Exótica is a French kitchen that grew up in the tropics. Twenty-seven years in Ojochal, cooking Cuisine du Monde for guests who came for the whales and stayed for dinner.
Reductions, confits, proper sauces — the discipline is French. The pantry is Costa Rican: fish landed on the Pacific coast that morning, tropical fruit, herbs from nearby. Polynesian and Asian influences arrive in the seasoning rather than as a gimmick, and the menu changes with what is actually available.
Fourteen tables, candlelight, Tahitian idols and Indonesian masks on the walls, and a terrace that is open to the garden yet sheltered beneath a thatched roof. It is quiet enough to hear the jungle. Most guests come for an anniversary, a proposal, or a last night before flying home.
We are roughly 45 minutes south of Dominical, 20 minutes south of Uvita, and three hours from Manuel Antonio — an easy drive from anywhere in the Costa Ballena.
Dinner service is Tuesday to Saturday, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Reservations are essential in High Season (December to April) and preferred the rest of the year. Tell us in advance about allergies or a celebration and we will plan around it.
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Reservations are confirmed on WhatsApp only. No WhatsApp? Call our landline +506 2786-5050.