www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I will too, if I can find the entrance to the place.

\\ Yo Orange,

Entrance is right on the sharp corner of Ave 9 calle 15 , right side coming down from Hosp Calderon enroute SL. Or left side vice versa.
A dark gate, leading up the steps to the restaurant.
Agree wholeheartedly that this is one of the very best Restaurants in SJO,, within easy walking distance of the gulch , SL, Amon Plaza, Castillo , etc.
Opposite Hotel Rincon, used to be Hotel Edelweiss, a Gay hotel with an international clientele.

Cygnuts

Yeah it's a nice resturant but after dinner I asked the waiter to call a taxi for me and BM chica. After 5 minutes he came to the table and said the taxi is here. It was not an official taxi but the car was nice. I did not like the way the driver looked at me(young tico) but my "date" hopped in the back seat and I figured CAFE MUNDO wouldn't set me up. Well first he said he didn't know where the HOTEL PRESIDENTE was located. He and my "date" were yelling at each other in rapid fire spanish. She stuck her finger in the back of his neck when he made a quick turn going away from downtown. We got caught in traffic and both of us jumped out of the taxi and walked to the hotel. For this reason I don't plan to eat at this resturant again. This was the closest call I have in SJO. People talk about the danger of walking from the HDR to the PRESIDENTE, which I have done many times at 4 in the morning and have never had a problem. I am hestiant to get in a taxi that late at night because of the taxi incident.

Yes, I have noticed a "gypsy cab" or two hanging around the front of Mundo at night....possibly a friend of the front door guard.

I always carry the card of a reliable taxi driver that I know with me and I always call him or have somebody else call him. I'd never get in an unmarked car.

I discovered Cafe Mundo about 6 years ago when I was staying at La Amistad Inn while on an eco-tour. It is one block down the hill from Amistad and 2 blocks from Hospital Calderon Guardia. If you are having trouble finding a taxi, walk one block up 15th Ave. to La Amistad, turn right and continue one block up to the hospital. There are many taxis there until late at night, and the area is relatively safe.

CM is now a regular stop on my semi-annual mongering tours. I have noticed more gays than usual for SJ at CM. I live in San Francisco, and my favorite restaurants here have lots of gays too. Maybe they know a lot about good restaurants.

Don,
La Amistad....you mentioned staying there while on an "eco-tour." We hear little about this place. I've passed it numerous times and wondered ....is it chica friendly? Any input?

Zebra

Zebra wrote:


I stayed at La Amistad on 3 occasions when I was doing eco-tours. The owner, Wolfgang, is a middle-aged German married to a beautiful young Tica named Marlen, and they are both very nice people. The rooms have air conditioning, cable TV, and refrigerators. You get a free buffet breakfast, and they will exchange money and book tours for you. This is a great place to make your headquarters for an eco-touring vacation, but not for mongering. Female guests are tolerated, but not encouraged. I believe the chica fee was $12 the last time I was there.

La Amistad caters to tour groups which are frequently church groups, old lady’s civic clubs, or high school student groups. To take a woman to your room, you have to walk the gauntlet through the dining room/lounge area which is usually occupied by old ladies and teenagers giving you dirty looks. I once brought a woman there and told everyone she was my fiance. Since she was 30 years younger than me, I don’t think anyone bought it.

So the answer is definitely “No, it is not good place to take women.”

Thanks, Don......I suspected as much.

A few of us went to Cafe Mundo for dinner last night (me, VB, Scubabum, Latinoheat). One word.....OUTSTANDING!
MG

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Calle 15 and Avineda 9, 100 mtr N, 200 mtr E of INS building

Do they serve seafood? It sounds like my kind of place.

Some of the best seafood in town, this side of Princesa Marina IMHO

Also I think there meat is imported, it is certainly not the beef I have tried in other establishments that I would NOT recommend. Cafe Mundo is a must stop every trip at least once, if not more

Just walk out of the SL, turn right and then make the next left and it is at the end of the block on the left.

I did lunch at Cafe Mundo last week and enjoyed their Pizza Rustico made with savory ham and big mushrooms, plus three cheeses. My date enjoyed the lunch special, the espaghetti bolognese. Both dishes were superb and the service terrific, despite a near-capacity lunchtime crowd.

Sandra the hostess is a very lovely lady and can recommend food, taxistas and the like. She is the only restaurant employee in San Jose who has ever offered to guide me to the bathroom without being prompted, that earns her big points with me.

Regarding the piratas/taxistas: Yes, Marvin (red car, no yellow triangle) often serves the CM and is reliable and honest. Christian, pirata who often serves the SL is also often available near the CM. If you're uncomfortable with pirate taxistas, do as suggested and walk up the hill to Hospital Calderon-Guardia or a block to the Castillo/SL. No problem. Point of fact: the only taxistas who have ever tried to cheat me have been licensed. The pirates and I have always gotten along very well, but it might be my slightly above-average Spanish that has helped in this regard. I've never in six visits to Cafe Mundo had problems with the piratas serving the place and was surprised to hear of others' bad experiences.

Vis-a-vis the Hotel Amistad: The times they are a-changin'. Wolfgang and his fat cat Garfield are no longer affiliated with the hotel and the new American owners are much more chica-tolerant than the previous owners. No chica fees, limit one girl per visit, no dress code. Yes, you'll still find the church groups, eco-tourists and the like at the Amistad, but I never felt shame running the gauntlet from reception to my room. If they don't approve of my hobby, screw 'em! Matt the owner does ask that if you bring back a chica with you to not be drunk and disorderly and to keep things on the down-low, but bringing chicas back is not a problem these days. And, you'll appreciate the keycard locks, electronic keypad security boxes, free local phone calls, cable TV and other amenities offered by the Amistad. Also, the hotel is undergoing pretty substantial renovation and expansion; watch for a newer and bigger lobby with library/reading room, and maybe even a 24 hour convenience store for guests (thus removing the risks of the minibar, etc.). I like the place and plan to stay there again. Room rates are average for the Gulch, starting at around U.S. $40.00/night plus taxes.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.