Apotecario

Let yourself discover the charm of Barrio Escalante while drinking one of the best gin and tonics in town. Apotecario is a casual place that offers live music every day, artisan-made food and cocktails. After dinner, take a leisurely walk around Barrio Escalante, it's the ideal way to fully enjoy the neighborhood and its 50 different types of restaurants, bars, coffee shops and one-of-a kind nightlife.

This bar with a small brewery, now two years old, specializes in brewing its own tropical varieties of Belgian sour beers, as well as other beers and kombucha. There’s a light menu of local charcuterie and other pub fare, in addition to a lineup of live jazz and blues several nights a week. Calle 31 at Avenida 9, Barrio Escalante; facebook.com/Apotecariocr

The viny, jungly interior and exterior might make you question if you’re indoors or outdoors here. Partake of a good selection of inventive cocktails and craft beers all to the accompaniment of burgers and appetizers. Enjoy mellow jazz or blues on occasional evenings with the over-30 crowd who frequents this place.

I’ll grab a beer or kombucha at Apotecario, one of my favorite spots where they brew their own beer and kombucha and then walk through the rest of Barrio Escalante, the city’s most vibrant neighborhood. You’ll see everyone catching some sun in Parque Francia, where there is often live music, someone selling fresh mango or orange fruit juices, or a guy who sells amazing Chemex coffee from a bike cart. From here I’ll head downtown to take a stroll down Central Avenue, stopping for an ice cream Pops across from the National Theater or have a coffee in Alma de Cafe in the National Theater.

Para un hermoso maridaje de cócteles de autor, música en vivo y comida que resalta los sabores de Costa Rica, reservar un lugar en Apotecario. Moviendo el concepto de la huerta a la mesa, los dueños Kath Smart y Esteban Zamora también quieren servir comida con alma usando ingredientes autóctonos comprados de pequeños productores locales. Hay muchos platos para compartir como el carpaccio de trucha y mezze; para los que tienen más hambre, pedir el osobuco cocinado a baja temperatura por 30 horas.

When the owners of Calle Cimarrona, Costa Rica’s first microbrewery, wanted to meet their customers and serve them high quality, locally-sourced food paired with beer, Apotecario was born. The team here can help you choose a beer that suits your tastes and your appetite. Apotecario’s menu features artisanal bar food and salads made fresh from Apotecario’s own garden.

Cold artisan brews last no time at all at the Costa Rica Beer Factory, while Apotecario has live music and stellar cocktails. Or head to the Gran Hotel and take the lift to the fifth floor for cocktails accompanied by live piano, where you can get a fantastic view of the theatre and main square below.

Barrio Escalante has become a hotbed of craft beer in recent years and the best brewers can be found at Apotecario. Nicknamed the “house of fermentation,” the brewpub produces wild ales under the label Cervecería Calle Cimarrona, including a long list of lambics and other small batch…

If you’re looking for a good drink in San Jose, then Apotecario can help you. It’s a family-owned pub serving several different locally-produced brews and Costa Rican food. They’re open for lunch and dinner and offer vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options on the menu.

Not only does Apotecario have truly wonderful cocktails and drinks, but their food is a real treat as well. Reviews of this artisan restaurant rave about the beauty of the space and the deliciousness of the menu, which focuses on handmade dishes and local ingredients.

I like this place because everything is fresh and it just has a relaxed and approachable atmosphere. Sometimes we come here for brunch (they do a nice shakshuka). They also serve some fresh salads, sandwiches, and main dishes if you come for lunch and dinner.

On Wednesday nights, catch an experimental film at Cooperación Española Cultura and a DJ set at Sikwa, then head to Apotecario for cocktails and kombucha before a night on the dancefloor at LGBTQ+-friendly club Neon Ice,” author Anna Prendergast noted.

It is a 10 minute walk to Escalante where you can find Costa Rica Beer Factory, Apotecario, Aquizote, Wilk, and many other places to eat and drink if you like. This is the part of town where affluent Costa Ricans come to hang out.

I had read about a few different hot restaurants in the area, but settled on Apotecario, mainly because I was able to grab this incredible seat along a bartop looking back out towards the sidewalk.