Restaurante El Yugo de Mi Tata

Caribbean Coast


It doesn't look like much, but there's a reason this joint is truck-stop heaven. Strategically placed just below Hwy 32's tortuous climb into Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo (13km west of Guápiles), it's the perfect stop before or after a visit to the national park. A huge and fabulous array of tasty, affordable buffet-style food is available round the clock.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Caribbean Coast attractions

1. Copetillo Birdwatching/Donde Cope

1.9 MILES

Guapileño artist-photographer Cope (co-pay) has converted this former tilapia farm into a paradise of hummingbirds, tanagers and other birds, with a…

2. Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo

4.12 MILES

Enter this underexplored national park and you will have an idea of what Costa Rica looked like prior to the 1950s, when 75% of the country’s surface area…

3. Frog’s Heaven

9.3 MILES

The frogs hop free in this lovely tropical garden, a perfect habitat for more than 28 species. On bilingual guided tours you’re likely to see old…

4. Heliconia Island

13.51 MILES

Down a rugged road and across the hanging bridge is home to more than 80 varieties of heliconias, tropical flowers, plants and trees. The two-hectare…

5. Toucan Rescue Ranch

15.54 MILES

More than a decade ago, Leslie Howle and her husband, Jorge Murillo, started taking in sick and injured toucans. The couple eventually ended up with a…

6. Parque Nacional Volcán Turrialba

16.66 MILES

A 2km radius around the rarely visited Volcán Turrialba (3328m) became a national park in 1955, protecting mountain rainforest and cloud forest. It was…

7. La Paz Waterfall Gardens

17.97 MILES

This polished storybook garden complex just east of Volcán Poás offers the most easily digestible cultural experience in the Central Valley and is the…

8. Museo de Cultura Popular

19.66 MILES

Housed in a restored 19th-century farmhouse 1.5km southeast of Barva, this tiny museum surrounded by well-labeled gardens is run by the Universidad…