Choose a six-course tasting or an a la carte meal sourced from small farmers and artisanal fishermen at this contemporary Costa Rican restaurant that opened one year ago in an elegant house with a plant-filled courtyard in Barrio Amón, a neighborhood full of late 19th- and early 20th-century houses mostly built for coffee barons. Dishes, with no more than a few ingredients, range from colorful (lamb loin spruced up with silvery slivers of sardines and orange squash ribbons) to playful (“cocada de coco con coco en coco,” a caramelized coconut with roasted coconut ice cream served in a coconut half). Avenida 11 at Calle 3A — 955, Barrio Amón; restaurantesilvestre.com

Chef Santiago Fernandez is at the helm of this ambitious and wildly successful exploration of upscale contemporary Costa Rican cuisine. The regularly changing menus use local and organic ingredients (along with fish and meat procured through responsible means) to take diners on a journey into some of the most creative (and delicious) food Costa Rica has to offer. Many dishes also incorporate a whimiscal look into an aspect of Costa Rican history and culture, such as appetizers served under a colorful devil's mask, representing Masquerade Day, a traditional Costa Rican take on Halloween.

Old Buildings in San José have a magic like no other and that’s what draws visitors to Restaurante Silvestre. Located in the heart of the city, in Barrio Amón, Silvestre is an old building made anew and transformed into a contemporary restaurant. The culture of Costa Rica is on display with every bite thanks to a menu that specializes in traditional seasonal flavors with an edgy take.

Con la meta de reinventar la gastronomía costarricense y ser custodio de un tesoro culinario, el chef Santiago Fernández Benedetto busca crear su propio camino sostenible. Ya que Costa Rica se conoce por su estricta protección de la biodiversidad, en Silvestre solo se utilizan ingredientes de valor gastronómico bajo técnicas innovadoras. Se puede pedir a la carta o disfrutar del menú de degustación: platos notables de esta alta cocina incluyen el paté de mejillones escabechados, pez gallo en parrilla de carbón y el pastel húmedo de palmito.

Restaurante Silvestre takes great care in choosing ingredients and creating dishes with distinctly Costa Rican flavors and elegant presentation. You’ll find organic produce and sustainably-sourced seafood, queso from local farms, cacao from Talamanca, vanilla from Osa, and an evolving menu that reflects products that are available each season. If you’re looking for a taste of Costa Rica in a sophisticated yet unpretentious setting, this is the place.

Silvestre Restaurant, led by Chef Santiago Fernandez Benedetto, offers a unique dining experience highlighting traditional Costa Rican ingredients with a modern twist. They serve innovative dishes like Guanacaste-style arroz guacho and empanadas stuffed with ricotta cheese, chives, and egg yolks. The menu changes regularly to feature local, organic ingredients and responsibly sourced fish and meat.

Silvestre Restaurant, under the guidance of Chef Santiago Fernandez Benedetto, is known as one of the finest avant garde restaurants in Costa Rica. It’s quite an experience eating here, as you’ll get a dose of vintage Costa Rican culture, as well as traditional ingredients, presented with a twist. Silvestre has one of the only tasting menus in Costa Rica, as well as many other gourmet dishes.

Silvestre Restaurant, under the guidance of Chef Santiago Fernandez Benedetto, is known as one of the finest avant-garde restaurants in Costa Rica. It’s quite an experience eating here, as you’ll get a dose of vintage Costa Rican culture as well as traditional ingredients presented with a twist. Silvestre has one of the only tasting menus in Costa Rica as well as many other gourmet dishes.

At Silvestre, chef-owner Santiago Fernandez Benedetto loves to play with his food, and his diners. The daily-changing tasting menu, served in a restored mansion in Barrio Amon, includes cheeky takes on “grandma’s cooking”, including a savoury amuse-bouche disguised as a traditional sweet, a deconstructed pork tamale, and minuscule versions of classic desserts hidden in masquerade dolls.

Silvestre (San José): While San José has had modern restaurants before, contemporary Costa Rican cuisine was long missing. Opened in 2017 in a restored house in Barrio Amón with a maze of elegant dining rooms and a garden-filled courtyard, Silvestre’s playful tasting menus and adventurous drink pairings promise new insight into the possibilities of Costa Rican foo

At Restaurante Silvestre, chef Santiago Fernández Benedetto uses locally sourced ingredients to recreate the regional dishes of Costa Rica, with a contemporary twist!. This decorative restaurant is in an old, renovated house in Barrio Amón. With incredible service and dazzling food, it is fine dining at it’s best.

It is a unique place; this restaurant in San Jose is very visited, especially on Valentine’s Day; therefore, it is listed as one of the most romantic restaurants in San Jose Costa Rica, with unparalleled creativity. The menu is 100% Costa Rican; which offers fish filet, guacho crab rice and fish stew with octopus.

At Restaurante Silvestre, Chef Santiago Fernandez Benedetto brings a new twist to traditional Costa Rican ingredients. Mixing vintage charm with a modern look, Silvestre is a place to taste unique dishes. Try the Guanacaste-style arroz guacho or the empanadas with ricotta cheese, chives, and egg yolks.

Chef Santiago Fernández Benedetto spent years working in kitchens around the world then returned home to Costa Rica to take over the kitchen at La Fortuna’s Don Rufino. And now, the elegant dining rooms of a restored, 1930s Barrio Amon house and interior with a plant-lined courtyard…

If you’re looking for a way to truly make a meal an experience in San Jose, then Restaurante Silvestre is the right choice for you. The prices are a bit steep, but they’ve earned the price tag, as they’re Michelin starred. They’re only open for dinner, and they have a full bar.

Tipo de comida: latina, internacional, contemporánea, centroamericana, costarricense. Calificación: 4,5/5 (517 opiniones). Rango de precios, según TripAdvisor: ¢9.091 - ¢42.781.

Silvestre: Experience a tasting menu that combines avant-garde culinary techniques with local flavors at Silvestre, situated in the historic Barrio Amon, San José.