Rural Tourism - Soda

A Soda is about as real Costa Rica as you can get. We love taking our clients to Soda’s and although some are better than others you can almost always bank on getting good service at a great price. What is a Soda?

A Soda in Costa Rica is not a soft drink. A Soda is a small family owned restaurant that is operated from the front of the family’s home. There is one Soda that we take many of our clients to that is literally in the living room of a home and the whole family works it even the little kids, Brian and Valeria who are only 10 and 12 years old (when they are not in school).

This is a minimal income for the family but a way of life. You can imagine that a family that runs a Soda might make $400/month. What the Soda is worth is much more to the locals than just food. When you show up to the Soda you can get the whole scoop on the local neighborhood. If you are a family that runs the Soda you are like the shoe-shiner that knows everything about everyone. It is a great place to chat, mingle, and fill your tummy.

The food usually consists of rice and beans and then beef or chicken. I don’t think I would eat in a Soda every meal during my Costa Rica vacation but if you want the real local feel then it might be worth making one stop at a Soda.

You can not beat the price for a full meal. You will usually pay no more than $4 including your drink and more food than you can finish. During your stay in Costa Rica you will see Soda’s everywhere mostly in the rural areas as you are traveling from one area to the next. It is a great way to invest a little bit into the local economy as many of the families that run sodas need the extra cash.

There is one Soda that might not be needing as much cash and that is Soda Tapia. This is the Mecca of Sodas and just happens to be the one Soda that made it big. They started in 1965 with just 8 tables and have now grown into a full blown chain. They have places all over the Central Valley and even a very large place in the center of San Jose. If you ask any Costa Rican they will all know about the famous Soda Tapia.

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