VEGAN TRAVEL AND FOOD TIPS IN PUERTO VIEJO
After arriving in Costa Rica, the first stop was the beautiful small village of Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast. I want to share my favorite places for vegan breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, ice cream as well what to do in this lively vibrant town with you today!
I also summarized all my tips for Puerto Viejo in my dedicated Google Maps list here.
Have you ever been to this cute little town?
Let me know if you have any further tips for (vegan) food and what to do in the comments.
I’m happy to hear from you!
Lots of love,
Magda
what to do in Puerto Viejo
Discover the city center
You will probably arrive with the local bus, MEPE (which I can highly recommend) in the city center of Puerto Viejo. After dropping your luggage I highly recommend to take a walk around the streets, the village isn’t that big so you quickly get an idea of it. Also there is a nice little beach pathway from town (it starts at salsa brava and you can also find it on Google Maps) to the closeby beach
Flow e.g. at Amaser Yoga Center
The beautiful yoga center of Amaser is overlooking Puerto Viejo and offers multiple workshops, several yoga classes a day as well as a cute coffee shop/ restaurant where you can also get some work done. Just check their schedule on their website here. However, you could also do your own yoga flow, as I did, when grabbing your mat down to the beach! :)
Rent some bikes to discover beautiful beaches
You will soon notice, that the vibe in Puerto Viejo is super laid back and see a lot of locals as well as tourists riding their bikes. We also rented some bikes in our accommodation and so got the chance to discover the beautiful surroundings until we reached the beautiful playa punta uva. I would also recommend to drive a bit further from there until you reach the area around Arrecifes, which seemed to be a little bit more local with families having BBQs etc.
Explore the nearby national park
Want to experience the nature in Costa Rica? Then drive to the Parque Nacional Cahuita where you can explore the wildlife of Costa Rica in its natural surroundings. You can potentially spot monkeys jumping around the trees, snakes as well as sloths. Also, there is a nice beach where you can rest after walking through the park.
Take a local chocolate tasting tour
If you are interested in how chocolate is really made, I can really recommend taking the chocolate tasting tour at the Caribeans Chocolate and Coffee. The owners will show you how chocolate is produced here in Costa Rica and you also will get the chance to try a lot of it yourself.
where to go for vegan brunch in Puerto Viejo
Port Vell
The cute restaurant is owned by a lovely French couple who do everything to create the best experience for you. The vegan pinto gallo with hummus was beautifully arranged (I mean look at the hibiscus flower!) and really delicious. Also the green smoothie was super refreshing and nourishing. If you look for authentic vegan brunch this is for sure the go to place for you!
Cafe Rico
The hidden treasure offers a beautiful garden surrounded with loads of books. You can just check them out (multiple languages available), swap some and/or grab breakfast at the nice spot. Beware that they are only open in the morning (07:00 - 12:00) so not available in the afternoon.
Bread & Chocolate
After the bus ride from San Jose, this place was the perfect late breakfast/ lunch spot in town. It’s quite popular due to their nice vibe, great food menu and amazing delicious sweet treats & cakes. There are also vegan options available and the coffee was pretty nice.
Como en mi Casa - Art Cafe
This cute little place is offering delicious vegetarian/ vegan breakfast and lunch options and great smoothies/ juices. The vibe is quite unique and you can enjoy your food overlooking the street surrounded by (as the name already indicates) a lot of art.
where to grab coffee/ gelato/ a snack in Puerto Viejo
Caribeans Chocolate and Coffee
If you want to grab a good cup of coffee and are interested in how chocolate is produced, then you need to come to this place. The food was also really nice and the open space invites to stay and you can work a bit as well. The chocolate tour is also highly recommendable!
Juice for Life
If you are looking for a refreshing and healthy smoothie or juice this is your place. There are some outdoor seats available as well or could also take your smoothie to go (and enjoy it for example on the beach).
Heladeria Ocho Nani
Another delicious ice cream place which should not be missed during your trip to Puerto Viejo. There are also vegan options available such as fruity flavors and sorbets. The only “downside” is that the place is not open during night, but then you can check out the next ice cream place.
Gelateria Deelite Italian Gelato
This gelateria is open at night and also serves amazing homemade ice cream including vegan and local fruity flavors. The tropical gelato was delicious and you can enjoy the ice cream in their nice outside sitting area. They also serve crepe and other sweet treats.
Rios Vegan Food
Unfortunately the time was too short to also try out this fully vegan spot but I do still want to include it in my recommendations due to it’s amazing reviews. Also when I took a glance while passing by the food did really look great! You can get many vegan snacks such as empanadas, croissants and/or bananabread.
Berry Matcha
If you are craving delicious smoothies/ smoothie bowls then you are definitely right at Berry Matcha. You can choose from acai smoothie bowl over matcha smoothie bowl and there are also iced coffees available.
Tostas
We passed by this adorable organic spot while biking to Punta Uva and wanted to check it out for an afternoon smoothie/ treat but it was closed at the time unfortunately. I still wanted to highlight this spot as it seems to serve very nice fresh food and I would love to try it when ever coming back to Puerto Viejo.
where to go for vegan dinner in Puerto Viejo
Jammin Vegan Community
This was literally one of the best vegan dinner we had in Costa Rica! The place was packed and is super popular, no wonder as the food was absolutely delicious! There are many choices available, we went for the shiitake seaweed steak with a side of your choice ( we went for steamed vegetables and the rainbow salad). The owner is also super friendly, the vibe great and there are even vegan desserts as well. A must, when you’re in Puerto Viejo.
Grow Puerto Viejo
This vegetarian restaurant is situated right next to the beach so really beautiful for enjoying lunch or an early dinner when it’s still light outside. But also at nighttime the spot shall not be missed as they serve great drinks as well. The food is super fresh and especially the burritos are great!
Tamara
This is one of the most recommended spots in Puerto Viejo and if you are looking for authentic while also decently priced dinner, then that’s your spot! We shared some traditional plantain with guacamole and the lovely team even made their vegetarian meal vegan for me (no butter for the veggies). I would recommend to come early (we had dinner around 6:30 already) to not have to wait in the line for the highly popular restaurant.
