Food

Dining options are severely limited in Las Tablas [1]. The following are the best bets.

Restaurante y Bar Jorón Moravel (Avenida Rogelio Gáez, tel. 994-7250, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. daily, US$8), two blocks southwest of the bus terminal, is a cute little place that, with its thatched roof, resembles a giant rancho. Lunch offerings include lasagna, chicken, spaghetti, and sancocho (stew). The lasagna is pretty good. It also does seafood, meat, Chinese fried rice, pizza, and sandwiches. Breakfast costs just a couple of bucks. The place does a thriving takeout business.

Housed in an old home in the center of town, Restaurante Los Portales (Avenida Belisario Porras, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 6 a.m.–3 p.m. Sun., US$8 or less) has a certain rustic charm. It features high ceilings, arched doorways, a sloping red-tile roof, and tables set around a porch right on Avenida Belisario Porras. It’s a basic place but offers a wide range of food, including prawns, calamari, octopus, corvina, spaghetti, and various meats. The bistec picado comes in a kind of sweet-and-sour sauce and is surprisingly tasty.

Restaurante El Caserón (Avenida Moises Espino, tel. 994-6066, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. daily, US$10 or less) is a pleasant-enough open-air place known for its heaps of meat. The parrillada mixta (mixed grilled meat) offers a pile of chicken, pork, beef, and local sausage. It’s reasonably tasty, especially the sausage, though it’s a good way to use up a whole year’s quota of grease and cholesterol. The restaurant also serves pizza, seafood, chow mein, pasta, and more meat. The restaurant is on Avenida Moises Espino, which is parallel to and one block north of Avenida Belisario Porras. It’s about two blocks northeast of Hotel y Restaurante Manolo.