 / Central America tours / Costa Rica tours / Best Places To Visit / San Jose tours / San Jose Dinner, Live Music, and Traditional Dance

San Jose Dinner, Live Music, and Traditional Dance

22 reviews

San Jose Dinner, Live Music, and Traditional Dance

from USD $78.10

Enjoy an evening of Costa Rican food and culture at a hillside restaurant with spectacular views overlooking San Jose. Enjoy an elaborate buffet dinner and watch festively costumed dancers move to live music in a traditional show. Historical photographs and memorabilia decorate the spacious interior, and an exterior deck allows you to snap panoramic pictures of the Central Valley.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE: As members of ABTA and ATAS we are 100% financially bonded. You can book your day trip with us in absolute confidence, no matter where in the world you are.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently not taking new bookings for day tours.

In Brief

Location:

San Jose, Costa Rica

Country:

Costa Rica

Duration:

4 hours

Operates:

After pickup from your San Jose hotel in the early evening, travel by comfortable coach into the stunning hills that surround the city. Get amazing views of Costa Rica’s capital city twinkling below.

Your coach arrives at a spacious restaurant with large windows that highlight panoramic views of the valley. Feel free to stroll around the attractive grounds, decorated inside and out with Costa Rican crafts and historical memorabilia. Browse displays by local artisans that might inspire you to buy that perfect souvenir to bring home.

A friendly staff member shows you to your table and explains the dishes available for the buffet dinner. Enjoy a large selection of meats, vegetables, rice, beans, salads, and desserts.

Some dishes that you might taste are

olla de carne, a typical meat stew;

chifrijo, a popular dish with layers of red beans, meat, rice and chopped tomato salsa; and

chicharones típicos de la zona, a regional deep-fried pork dish. Your main course is served with sides such as

empanaditas de queso (cheese turnovers), or

picadillo de arracache, a chopped salad made with a tasty root vegetable from the Andes. Traditional desserts may include rice pudding, plantains with honey, or bananas served in a sweet sauce. The multitude of options is sure to please most palates!

Watch women twirl in long colorful dresses alongside sharply dressed men. The live music and dancing showcase parts of Costa Rican culture that have been passed down for generations. It's the perfect complement to your authentic meal.

Inclusions

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transport by air-conditioned van or coach(depending on the group size)
Dinner - Buffet dinner
Drinks
Show

Exclusions

Gratuities

Departure Time

6:30 PM

Departure Point

Traveler pickup is offered
We pick up customers at the hotel lobby.

Returns To

Returns to original point of departure at approximately 10:30pm

Additional Information

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
It is recommended that you wear comfortable clothes and bring a light jacket and camera

Booking Information

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Cancellation Terms

This trip is fully refundable up to 96 hours prior to the commencement of your trip.

Booking Terms and Conditions

When you book this trip, you need to read and accept the terms and conditions for booking our day trips in excursions.

Hotel Pickup

When you book, we will ask you to select a hotel to be picked up from. Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you a confirmation voucher with full contact information (phone number, email address) for our local operator in case you need to update or change your hotel pick-up details.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about hotel pickup:

What if my hotel is not listed?
That's okay. When you book you can select an hotel from our list and make your way there on the day of departure; or you can contact our local operator directly to make alternate pick-up arrangements.

What if I have not yet booked a hotel?
Once your hotel arrangements are finalised, you can contact our local operator directly with your hotel details.

What if I live locally, am staying with friends or relatives, and/or don't require pick-up?
Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you complete details and directions to the tour/activity departure point.

Scoring an average traveller rating of 3.86 out of 5 based on the last 21 recent reviews

“

Great authentic experience. Was really fun. I spent my first night with this tour, it was amazing. Captured some great moments. Worth seeing. Also the food was good.”

Tia'ron • Submitted 24 May 2018

“

This tour was amazing. It was cold in the hills. It did take some time to get to Mirador Ram Luna - Holiday traffic. We finally arrived an hour after pick-up. Charming host and driver. View was amazing. Lots of different foods to try and drinks. They had a table set-up for us 12 in party. The show was lovely dancers came out twice, then the clowns. They even invited people who had birthdays and anniversaries to come up and Birthday Cake and pictures. Our bus return was at 10:00 p.m. - a Fun evening and great introduction to Costa Rica food and customs.”

Gladys C • Submitted 27 Dec 2017

“

In San Jose traffic it takes about an hour to get there. Our tour guide on the bus was excellent. Show beautifully done. Food was not outstanding, but very good for a buffet. The view was fantastic. Enjoyed every minute of it. At 70.00/person, it was a bargain. Food, drinks, a show,, fantastic view and round trip transportation with a very knowledgeable guide.”

Adolphus L • Submitted 24 Aug 2016

“

We had a great time. The view is marvelous and the dancers very exciting and colorful. The buffet, drinks and restaurant décor were awesome. The staff very friendly and accommodating. A fun time.”

William F • Submitted 03 Feb 2016

“

Nice bus ride from hotel. Great food and entertainment. Recommend it for all those that are traveling to San Jose Costa Rica”

Norma C • Submitted 01 Sep 2015

“

THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE! A VERY NICE BUFFET MEAL WITH OUTSTANDING SERVICE. OPEN BAR FOR BEER, WINE, AND SODA. THE PERFORMERS WER FIRST RATE AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ANYONE VISITING SAN JOSE TO GO SEE THIS.”

Ed D • Submitted 30 Jan 2015

“

This evening was very pleasant with good food and excellent entertainment. The view of the city from the restaurant is spectacular.”

CB • Submitted 11 Nov 2014

“

This was a very good tour.”

Anonymous • Submitted 23 Aug 2008

“

This was a lovely ride up to the mountains once we got out of the city traffic which is horrendous. We sat at a table for 10 however, they were a four top table put together, so the person sitting in the middle, had double legs, which did not allow you to scoot up to the table and the table next to us was to close. It was very hard getting in and out for a buffet dinner. If we were being served, no problem, but when you have to move almost out the table way, to let someone out or in. The dinner food was okay, nothing to rave about but I was looking to enjoy the entertainment. It was good however, they did a part which was funny to those who spoke Spanish. They did not interpret to English, so most of us did not know what they were talking about. I was disappointed about this because I would have loved to have understood what they were saying. The dancing was very well done and entertaining. They allowed you to take pictures with the group and at the end celebrated birthdays or anniversaries. They almost forgot mine and had to run and get another dancer and cake for me. Unfortunate this night it got a little foggy, so I wasn't able to take a picture of the beautiful view with the cities lights that came out clear. The drive back didn't take very long however, once they get into town, you may wind up getting onto another bus to take you back to your hotel. This also happened on the way up too.”

Cheryl G • Submitted 14 Mar 2018

“

We really enjoyed the food and the entertainment. Everyone in our group were expecting fireworks to top off the night per the description in Viator. I would recommend that they change the wording to say that the fireworks are an extra that is not guaranteed or not mention them at all then if they do have them its a nice surprise. I'm not sure how they should word it, but the way it states it on the site right now you expect a firework show to top off the evening and they did not have any which was a disappointment to the group I was with. Signed: Jim and Dianne Sproull”

mcdidi1 • Submitted 27 Apr 2016

“

Nice dinner, free beer.”

hrrad • Submitted 29 Feb 2016

“

The restaurant is located on the hill with a great view. The food is great and the show host was funny. It was a great place to dine.”

CHIUNG-SHIUAN F • Submitted 31 Jan 2015

“

Beautiful view, great entertainment, food could be better but plenty of drinks!”

Larry W • Submitted 24 Dec 2014

“

I really enjoyed the show, which gave good insight into the historical background of the country in an entertaining way. It was a very good tour for all ages. However, I experienced difficulty and confusion over the fact that Viator issued me a ticket voucher for this tour on a day when it was not offered--Thursday. This created confusion and stress. It was difficult communicating with the tour company in Costa Rica to get this rectified, and it took a lot of valuable time that I could have spent doing something else. When I finally was able to get through to the tour company, they promised to fax and e-mail me a replacement voucher, which they never did. Therefore, I was left wondering up to the last minute whether I was confirmed for this tour for Saturday night. I would definitely recommend doing this tour, but Viator needs to ensure that it is booked for one of the actual days that the show runs.”

Anonymous • Submitted 23 Aug 2008

“

Was fun and very informative.”

Anonymous • Submitted 19 Aug 2008

“

We enjoyed the dancers and the food was good but not great. Our main issue was with the van driver who was horrible! He drove like a maniac, constantly put us in dangerous situations. We also arrived late so that we were very rushed to eat. Lastly, the host for the evening was condescending....maybe he was just having a bad day but for 140 we expected better.”

Diane S • Submitted 15 Mar 2017

“

It was a pleasant experience. I do think that couples should be given the opportunity of dining at their own table and not be responsible for offering hospitality to clients travelling alone. It so happened that the guy who was placed at out table was pleasant but rather controlled our conversation with his constant talking.”

M G Parry • Submitted 13 Apr 2015

“

I thought the food was mediocre--fatty, too much starch, not high quality. The show was short and much of the time involved announcement and presentation of persons celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. The setting was beautiful but it was not worth the price overall.”

Anonymous • Submitted 01 Apr 2015

“

Your vans are terrible. We were picked up at 5:45 pm and it took 2 1/2 hours to meet the other van then another 45 to get to the restaurant . The food was cold and very mediocre. I have had a knee replacement had to climb about 45 slick steps. Was not asked if I had a problem with motion. .”

Bob and Linda B • Submitted 29 Sep 2016

“

This was dreadful. THREE hours on a bus to arrive at a 2-hour canned performance, part of which was watching people get pictures taken with the dancers. Then over another hour to get home. Too many companies involved so the bus companies and Viator were out of sync. The worst.”

theodore s • Submitted 17 Mar 2017

“

The only good thing about this place is the view of the city, other than that it was terrible: bad food both not tasty and not fresh, horrible tiny bathrooms and on top of that when you sit on a toilet your entire head is visible above the tiny stall door. overpriced, takes about an hour to get to this place from San Jose, the dancing show was a joke 20 minutes of amateurs. Stay away from this place.”

Pavel V • Submitted 08 May 2016