They also have many fresh and healthy options on their menu, so eating there is like hitting the reset button on my gut after I’ve been eating my way through the country.
I love Karma’s outside balcony. You can see the street below, so it’s a great place to people-watch if you’re nosey or get some work done if you’re fully trying to mind your own business. All in all, Karma is a comfortable place to just eat and chill.
The Food
Karma prides itself on making most food in-house and even growing and harvesting some of its own ingredients. Whatever they don’t grow or make themselves, they try to source from local vegan entrepreneurs and farmers, whenever possible.
I don’t know what kind of sorcery they work in the kitchen there, but I gobbled up their Karma Salad! And I don’t even really like salads! I even barely used the mustard/tahini dressing (which was bomb) because the herb and oil blend drizzled on top of the salad was flavorful enough on its own.
In addition to salads, they also serve sandwiches, burgers, pasta, refreshing smoothies, and desserts.
Their Go Away Doc Smoothie, which consists of pineapple, turmeric, spirulina, ginger, coconut water, and orange juice, was just what I needed with my meal. When I tell you that I left Karma feelin’ as strong and healthy as Popeye right after a can of spinach…! I walked myself right on down to Rebelissmo for some ice cream afterward, because I deserved it!
Vegan Food in Jaco, Costa Rica: Vegan-Friendly Restaurants
Outside of the vegan restaurants in Jaco, Costa Rica, there are a few other spots that have clearly marked vegan options on their menus. Since there are lots of vegan-friendly staple foods in Costa Rica, you can also take your chance at asking for vegan options at other restaurants around Jaco. However, these are my favorite spots to hit up when I’m not dining at one of the vegan spots in Jaco, Costa Rica.
Gaia Acai Bowls
Location: Calle jaco sol 34, Provincia de Puntarenas, Jacó, Costa Rica
WhatsApp: No number available
The Vibe
If you blink, you might zoom right past Gaia Acai Bowls. It’s a small stand located right next to the Subway, so if you miss it, just walk to Subway and roam around a bit until you find it. They have a few seats outside for you to enjoy your bowl or smoothie there, or you can grab your grub to go for your stroll along the beach.
The Food
Gaia offers fresh smoothie bowls topped with cut fruit, seeds, granola, and/or nuts and blended smoothie drinks. Everything is fresh and made to order right in front of you. And by that, I mean that the coconut water for my order came from a fresh coconut that the staff cut open on spot and drained into the blender while cutting up the other fruit for my order!
Rebelissimo
Location: Av. Pastor Díaz Centro Comercial Il Galeone local 12, Puntarenas Province, Jaco, Costa Rica
WhatsApp: No number available
The Vibe
Rebelissimo is a vegan-friendly gelato shop located right beneath Karma on the main strip in Jaco, Costa Rica. They have a few tables for you to chill and enjoy your gelato in their open-air space.
The Food
If you’re a fan of almonds and/or almond butter, I recommend the almond flavor. It literally tastes like whipped creamy almond butter. They have a few other vegan flavors, including chocolate, pitaya, and mango coconut.
Conclusion: Vegan Food in Jaco, Costa Rica
When it comes to vegan options in Jaco, it’s all about quality over quantity. So what that there are only two vegan restaurants in town! The two that do exist in Jaco have some of the best vegan food that I’ve ever had in Costa Rica! So whether you’re looking to make a quick beach trip, or you’re on a hunt for the best vegan versions of typical Costa Rican dishes, go on ‘head and make your way out to Jaco!
Map of Vegan Food in Jaco, Costa Rica
Check Out My Other Vegan Costa Rica Posts!
Complete Vegan Travel Guide Costa Rica
First time visiting Costa Rica and want helpful tips on navigating around the country? Planning to travel around Costa Rica and eat to your little vegan heart’s content? Or maybe you’re like me and your Spanish isn’t the best.
Regardless of your situation, be sure to check out my other posts featuring vegan food, resorts, and hotels in some of Costa Rica’s most popular cities. You also don’t want to miss my tips on how to order in Spanish!
