Now this is a fun place!
The fun actually started before lunch with a fantastic wildlife cruise with Monkey Mangrove Chino. We we saw all manner of birds, a sloth, basilisk lizards zipping across the water, a crocodile, and so much more. It was a truly memorable time and we made some new friends.
Then we drove out to El Avion, farther south from Herradura and Jaco. We found it atop a high hill between Quepos and the Espadilla Beach, the entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park. You can’t miss El Avion.
That’s a Fairchild C-123 poking its nose out. It seems to have been abandoned by the CIA after the Iran-Contra scandal. It sat in the judge for a while and then was hauled up that hill to form the core of El Avion. You can go into the plane and have a drink at the bar,
or eat at the expanse of seating that overlooks the Pacific.
There’s plenty of seating, all open air and with that million dollar view enlivened by boats and parasailors.
Plus lots of Island decor, including all manner of carvings.
Even many of the balustrades are carved with bas reliefs of people or designs. I wanted to photograph one with a ship captain, but getting a good shot would have put me in an awkward position near an attractive young lady’s legs, so I thought better of it.
The kids ordered first, and Ella and Hudson both ordered hot dogs
and got one larger than they expected, while Lily surprised us by ordering Caesar salad,
which she proclaimed, “Wonderful.” Ella said the hot dog was “delicioso,” and she and Hudson discussed the food rating system which runs from zero to whale, or whale plus.
I ordered a grilled fish sandwich.
The server apologized that they were out of mahi-mahi and the fish would be seven ounces of red snapper. A smile lit up my face, and I said that was fine. It was very fresh, not at all dry, two beautiful filets. The fries also were very good, as you probably figured out with the hot dog photo. I added some of the hot sauce on the table just to try it.
That’s a great sauce. The heat level is moderate, but it has so much flavor, garlic, spices, who knows what else. The robust flavor reminded me of the delicious sauce at Orozo’s, my San Juan favorite.
Liza ordered a salad and topped it with raw tuna, which she loved,
and Nancy ordered the tuna poke, but the photo seems to have gone to that great album in the sky.
Julie and Scott had been to El Avion before, and Julie ordered the nachos,
which turn out to be a big deal and a favorite at El Avion. Last but never least, Michael and Scott both ordered burgers, big fat eight-ounce burgers.
Their burgers were a hit. You can tell from the photo that they had that good loose burger texture, and that they were nice and juicy.
El Avion definitely is a destination restaurant. The staff was Costa Rica-friendly and helpful, especially the guy outside who helped diners back out into traffic, no small service. The food is good, the view is sensational, and that CIA plane adds so much fun. Go to Costa Rica, and make a point to stop at El Avion.
***
And while you’re at it, click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box. Or bookmark us and check in from time to time. We’re on Instagram (johntannerbbq) and X/Twitter (johntannerbbq1). If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre, Prague Castle, Vienna’s Old City, or the Van Gogh Museum, that you’ll want to visit in any event). We welcome comments and questions, and eagerly seek suggestions of places to eat and stories to cover.
