Have you tried everything in San José?

Pour the tangy brown sauce on your rice and beans until it's basically a condiment addiction.

Rice, beans, fried pork and pico de gallo — the bar snack San José invented for drinking.

Beef and root vegetable stew simmered in giant pots for family gatherings, not weekday menus.

Shaved ice buried under condensed milk, powdered milk and fruit — a glorious sugar crime.

The plain breakfast ticos actually eat most mornings, no elaborate brunch required.

Saprissa vs Alajuelense stops the city — grab bocas and shout at the screen with strangers.

San José's Central Park equivalent, lake and all — Sunday mornings bring out half the city.

It's not a slogan — locals genuinely mean 'life's good' through traffic, rain and everything else.

'Ahorita' (in a bit) can mean five minutes or never — locals joke about it constantly, so should you.

Saturday organic market where eco-conscious ticos and expats trade produce and prepared food.

Ticos trade English practice for Spanish over beers — genuinely curious about foreigners, no agenda.

Sip café chorreado inside the ornate 19th-century theater locals treat as a living room.