Vegan Food in San Jose, Costa Rica
Vegan Food in San Jose, Costa Rica
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about vegan San Jose, Costa Rica, it’s that it’s a tight-knit community. The restaurant owners know each other and collaborate together for dope things like Noviembre Sin Carne (No Meat November). Shoot… there is even a vegan ordering app that was created by the owner of a vegan restaurant in San Jose, Costa Rica to provide customers a one-stop-shop to order from most of the vegan restaurants in town!
Another thing that I’ve learned is that San Pedro is where it’s at for vegan food in San Jose. If you stay there, you’ll be able to hit most of the hot spots within walking distance or a short bus/Uber ride. Thankfully, Ubers and buses are relatively cheap if you’re used to paying Uber prices in major US cities.
Vegan Restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica
There are PLENTY of all-vegan restaurants to choose from in San Jose, Costa Rica. Even though I’ve been spending at least a few weeks each year over the past few years in San Jose, I still can’t seem to keep up with all of the new ones that keep popping up. That’s a good problem to have though because that just means that we vegans got options!
Gia Vegan Pastries – Vegan
Location: Del Banco Nacional 100m sur 25m Oeste, Roosevelt, San José, San Pedro, 11501, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store, Marinara app, Uber Eats, and WhatsApp
WhatsApp: +506 8711-0495
Do y’all believe in love at first bite? Call me corny, but I fell in love with Gia Vegan Pastries the moment I bit into an ice cream topped brownie on my first day visiting San Jose, Costa Rica. Then I found out that this all-vegan spot is Black-owned AND woman-owned, and the rest was herstory! I guess I am corny…
If you have a sweet tooth like me, you’ll love their sweet options like their pancakes, french toast, milkshakes, cakes, brownies, pies, and nearly eternal list of other sweet pastries. If savory dishes are more your style, they’ve got you covered too! You can choose from their sandwiches, burgers, mac and cheese, and salads.
One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that the owner is constantly thinking of innovative dishes and events to switch things up.
Like their current all-day brunch menu that features a No Eggs Benedict Sandwich and BEC (bacon, egg, and cheese) Bagel. Or their Children’s Day (Costa Rican holiday) celebration that was full of balloons and a variety of innovative vegan kids meals that spoke to the child in all of us!
Did I mention that all of the pastries are made and decorated in-house by their professionally trained pastry chefs?! And my goodness… those thangs are BEAU-TI-FUL! And they’re bomb too! Trust, I’ve had over a dozen brownies, brookies (brownie mixed with a cookie), pizza rolls, slices of pie, and slices of cake by now.
And their list of pastry offerings doesn’t stop there. You didn’t think it was called Gia Vegan Pastries for nothing, right?! They stay with some signature baked goods, but also have rotating flavors and pastries. As I said, the owner likes to switch things up!
So go ahead and swing by Gia Vegan Pastries to see what delectable baked goods they have for the day and try out some of their menu items. Believe me… you won’t regret it!
Marinara Pizzeria – Vegan
Location: Calle 19A, Cascajal, San José, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store, Marinara app, and Uber Eats
WhatsApp: +506 7147-1671
Marinara Pizzeria is another one of my favorite vegan spots in San José, Costa Rica. They have a whole heap of options on their menu, including vegan chicken fingers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, and desserts.
My favorite item on the menu is their Seitan Fajita Wrap, which is a wrap stuffed with their house-made seitan fajitas, caramelized onions, creamy chipotle sauce, tomato, lettuce, and arugula. Let me have that, their potato wedges, and a side of honey mustard and baybee… it’s a wrap! Pun intended!
At this point, it doesn’t matter what I order at Marinara Pizzeria, I’m dipping it in their house-made honey mustard. It’s THAT GOOD! It’s like Frank’s Red Hot because “I put that ish on everything!”.
Not only is the food good, but it’s convenient to order. The owner created the Marinara app to make it easier to order pick-up or delivery from Marinara Pizzeria and all other participating vegan restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica! You can even use it to buy their house-made seitan and vegan cheese to use at home!
Speaking of the owner, he’s ridiculously friendly and supportive. I had an issue while placing my first order on the app, so he not only went out of his way to walk me through the entire process in English, but he also threw in one of Chef Gabriela Valdivia‘s desserts for free! Talk about customer service!
De Acá Cafetería – Vegan
Location: Calle 3, Amón, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and Marinara app
WhatsApp: +506 7236 0772
De Acá Cafetería is a gorgeous 3-story vegan restaurant located in the heart of San Jose, Costa Rica. They have second-floor and third-floor dining areas that have a view overlooking the street below. I know that sounds shady, but it’s a whole vibe, especially with the decor and natural lighting!
Their menu includes items like sandwiches, wraps, salads, pastries, desserts, and drinks. It’s not every day that I see a vegan croissant, so their croissant sandwiches immediately caught my attention.
The croissant was on point! Nice and fluffy, and I was shook by the chia seeds on top of it! Think of a sesame seed burger bun, but replace the sesame seeds with chia seeds and the burger bun with a delectable croissant. So clever!
MIXT – Vegan
Location: Centro comercial, Condominio Brisas del Oeste, Holanda, San José, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and Uber Eats
WhatsApp: +506 7051 7555
If you’re looking for some healthy options to fill you up, consider swinging by MIXT for one of their bowls, salads, or sandwiches.
I’m not the biggest fan of salads and was low-key afraid when my Asian Salad came out looking just like the kinds of salads that I usually avoid. Their Asian salad dressing though… It’s made of soy sauce, peanuts, and ginger and was just EVERYTHING!
I also highly recommend their Tico Wrap. For all those that don’t know, “Tico” is a nickname for Costa Ricans. Therefore, this wrap is a whole wheat tortilla stuffed with some Costa Rican staples like gallo pinto, fried sweet plantains, and pico de Gallo. They also throw in some guacamole and marinated tofu to take the wrap to a whole ‘nother level!
Errante Pan y Pizza – Vegan
Location: Av 2 39, Los Yoses, San José, San Pedro, 11501, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and WhatsApp
WhatsApp: +506 7141 8507
Errante Pan y Pizza is located inside of Kál Awá Bodega and is one of the newer vegan restaurants in the Los Yoses neighborhood of San Jose, Costa Rica. They use house-made Kál Awá products to serve sandwiches, burgers, desserts, and you guessed it, pizzas!
You know I had to try the pizza since the name of the place has “pizza” in it. The Vendetta was their most popular pizza, so I ordered the spicy version of it (Vendetta Diavola). Now I went into this already knowing that as a whole, Costa Ricans don’t really get down with spicy food like that.
I stand by my love of pineapple on pizza, so I was looking for a sweet and spicy combo. However, the sweetness of the caramelized onions drowned out the spiciness for me. I like truly spicy food, so it wasn’t giving me what it was spost’ to gave. It was still decent though, so don’t let me stop you from ordering it, my sweet pizza lovers!
Huacamole Sodita – Vegan
Location: Calle 63, Empalme, San José, San Pedro, 11506, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store, Marinara app, Uber Eats, and OlaClick (link on Instagram)
WhatsApp: +506 7005 7073
Huacamole Sodita is a vegan restaurant that serves burgers, tacos, pizzas, and smoothies. They’re located in Barrio Escalante, the “happnin'” part of town, so it’s the perfect spot to grab a bite to eat before you hit up the bars.
If you want to get your night started at dinner, they also serve alcohol. I was honestly a little confused by this, but there is a vegan bar called Astro that is attached to it.
I’m not sure where Huacamole Sodita ends and Astro begins, in terms of the space, but you can order Astro’s cocktails and beers from your Huacamole server when you place your order.
RabbitSup is also attached to Huacamole and serves frappes, boba tea, shakes, and cold brew. They actually have their own window for you to walk up to and order, or you can order their drinks from your server at Huacamole.
I can’t say that their drinks were my favorite (I tried a frappe, boba tea, and shake), but who knows?! Maybe you’ll love them!
I guess the main thing that you should know about Astro and RabbitSup is that if you go to Huacamole, you can order a drink (boba, frappe, milkshake, etc.) or a drank drank (cocktail, beer, wine, etc.), by way of those two attached establishments.
Bosque Urbano Cafe – Vegan
Location: Calle 37 751, Dent, San José Province, San Pedro, 10101, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store, Marinara app, and Uber Eats
WhatsApp: +506 8895 0272
Bosque Urbano Cafe is another vegan spot located in Barrio Escalante. It has an open-air cafe-type feel. The space is perfect for getting some work done while you enjoy one of their sandwiches, wraps, salads, pastries, and/or drinks on the menu.
There were so many pastry and dessert options, I had a hard time choosing. They have cinnamon rolls, brownies, cookies, pies, cupcakes, empanadas, etc.
I ended up trying the house-made snickers since that’s something we vegans don’t see often! It wasn’t for me, but if you’re into dark chocolate, you should consider giving it a try!
Vegetarian Restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica
Some of the best vegan versions of typical Costa Rican food that I’ve had have come from vegetarian restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica. Though there are plenty of vegan restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica to keep you occupied, consider trying out the vegetarian restaurants in the area too!
Arbol de Seda – Vegetarian
Location: Av. 7, Barrio Escalante, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store, Uber Eats, OlaClick (website link)
WhatsApp: +506 2281 0513
The first thing that drew my attention to Arbol de Seda was the rainbow painted outside of the building. It’s an LGBTQIA+-owned establishment, and y’all know I love supporting minority-owned businesses! On top of that though, their food is AMAZING!
I HIGHLY recommend their vegan version of the Sollofrijo Caribeño. It was more than I could have asked for in a plate and low-key caught me off guard!
It’s often a little difficult for me to get local typical dishes while dining at vegan spots abroad, so I really appreciated the opportunity to try this Costa Rican classic at a veg restaurant.
The Sollofrijo Caribeño was so good, I was speechless when the server came by to check on me during my first bite. And that had nothing to do with my struggle Spanish. Like, the flavors were mid-step doing the electric slide all across my tastebuds and who was I to stop that beautiful union?!
Palmeadas – Vegetarian
Location: De la entrada principal del Oeste, Mall San Pedro, Blvd. Los Yoses 25, Alameda, San José, San Pedro, 11501, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and Uber Eats
WhatsApp: +506 4033 8475
Palmeadas has been a real one for years now. It was my go-to spot during my lunch break from my Spanish classes (special shoutout to Costa Rica Language Academy!) back in the day. They serve typical Costa Rican dishes, smoothies, and burgers.
Palmeadas is located right next to the mall, but has a peaceful little balcony for you to enjoy in the midst of the bus stop, busy traffic roundabout, and mall chaos.
My go-to dishes are the Desayuno Vegano (Vegan Breakfast) and the Casado de Soya (another typical Costa Rican plate). They are similar but have slight, yet distinct differences.
The Casado comes with either a soy or falafel patty (I’m loyal to the soy patty!), beans, rice, ripe plantains, and a salad. The Desayuno Vegano comes with gallo pinto (rice, beans, spices, etc. combined), falafel or soy patty, pico de gallo, and ripe plantains in syrup. Both are bomb! I just order one or the other based on the time of day.
My ignorance was showing when I assumed that tortillas in Costa Rica are the same as tortillas in Guatemala and Mexico. The moral of the story is, don’t order 3 tortillas thinking you’re about to get 3 little corn tortillas, because…. ya won’t! You’ll get three massive pancake-sized tortillas and lots of questions from your ever so kind, but confused server.
Vegan-friendly Restaurants in San Jose, Costa Rica
Considering that some Costa Rican staple foods are usually vegan as is, there are lots of vegan-friendly spots that you can hit up in San Jose. I happen to really like the vegan and vegetarian restaurants around town, so I mainly stay within my veg bubble. When I do step out of the bubble though, it’s for these vegan-friendly restaurants.
Raw Co. Juicery & Food – Vegan-friendly
Location: 400 Oeste de Plaza Colonial, Centro Comercial Plaza del Rio local #3, San Rafael de Escazú Escazú, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store, Uber Eats, or WhatsApp
WhatsApp: +506 2289 5285
Raw Co. Juicery & Food is a very vegan-friendly restaurant that is gluten-free, dairy-free, and located in Escazú. This is one of the spots that are a little out of the way, but nothing that an Uber can’t help you with! They serve juices, smoothies, all-day breakfast, juice cleanses, salads, and bowls. Be careful, because the salmon and tuna on the menu ARE animal-based salmon and tuna, so don’t get got!
My favorite menu item is their pancakes. I’ve had em fresh, I’ve had them hours later, I’ve even had them reheated the next day. Still bomb!
These pancakes are literally THEE best gluten-free pancakes I’ve ever had, and I dabble in the gluten-free world a bit because of my godson’s allergies. These pancakes are definitely worth the 15 – 30 minute trip (depending on traffic) out to Escazú from the San Jose city center, so go ‘head and make your way on out!
Pizza Kan – Vegan-friendly
Location: 2, Los Yoses, San José, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and Uber Eats (search “Pizzeria Kan”)
WhatsApp: +506 2101 0140
Pizza Kan is a vegan-friendly pizza spot that carries an almond and canola-based vegan cheese made by Caña Dulce Pastel, a local vegan bakery. The cheese even browns on the top like dairy-based cheese, which I don’t see often! You can swap their vegan cheese for dairy-based cheese on their vegetarian pizzas to “veganize” a pie for yourself.
I don’t know if it’s the stone oven that they use or some extra TLC that they put into their pizzas, but their simple pies are still low-key bomb! My pizza was just pizza dough, marinara sauce, vegan cheese, and basil, and I LOVED it!
Artisano – Vegan-friendly
Location: Bosques de Lindora, San José, Pozos, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and Uber Eats
WhatsApp: +506 4702 3496
Artisano is a vegan-friendly organic deli and coffee bar. It’s a hop, skip, and a jump outside of the city center, so you’ll definitely need a car or Uber to get out there.
They have many solid options clearly marked on their menu that are “veganizable”, like their french toast, pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, quesadillas, and açaí bowls.
Dipping fries in ketchup and mayo is definitely a thing in Latin America. Lucky for us, they have vegan mayo at Artisano if you want to give it a try and see what all the hype is about!
Vegan-Friendly Markets in San Jose, Costa Rica
San Jose, Costa Rica is on another level when it comes to keeping your vegan belly full. While there are vegan products available in lots of common grocery stores, like Auto Mercado and Fresh Market, it’s great to also have all vegetarian stores to hit up for vegan products ranging from shampoo to seitan.
Pachamama Macrobiótica y Artes – Vegetarian Market
Location: C. 31, Barrio Escalante, San José, 10101, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and WhatsApp
WhatsApp: +506 8388 0786
Pachamama is a small all-vegetarian store located in Barrio Escalante. During my initial flight into Central America, my face moisturizer decided to hop out of the container and disperse itself all over my suitcase. It was wild. Therefore, I made my way on over to Pachamama to re-up and get my face right.
Luckily for me, they had all of the vegan oils, lotions, and potions that my lil’ heart could desire. Whether you believe that they ACTUALLY have potions depends on how you feel about the gut revitalizing power of kombucha!
On top of that, they sell art, jewelry, grab-and-go vegan parfaits, vegan ice cream bars, vitamins, hair products, dry goods… the list goes on!
Kál Awá Bodega – Vegan Market
Location: Av 2 39, Los Yoses, San José, San Pedro, 11501, Costa Rica
Ways to order: In-store and website
WhatsApp: +506 8353 6905
Kál Awá Bodega is a small but mighty all-vegan market in the same location as Errante. They make some of their own products, like seitan chicken and steak, burger patties, and fresh-baked bread. They also sell products from other local vegan Costa Rican shops.
When I say small but mighty, I mean that they have things like skincare products, frozen food, essential oils, natural sodas, buy-in-bulk items, and even vegan pet products!
The staff here is also super friendly and more than willing to literally share the entire life story of Errante and Kál Awá with you. It’s an all-around great experience to browse around Kál Awá while you wait for your food from Errante.
Conclusion: Vegan Food in San Jose, Costa Rica
Just know that when you’re in San Jose, Costa Rica, your vegan taste buds are in good hands. There’s a little bit of everything for you to enjoy, whether you’re craving some bomb pastries, vegan versions of typical Costa Rican Dishes, or a good ol’ hearty burger.
Map of Vegan Food in San Jose, 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!
