Chelle’s

San José


If you’re drinking the night away with Ticos, you might find yourself here at 4am, clutching a cold one and professing your love for recent acquaintances. This venerable 24-hour soda doubles as one of Chepe's most atmospheric spots for a nightcap, with surly service and big buses careening around the corner outside, looking perilously close to crashing through the window.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby San José attractions

3. Plaza de la Cultura

0.13 MILES

This architecturally unremarkable concrete plaza in the heart of downtown is usually packed with locals slurping ice-cream cones and admiring the wide…

4. Teatro Nacional

0.14 MILES

On the southern side of the Plaza de la Cultura resides the Teatro Nacional, San José’s most revered building. Constructed in 1897, it features a columned…

5. Templo de Música

0.15 MILES

Since the 1920s, this large metallic dome perched atop columns in Parque Morazán has sheltered concerts, dance parties and political rallies.

6. Parque Morazán

0.16 MILES

Parque Morazán is named for Francisco Morazán, the 19th-century general who attempted to unite the Central American nations under a single flag (for his…

7. Museo del Jade

0.17 MILES

This museum houses the world’s largest collection of American jade (pronounced ‘ha-day’ in Spanish), with an ample exhibition space of five floors…

8. Plaza de la Democracia

0.19 MILES

Between the Museo Nacional and the Museo de Jade is the stark Plaza de la Democracia, which was constructed by President Oscar Arias in 1989 to…