SANTA TERESA: ULTIMATE VEGAN FOOD, COFFEE & TRAVEL GUIDE
In my ultimate travel guide for the cute little beach town, Santa Teresa in Costa Rica, I share all my tips for vegan food & coffee spots and the best things to do in this beautiful village. It’s a great place for digital nomads, yogis, surfers, beach lovers, and (vegan) foodies.
After traveling on the eastern part in Costa Rica (find my vegan travel and food tips for Puerto Viejo here), it was great to settle a bit and find a routine in this beautiful town of Santa Teresa. Everything is basically located on the main road so you can walk from north to south either on the road or the beach and find all the places I listed below. In order to give you a bit of an orientation you can also check out my Google Maps list for Santa Teresa here, in which I’ve saved all of my favorite spots.
Have you ever been to Santa Teresa, Costa Rica?
Let me know if you have any further tips which I should include in my guide!
Lots of love,
Magda
PS: As I’ve also shared my recommendations on Instagram profile here in the form of pics so you can take screenshots of the tips, I wanted to also include these here below. Also, check out my highlight for Santa Teresa on my Instagram profile for even more personal favorites!
what to do in Santa Teresa
Enjoy the beautiful beaches
I honestly didn’t know how beautiful the beach in Santa Teresa is! Thus, I tried to spend my afternoon almost daily on the beach either for a long beach walk (one time a tiny crab even pinched me in the toe), enjoying the clear and clean water or reading under the beautiful shade from the palm trees. You can walk on the beach forever, a nice long walk would be until playa hermosa or in the other direction until zunya.
Check out the delicious food spots
My travel guide would not be complete without my food tips. Santa Teresa offers huge variety in international as well as local cuisine - from traditional sodas to healthy bowl places fancy sushi spots or Italian pizzerias, you can really find everything according to your appetite in the small village. Make sure to check out my dedicated food tips further down in this blogpost.
Enjoy yoga classes (on the beach)
As I taught yoga in the Selina locations in Santa Teresa, I honestly didn’t try any other yoga spots in the village. Still, I know that you can enjoy great classes also for example at the Believe Surf & Yoga spot or you could simply grab your mat/ towel and do your own practice on the beach for sunrise or sunset.
Explore the cute little stores
As my checked-in luggage didn’t arrive for four (!) weeks, I got to discover the local shops in Santa Teresa quite well. My favorite concept store for sure is you, me and the sea as you can get high-quality clothes as well as cute gifts locally produced in Costa Rica. Also, Calm & Co is worth a visit as you can find all kind of scents such as palo santo etc. which I needed obviously for my yoga classes. For organic groceries and fruits I would recommend Greenworld (you can even get groceries packaging free) and fruit world.
Get some work done
The digital nomad community is quite big in Santa Teresa as especially people from north America (a lot of Canadians!) are working from this tropical paradise. I also got some work done and enjoyed to do so either in the Selina South Co-Working or in the coffee shops such as Somos, Kaukau or Cafca Cafe.
Watch the beautiful sunset (daily)
One of the most beautiful things to do in Santa Teresa, daily, is to watch the sunset. The vibe of the sunset is just truly magical. I was able to see the sunset almost daily during my stay in Santa Teresa and the pictures I took do not do the moment justice. Enjoy some fresh pipa (coconuts) or local cerveza and see how the sun is slowly settling at the end of the day.
Party (until the morning) on the beach
The party scene isn’t the biggest in Santa Terese as everybody is usually getting up pretty early for surfing, yoga and/ or working. However, on Wednesdays you meet everybody at Banana Beach, on Thursdays the town is heading to Somos for live music, then Kika and you could end your club at the nearby club. If you really are into partying every Saturday there is the jungle party which is lasting until the first sun rays (or even longer).
Take a day trip to Montezuma
If you want to discover a cute little village with a beautiful beach, great waterfalls and nice food spots, Montezuma is your destination! You can either rent ATV’s/ a car or book a shuttle to get to Montezuma (the drive is about 1h depending on the traffic back to Santa Teresa). There you can just stroll around, explore the beach and waterfalls as well as enjoy a delicious meal at the favorite spot Playa de los Artistas - a reserveration is recommended!
Explore Tortuga island
One touristy thing we did, but also really enjoyed was our day trip to the nearby tortuga islands. You can spend one day on the tropical island exploring the underwater world with it’s beautiful fishes and then relaxing on the beach. Although this trip was a bit touristy it was still very much worth it as tortuga island is really a tropical dream coming true! The tours usually start from Montezuma so you can also combine it with exploring the cute little village before or after.
Visit the nearby national park
If you want to discover the beautiful nature of the cabo blanco peninsula, a visit of the national park might be a great idea for you! You will hike for about 1.5h in one direction through the jungle until you reach the final destination, the beach! Make sure to bring enough water and start the hike rather early as the sun can be very hot and the national park also closes already around 3pm. We rented ATV’s to get there and combined the trip to another visit of the cute little beach town of Montezuma.
where to go for (vegan) brunch & speciality coffee
Ani’s Bowls
This is one of the most popular spots in Santa Teresa and you should not miss the delicious and healthy bowls at Ani’s! They offer a great selection of smoothie bowls, breakfast bagels, salads as well as sandwiches. Come here for breakfast and lunch and make sure to skip the peak hours. The coffee was good but not the best in Santa Teresa in my opinion.
Kaukau
Owned by a lovely French-Belgium couple, the cute little coffee shop, Kaukau, offers the best speciality coffee (in my humble opinion) and has quickly become my favorite coffee stop in Santa Teresa. You can also work from there and enjoy their tasty food menu e.g. for brunch.
Somos
I can’t even count how often I’ve been to Somos, sometimes even twice a day as on Thursdays there’s an amazing live band playing and literally the whole village meeting at Somos. It’s probably “the” place to be in Santa Teresa and they offer amazing coffee as well as nice cocktails at night. The food is also good, but you mainly are coming to Somos for the drinks and/ or the vibe. You can also work from their huge tables and treat yourself to a Somos T-Shirt in their cute little surf shop. I’m sure you will fall in love with the place as well!
El patio cafe
This great brunch and coffee spot is one of the fav among locals/ digital nomads. The outside seating area is great and you can relax and enjoy the laid back vibe. Their menu includes great coffee, smoothies and breakfast such as the typical local tico breakfast with beans and rice.
Café Social
This cute little coffee shop is located a bit outside of the “center” of Santa Teresa but for sure worth a visit especially if you combine it with a nice long beach walk to it. You are then rewarded with great (cheap) coffee and a nice selection of sweets/ treats as well as smoothies. Also the coffee shop offers an inside and outside seating area so you can enjoy to cool down a bit and escape the heat for a bit.
Con Calma Club
One of my favorite places in Santa Teresa for grabbing a delicious Smoothie Bowl is the cute Con Calma Club. Owned by the lovely Josi and her husband, the German couple is creating super fresh and tasty smoothie bowls in several variations (matcha, acai, tropical fruits, dragonfruit) which you can top with their homemade granolas, your fruit of choice and any superfood you want. It’s a great place to also work a bit and the interior is super cute as well!
German Sourdough
After several weeks in Santa Teresa, I was craving some delicious sourdough and pretzels again. If you also want to enjoy these delicious doughy treats then head to the German Bakery for some tasty Sourdough either to enjoy straight away or for you to bring home.
Believe Café
In our last days we discovered this hidden gem - the believe cafe is located in the believe surf & yoga accommodation and available also for non guests. You can combine your visit with checking out their yoga classes or also work a bit from there. The vegan savoury pancakes with loads of veggies and the celery, beetroot juice were really delicious!
where to enjoy (vegan) ice cream, juices, smoothies, treats & desserts
Gaucha
A beach town/ vacation wouldn't be complete without delicious (vegan) gelato, right? At Gaucha you can for sure find your favorite flavors (the vegan fruit flavors and chocolate are so tasty)! The funny thing is, that it's located right next to my fav coffee shop, Kaukau, a sign, right?
Eat Street
At this institution you can really find something for everyone! From their great coffee and cakes (try the carrot cake and alfajores!) to their huge and filling bowls (the vegan buddha bowl was my favorite), you can literally spend your whole day at Eat Street filling your belly with tasty stuff.
Cafca Cafe
Cafca Cafe is a coffee and juice lover's dream come true (so basically me). The cute little cafe offers a great menu (my favorite was the green and beetroot smoothie) and you can also enjoy their vegan and gluten-free breakfast and treats. There is also an inside area with AC so you can escape the heat for a bit.
where to watch the sunset & sip some drinks
Ranchos Itauna
This beach bar is a perfect spot for watching the sunset. You can simply order some drinks or also get some of their food focusing on Brazilian dishes. The atmosphere and vibe is really cool, often you can also find live music!
Rocamar
Another great spot to enjoy the sunset is Rocamar located in Santa Teresa North. Especially on Sunday Rocamar is the best place to be. You can enjoy their great drinks and food while a DJ is creating a nice vibe and you slowly watch the sun setting.
Vista de las Olas
Overlooking the waves (“olas” in spanish) of Santa Teresa, this spot is really perfect for watching the sunset over the village. The entrance is 30$ but you get to spend that on drinks or food. Their food isn’t the best we’ve heard so we spent the voucher on their delicious cocktails and enjoyed the great view.
Banana Beach Club
If you’re looking for a place to escape the hustle and bustle of Santa Teresa, Banana Beach Club is the perfect place for you. You can come to enjoy their beautiful amenities and relax, recharge and unwind during the day or come for the night to first enjoy the sunset and then dance in the sand (especially on Wednesday and Saturday). Just check their Instagram page for their events.
where to go for (vegan) dinner
Nula plant-based kitchen
If you're looking for a special plant-based dinner experience, the fully vegan restaurant Nula is your spot. From watermelon tuna (wait what?) over ceviche out of plantain, you will be in vegan food heaven, I'm sure. Also check out their special events such as the weekly Wednesday jam.
Convivio
If you ask me where to go for a special night out, then the answer for sure is Convivio! The newly opened restaurant is not only beautiful from an architecture and vibe perspective, but also offers delicious food as well as amazing cocktails! Everything we ordered was so delicious (we couldn’t even name one favorite as everything was just incredible!) but the roasted pumpkin and beetroot as well as the nicoya salad (picture below) were for sure a highlight!
Katana
In case you want to enjoy a special night out enjoying the best sushi/Asian food in town, Katana is your spot. We celebrated the birthday of a friend and got spoiled with great sushi/Asian food (I had the vegan summer rolls) and tasty cocktails. Also leave room for dessert as especially their (vegan) chocolate treats are super delicious!
Soda Pura Vida
One of the best places to enjoy local food from Costa Rica is for sure the typical soda pura vida. You can find huge portions, the authentic casados and also tasty drinks. The place is usually quite busy so make sure to come early to grab a spot and enjoy their home cooked food!
La Cevicheria
If you want to find the best Ceviche (with or without fish) this is your go-to-spot. Their products are all fresh and the service super kind and quick. You can choose your fish/ veggies and they usually serve their portions with some homemade plantain chips. You’ll enjoy the spot I’m sure!
Muzza
Looking for delicious Italian food with veggie/ vegan options? Then Muzza is the place to go, as they offer great pizza, homemade pasta/ ravioli and fresh salads. Everything is made fresh and with high-quality ingredients. There is often also live music and the vibe simply super nice.Somos
Mentioning this all time favorite spot also under the dinner section as their vegan bowl was really delicious and you should really plan to come on a Thursday for their live music & drinks!
further Places which were recommended:
Brunch
Vermu
Drift
Sunset
Uma Santa Teresa
Manzu
Dinner
El Corazon
Zula Restaurant
Soda Tiquicia
