Restaurants in San Juan del Sur

I did not find that the food overall in San Juan del Sur or Nicaragua in general was anything to write home about, but there were a few places in San Juan del Sur that really stuck out to me.

My absolute favorite place to eat in town was El Colibri. Everytime I ate there, which was at least once per week, it was a treat. Among my favorites on the menu were the hummus appetizer, the Filet Mignon and of course the Sangria. This was the only place in town where I could find a good steak within my budget.

Another top notch option, although more expensive, is La Cascada at Pelican Eyes. I personally did not do dinner there ever, but I can tell you that the breakfast was delicious. My favorites were the corned beef hash and the eggs benedict. Another bonus with Pelican Eyes is that they have wireless internet, so if you are from out of town and don't feel like hanging out in the internet cafe, you can pack your laptop and check your emails and catch up with what's going on in the rest of the world. They also have a generator, so when the power goes out in the rest of town, they are still operational.


Jerry's Pizza is a good option for those on a budget. You can get a good meal for the equivalent of a few dollars. The specialties include rotisserie chicken, pizza and lasagne. It is also a great spot to sit in town with a Tona and people watch.

A couple of popular places for pizza and Italian include Pizzeria O Sole Mio, and Pizzeria San Juan. Both are very good. The Sole Mio was closed during most of my time in San Juan del Sur and just opened right before I moved on, but I ate there once and it was excellent. The Pizzeria San Juan was very good and very popular.

I typically judge the group of beach front palapa style restaurants as a whole. I found that none was particularly good. They seem to bring in customers based on their location and you cannot go wrong with the sunsets. San Juan del Sur just may have the world's best sunsets, but the food was left something to be desired in my personal opinion. I would recommend the strawberry daquaris at the Bar y Restaurant Buen Gusto. It is on the beach front a few lots south of the main road into town.

Big Wave Dave's is a popular place for tourists. I particularly enjoyed that he had the NFL packages during football season and if I was able to get in early I could get him to play the Chargers game. Breakfast is good and he has a good selection of items on the menu including chili, soups, burgers, meatloaf and lots of other things you won't find in most of the other establishments in town.

If you are looking for some good food on a cheap budget I strongly recommend trying the little restaurants in the town mercado. For about one to two dollars you can get a variety of locally prepared chicken with gallo pinto. While there you can pick up anything from fruit and veggies to shoes to gifts for friends from home.

I hope you find this helpful. Feel free to add comments if you have any recommendations of your own.

Chris