Where to eat the catch of the day in Santa Teresa, Mal Pais and Montezuma in 2026: five ceviche styles at La Cevicheria, Sargo's fresh-fish menu, sunset tables at Rocamar and Manzú, and prices.
The best ceviche in Santa Teresa is at La Cevicheria on the main road, where a large ceviche costs about $18 and comes in five styles with patacones. For a full fish dinner, Sargo on the north end cooks whatever the boats landed, and Rocamar and Manzú put the catch of the day in front of a sunset.
The short version
Santa Teresa eats a lot of fish, but only a handful of kitchens build the menu around what came off the boat that morning. La Cevicheria is the ceviche specialist, open noon to 10pm except Sundays, with Tico, Peruvian, Mexican, tropical and Mexi-Chino styles and a custom option if you know what you like. Sargo is the fish restaurant residents book for a proper dinner: fresh catch, natural wine, a short menu that changes with the landing, Tuesday to Sunday evenings. Rocamar on the north beach is the sunset seafood lunch, and Manzú at Nantipa is the beachfront splurge with a six-course tasting menu.
Across the hill, Montezuma has two tables worth the drive: Sabor de Mar, a family kitchen with a 20-year chef and fair prices, and Playa de los Artistas, the beachfront restaurant with a handwritten daily menu.
La Cevicheria
La Cevicheria is a plain room on the main road, 50 metres north of Rancho Itauna, with modest furniture, a covered patio and string lights, and it makes the best ceviche on the coast. Everything is made in-house daily. The menu runs five ceviche styles: Tico, Peruvian, Mexican, tropical with fruit, and the Mexi-Chino with red snapper and octopus that sits at the top of the list for a reason, and every ceviche comes with a side of locally grown patacones, per lacevicheria.restaurants-info.com. If you cannot decide, the owner will build a custom ceviche from what you like. There is a vegetarian ceviche, and the cooked side includes panko fish fingers and buffalo shrimp.
A large ceviche runs about $18 and portions are big enough that two people can share two and be full, per costaricatravellife.com. Hours are noon to 10pm, closed Sundays. Google has it at 4.8 across 660 reviews, and the review theme is fresh fish, warm service and the octopus texture.
Who it suits: lunch after a surf, a light dinner, and anyone who wants to taste four ceviche traditions side by side. The caveat: closed Sundays, and there is no view.
Sargo
SARGO restaurante de mar opened on the north end, 200 metres north of Super La Hacienda, and its Instagram describes it in five words: fresh fish, natural wine, live cooking. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm to 9:30pm, and the menu is short and built around the day's landing, which is the sign you want in a fish restaurant here. Google reviewers have given it a perfect 5.0 across its first 56 reviews, which is rare for anything in this town.
Prices sit in the mid band, $$ on Google, with the wine list adding to the bill if you let it. In September 2026 the restaurant posted a one-week pause on Instagram, so message before you go this month.
Who it suits: a proper fish dinner, wine drinkers, and people who prefer a chef's short menu to a 40-item laminated one. The caveat: small, evening only, and closed Mondays.
Rocamar
Rocamar is the beachfront seafood lunch on the quieter north side of Santa Teresa, at the end of the Roca Mar road near Blue Surf. It serves lunch, beach snacks, cold drinks and early dinners, with a kids menu and vegan and gluten-free plates, per facebook.com/rocamarstcr. The tacos and ceviches are the orders, along with a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich with chili-peanut salsa that regulars mention as often as the fish. Sunday hours run noon to 7pm and it closes Mondays; confirm the weekday hours before you drive out.
The reason to come is the table: the beach is uncrowded, the sunset is straight ahead, and a right-hander peels in front of you. Google has it at 4.6 across 500 reviews.
Who it suits: a long late lunch that turns into sunset, families, and anyone avoiding the crowds at Playa Carmen. The caveat: it winds down early, so this is not the place for a 9pm dinner.
Manzú at Nantipa
Manzú a Beachfront Restaurant is the open-air restaurant at Hotel Nantipa on Playa Santa Teresa, open 7am to 10pm every day, with tables under sail canopies between almond trees and the sand a few steps away. Head chef Pedro Caja has run the kitchen since 2020 with a sea-to-table brief: seafood arrives daily from the peninsula, and the Pura Vida Tasting Menu is a six-course tour of Costa Rican cooking, per nantipa.com. There is also a romantic dinner package with a private beachfront table and sparkling wine.
This is the most expensive seafood on the list, in line with a hotel where rooms start above $385 a night. Google has it at 4.5 across 357 reviews, with service and the setting praised and price the only recurring complaint.
Who it suits: anniversaries, honeymoons, and a sunset dinner where the bill does not matter. The caveat: the price, and a resort polish that some people find less fun than a plastic chair at La Cevicheria.
Sabor de Mar, Montezuma
Sabor de Mar Montezuma is a family restaurant a short drive outside downtown Montezuma, open noon to 11pm every day, where chef Machito brings 20 years of cooking and owner Henry works the room. The menu is Costa Rican and Nicaraguan, fish first, with meats, vegetarian plates and a wood-fired pizza, plus Costa Rican craft beers, per sabordemarmontezuma.com. Google has it at 4.9 across 183 reviews and the theme is simple: great food, kind people, fair prices, and travellers coming back three nights in a row. Phone +506 6442 5618.
Who it suits: the seafood dinner on a Montezuma day trip and anyone who prefers a family kitchen to a beach club. The caveat: it is outside the village centre, so you need wheels or a short taxi.
Playa de los Artistas, Montezuma
Playa de los Artistas is the beachfront restaurant across from Los Mangos hotel in Montezuma that many people call the best restaurant on the peninsula. The Italian chef writes the menu by hand each day around what is fresh, most of it appetizers to share, with fish and steaks served in oversized ceramic bowls or on wooden slabs at tables on the sand, per frommers.com. Lobster carpaccio and the ceviche are the dishes reviewers name. Tripadvisor has it at 4.4 across 616 reviews and Google at 4.7, and reservations are recommended for groups. Our listing shows Sunday lunch from noon to 4pm and a Monday closure, so check the evening hours before you plan around it.
Who it suits: a long lunch after the Montezuma waterfall and anyone who wants seafood with a chef's handwriting on it. The caveat: no menu online, cash is easier, and the sign is easy to miss.
Marisqueria Frank's Place and El Carmen
Two more for the map. Marisqueria Frank's Place is a small seafood spot carrying the name of the landmark at the cruce, open 10am to 8pm daily, with a 4.9 on Google across a small number of reviews; it is new enough that we treat it as a lead rather than a verdict, so confirm the location on the listing before you go. Restaurante Playa Carmen, known as El Carmen, sits on the sand at Playa Carmen from noon to 9pm and its ceviche mixto draws more praise than anything else on its menu, which makes it the easy sunset ceviche when you are already at the beach.
How to choose
| Restaurant | Where | Best for | Price band | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Cevicheria | Main road, north of Rancho Itauna | Five ceviche styles, custom ceviche | About $18 a large ceviche | Noon to 10pm, closed Sunday |
| Sargo | North end, near Super La Hacienda | Catch of the day dinner, natural wine | Mid | 5pm to 9:30pm, closed Monday |
| Rocamar | North beach, Roca Mar road | Sunset lunch, tacos and ceviche | Mid | Lunch to early evening, closed Monday |
| Manzú | Nantipa, beachfront | Tasting menu, romantic dinner | High | 7am to 10pm daily |
| Sabor de Mar | Outside Montezuma | Family seafood, fair prices | Low to mid | Noon to 11pm daily |
| Playa de los Artistas | Montezuma beachfront | Daily handwritten menu | Mid to high | Check evening hours, closed Monday |
Practical notes
Catch of the day here means dorado (mahi mahi), tuna, red snapper (pargo) and, in season, lobster and octopus. In late September the south swell keeps some boats in, so a kitchen that says "no snapper today" is the one to trust. Ceviche styles differ: Tico is fine-diced fish in lime with cilantro; Peruvian uses bigger cuts, leche de tigre and corn; Mexican adds tomato and avocado.
Cards are accepted at La Cevicheria, Sargo, Rocamar and Manzú; carry cash for Montezuma. WhatsApp is how you book, and Sargo and Playa de los Artistas are small enough that a message the day before is wise. If you want to catch your own, the fishing guide covers charters that will have a restaurant cook your catch. For the wider table, read best restaurants in Santa Teresa, pair a beach dinner with the sunset spots guide, and if the budget is tight, the fish casado at a soda in cheap eats in Santa Teresa is the same fish for a third of the price.
FAQ
Where is the best ceviche in Santa Teresa?
La Cevicheria on the main road, 50 metres north of Rancho Itauna. It makes Tico, Peruvian, Mexican, tropical and Mexi-Chino ceviches in-house daily, serves each with patacones, and will build a custom one. A large ceviche is about $18. Closed Sundays.
Which seafood restaurant in Santa Teresa has the best sunset view?
Rocamar on the north beach for a late lunch into sunset, and Manzú at Nantipa for a beachfront dinner. Both face west with the sand a few steps away. El Carmen at Playa Carmen is the casual option if you are already at the main beach.
How much does seafood cost in Santa Teresa?
A large ceviche is about $18 at La Cevicheria, a fish main at Sargo or Rocamar sits in the mid band, and a tasting dinner at Manzú is a splurge. Add 13% tax and 10% service. A fish casado at a soda is $8 to $10 if you want the same fish for less.
What fish is local in Santa Teresa?
Dorado (mahi mahi), yellowfin tuna and red snapper are the everyday catch, with octopus and lobster in season. Salmon is imported. In September the big south swell keeps some boats in port, so menus change day to day.
Is Montezuma worth the drive for seafood?
Yes, for two places. Sabor de Mar is a family kitchen with a 20-year chef and fair prices, and Playa de los Artistas is a beachfront restaurant with a handwritten daily menu. Both are about 45 minutes away and fit a waterfall day trip.
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