At Pad Thai, everything is grounded down fresh. I’m talking all the curry paste, turmeric, galangal, basil and coriander; all ground with a mortar and pestle.
Bar La Selegna has been run by the same family in Liberia since the 1970s. While the family has stayed the same, the name hasn’t. It started out as El Taconazo, then it became Discoteque Selegna, before finally adopting its current name: La Selegna.
To find Soda Lima, look for a yellow and red sign painted on a white wall that's shared with the neighboring Mini Super Feng. The sign is right beside a bookstore on Calle 2, between Avenida 6 and 8, and there's a glass display case full of yellow-orange Ají chilis that will let you know you've arrived at this authentic Peruvian diner.
If you’re walking on Calle 11 near Avenida Central, you might get a whiff of freshly cooked, spicy food. The source is easy to pinpoint, a Korean man behind a window toiling over five gas burners.
You might not expect to find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant tucked away on Calle 38 in Paseo Colon, near the heart of San Jose. But there it is, an unassuming 45-seat restaurant with three parking spots and a small red, yellow, and black sign that reads: Ban Mee.
Most kids who go to Costa Rica’s elite Country Day School dream of the Ivy League, not culinary school - and most chefs who graduate from culinary school don’t dream about opening up a fast food joint.