For breakfast, try Stella’s Bakery (tel. 506/645-5560, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. daily), in Monteverde. It sells granola with homemade yogurt ($2), pancakes, omelettes, doughnuts, sandwiches, and killer milkshakes ($3).

Morpho Café (tel. 506/645-5607, 11 a.m.–10 p.m., $3–8 daily), in Santa Elena, has tremendous decor, with rough-hewn furniture, natural stone and sponge-washed walls, and cool music. The menu includes salads, sandwiches, killer burgers, pastas, casados (set meals for $3), sweet-and-sour pork chops, and seabass Dijon.

Morpho’s success was copied and improved on at the Treehouse Café & Restaurant (tel. 506/645-5751), 50 meters away. Its menu ranges from burritos to fondues. My favorite? Chocolate fondue with cream and brandy ($28 two people).

For elegant dining, Garden Restaurant (6–8:20 a.m., noon–2 p.m., and 6–8:30 p.m. daily), at Monteverde Lodge, offers excellent, inexpensive cuisine to all-comers. A typical dinner might include shredded duck empanadas ($6) and seared steak with sweet plantain ($15). It has a large wine list.

The simple Moon Shiva Restaurante (tel. 506/645-6270, moonshivacafe [at] racsa [dot] co [dot] cr, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Fri., until midnight Sat.–Sun.), in Cerro Plano, is known for its world music and lively atmosphere. Its simple “international fusion” menu includes moussaka ($10), quiche ($9), and even filet mignon ($13.50).

The finest dining in town is at Sofia (tel. 506/645-7017, knielsenmv [at] hotmail [dot] com, 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily). It serves gourmet nuevo Latino dishes. Chef-owner Karen Nielsen whips up mean appetizers, such as roasted eggplant, tomato and goat cheese quesadilla, and black bean soup. For a main course, try the seafood chimichanga $12) or plantain-crusted sea bass ($11). The bar serves killer mojitos, capiririnhas, and other cocktails ($4.50). It has wine tastings and occasionally hosts live music, from choral to jazz.

A reader reports that the Pizzeria Di Pepe (tel. 506/645-5153, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. daily, $5–10), in Santa Elena, “has the best vegetarian pizza in all Costa Rica.”

Restaurante y Pizzería Tramonti (400 m uphill from the gas station in Monteverde, tel. 506/645-6190, 6–9 a.m., 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., and 5:30–9:30 p.m. daily, $7) offers good ambience along with carpaccio, lasagna, fried squid, and pizzas.

Johnny’s Pizzería (one km east of Santa Elena, tel. 506/645-5066, 11:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily), in Cerro Plano, is classy, with a wide-ranging pizza menu ($3.50–10, small–large), plus pastas and daily specials such as smoked salmon and capers.

The Restaurant de Lucía (100 m south of the bullring in Cerro Plano, tel. 506/645-5337, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily), is genuinely Italian, with cappuccinos, lasagnas, and vegetarian dishes.

Vegetarians are served by Flor de la Vida (200 m east of Johnny’s Pizzería, tel. 506/645-6081, www.flordevida.net, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat., $1.50–3), a classy little place offering veggie burgers, veggie lasagne, veggie chili with salad, and the like.

The Restaurante Sapo Dorado (in the Hotel Sapo Dorado, tel. 506/645-5010, 6:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m., noon–3 p.m. and 6–9:30 p.m., $5–16) is recommended for health-food dishes, including whole-grain pizza, banana bread, and tofu with vegetarian primavera; plus baked orange chicken with peppercorn, shrimp in sambuca mushroom sauce, and killer desserts.

The Café Rainforest (7 a.m.–7 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 8 a.m.–7 p.m. Sun.), in Santa Elena, is a nice place to relax over cappuccino, a natural juice, or a shake.

And Café Monteverde (tel. 506/645-5901, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday), opposite Stella’s Bakery in Monteverde, serves cappuccinos, espressos, etc., and you can taste and buy locally produced coffee ($2 per half-pound).

At last visit, Choco Art—serving handmade chocolates and truffles—was planned for Paseo de Estella, next to Bat Jungle.

For groceries, head to the well-stocked Super La Esperanza in Santa Elena, or the smaller Super Cerro Plano, one kilometer east. You can buy baked goods at Musmanni, next to La Esperanza.