Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Raw
Western
Juice bar
Costa Rican
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. This restaurant is part of the Ylang Ylang, a family-owned beach resort. Offers dining on the beach with ocean view. The menu includes vegan, raw food, and vegetarian sections. No red meat (has fish and chicken). Uses mainly organic produce. Will accommodate special diets with advance notice. Located 15 minute walk north on the beach from town. Open Mon-Sun 7:00am-9:00pm.
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Puntarenas, 700 meters north of the school, Montezuma, Costa Rica
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 09 Jun 2019 by Guest
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18 Reviews
First Review by ashachotard
Michael108
Points +151
Great view, lots of Veg*n options, but on the pricier side for Costa Rica - Edit
Pros:
Read more- Open air dining near the ocean.
-Lots of vegetarian and vegan options (including sushi!) & Menu clearly shows vegan and vegetarian options.
-Friendly staff, especially Francesco.
-Metal straw for the lemonade and washable chopsticks with the sushi were nice eco-friendly touches.
Cons:
-Portion for the Casado con Vegetales was surprisingly small for $15 USD, only one small spoonful of beans on the whole plate.
-Lemonade was just okay.
-It was the most expensive place we ate at in Montezuma, but it is a hotel and spa and we tend to gravitate to more budget-friendly options.
Other:
We didn’t stay at the hotel — just came for dinner. Prices on menu are in USD, not colones, so it caters to tourists.
You need a 4x4 to get to the restaurant’s parking lot, but you can park a bit closer to the town and walk. As others have said in their reviews, it gets very dark after sunset on the walk back, so bring a flashlight or make sure your phone is charged enough to use the flashlight feature.
Updated from previous review on 2025-03-22
Guest
michielpanis
Points +702
Lunch with a view - Edit
The menu is very clear and extensive.
Read moreThe staff is very polite and patient. The dishes are taken care of. For 3 courses it was a fair price. And the view is for free!
Guest
aishacandrian
Points +23
Great options for everyone! - Edit
Dinner and breakfast included and an amazing location, eating looking out at the beach.
Read morePros: Food that worked for my vegan husband., Food that worked for me, pescatarian and gf, Committed to using organic products
Cons: More limited breakfast menu
Guest
samaste
Points +423
Solid Vegan Options with a Dedicated Vegan Menu - Edit
The restaurant in this very lovely beach resort is definitely worth a visit. We enjoyed a Coco Espresso Chiller with some Vegan Latino Nachos by the pool for lunch.
Read moreIn the evening we ate up in the Yoga Studio due to a wedding that booked out the main restaurant which wasn't a problem at all as the room was nice with good views of the waves crashing on the beach. For dinner we had Passion Fruit juice, Grilled Thai Teriyaki Tofu and the Ylang Ylang Curry with Tofu. They were well presented and the curry was especially tasty with a good amount of spice. For dessert we had the vegan Chocolate Banana Mousse which was really nice, smooth, chocolatey goodness! We also had an almond milk latte, not sure if they had any other plant based milks, but they didn't have coconut milk.
Overall, the food was tasty and the service was really good with very friendly staff. The food was on the expensive side, however, expected when dining at a beach resort.
Pros: Dedicated Vegan Menu, Friendly Staff & Good Service, Beautiful Location
Cons: Slightly on the expensive side
Guest
StephanieMcGlathery
Points +76
Great food and very accommodating - Edit
The food is wonderful even for my vegan 5 year old. I need healthy food but the rest of my family does not and everyone is happy satisfied . I love that the coconut milk is fresh and doesn’t have added sugar. Even the lemonade is wonderful with no added sugar.
Read morePros: Food, Location/Atmosphere, Staff
Cons: Lunch is expensive and not included in your stay
Guest
ShelleyWolbrink
Points +33
Delish - Edit
Family of four had delish lunch items incl spiulina shake, sushi, fajitas and rice bowl.
Read morePros: View, Many vegetarian items
Cons: Need to drive on beach (also fun), Eat first, then swim , Rip currents
Guest
RDF
Points +89
Great! - Edit
Highly recommend staying here if possible.
Read moreGuest
MenaTro
Points +24
Best vegan food I had in Costa Rica - Edit
Loved this place: Decent prices in comparison to Santa Teresa and a big vegan menu, that will satisfy your cravings. Went there every night while in Montezuma the beachfront atmosphere is amazing
Read morePros: Taste, Presentation, Atmosphere
Guest
kevglynn
Points +136
Fantastic! - Edit
I would love to give this 5 stars, as it had a better selection of 100% vegan items than most vegan restaurants :-D
Read moreSeriously, this place is not to be missed!
Guest
AdrianVargas
Points +56
Linda opción frente a la playa - Edit
Lindo restaurante y hotel frente a la playa. Cuenta con pocas opciones veganas pero los platos se pueden personalizar, solo hay que hablar con los meseros y te ayudan.
Read morePros: Platillos personalizados, Frente a la playa, Excelente atención
Cons: Precio, No hay menu vegano/vegetariano
Guest
jamesdeanmcdonald
Points +216
Many, Many Yummy Options - Edit
During our five-night stay at Ylang Ylang, we ate most of the vegan options on the menu, and most of them were very good.
Read moreVegan Caterpillar Maki—classic sushi roll.
Pura Vida Roll—that the rice is on the inside and the plantain/avocado are on the outside is odd, but the taste is very nice.
Namaste Roll—tasty but would have preferred a peanut sauce to a sesame sauce.
Grilled Thai Teriyaki Tofu—got a little tired of this one by the time I finished. Too much coconut (oil?) taste? Still pretty good.
Asian Rice Noodles a la Coconut Creme—this too tasted too much of coconut oil for me, though it was still decent, and I didn't mind eating the whole thing.
Savory Ylang Ylang Curry—this one started out unimpressive but really grew on my tastebuds! Excellent! Highly recommend!
Vegan Latino Nachos—good dish to share!
Ylang Ylang Vegan Ceviche—really good. Got this twice. Highly recommend, and you might want to order an extra side of tortilla chips with this.
Pasta Primavera—very fresh veggies and delicious fettuccini noodles.
Pasta a la Arrabiata—this was the only dinner entree I ordered twice, the second time with added vegetables. Highly recommend!
Vegan Rancheros—we ordered this once, but it was too mushy/saucy.
Tipico—ordered this with a side of home fries and then mixed everything together. This became our daily breakfast and was quite good and filling. I now love eating plantains in the morning.
I'm not sure why they use silken/soft tofu. Odd and texturally challenging at times. Who uses silken/soft tofu for anything other than baking? Hmm. Maybe that's just the kind of tofu available in this area/country?
We enjoyed their coffee and some of their cold drinks (especially the Ylang Ylang Lemon Bubble). Neither of us were into the Tamarindo juice, and the shakes with coconut were too coconut-y for me, but maybe I've just been disliking coconut lately. I'm sure many people would enjoy these.
All in all, this is a wonderful place to eat if you enjoy vegan food! Also, the staff and atmosphere are phenomenal. Definitely check this place out.
(To see more of their food options, visit their website. Note that not all the vegan items are listed on the vegan menu.)
Mike_manc
Just a reflection on your silken/soft tofu comment. In the UK we see this being used a lot for savoury dishes, and particularly in Chinese cuisine.
Read moreGuest
HannahNKGoodwin
Points +299
Tons of vegan options on and off menu - Edit
We stayed here for a week. They have lots of vegan options to pick from. They did run out of tofu for 3 days but we’re very accommodating about adding extra beans or rice to make up for it in dishes. They also have dishes that don’t need tofu. At some point, we asked for things not labeled as can be made vegan (pancakes!) and the chef was able to make them vegan for us and they were delicious. Super accommodating place. Pretty pricey though.
Read moreGuest
TheShadow
Points +283
Terrific food - Edit
We ate numerous meals here while we stayed at the resort. The food quality was exceptional and the service was super friendly.
Read moreFor breakfast try the tipico with scrambled tofu. For lunch, we really liked the nachos and the caterpillar roll. For dinner, the blackened tofu and the curried vegetables with tofu were our favorites. The two desserts we loved were the banana chocolate pudding and the chocolate truffles.
Pros: Full page of vegan options, Delicious fruit juices
Guest
+++VeGaNiSaToR+++
Points +1004
very nice place - Edit
Go before it's dark because you have to walk along the beach to reach it. Very beautiful terrasse and view. Good food and service.
Read moreGuest
gwild
Points +1596
Ocean front dining - Edit
My son and I loved this place so much we went twice. The atmosphere can't be beat- a candlelit dinner right on the ocean.
Read moreTo get to the restaurant you have to walk up the beach 15 minutes from Montezuma. We loved walking home afterward and listening to the waves. I love that it is away from the numerous cars of Montezuma.
I enjoyed the blackened tofu. It normally comes with mango sauce but they were out so mine was made with a delicious passion fruit sauce.
The nachos were outstanding. The guacamole was perfect and the chips extra thick and crispy.
My son said his passionfruit smoothie was the best he has had in Costa Rica.
The teriyaki tofu with rice was also amazing. The sauce was creamier than I expected and not the teriyaki I am used to but it was delicious.
The prices were a bit higher than other places we've eaten in Costa Rica but the other places weren't sitting right on the ocean. We paid about $50US for two including drinks but without dessert.
I would give this place 5 stars if I could.
Pros: Gorgeous location and atmosphere , Veg items marked on menu
Cons: Bit pricey
Guest
molloy206
Points +91
A Slice of Paradise - Edit
We stayed at Ylang Ylang for 3 nights and wish it was so much longer!
Read moreAside from an amazing hotel and spa (you must get a beach-front dome if you stay here!) they have a fantastic restuarant catering for guests and visitors alike.
Our room tariff included breakfast (one item off the menu plus a juice) and also dinner (one main course plus one soft drink).
The breakfast choice consists of a reasonably sized menu with fantastic vegetarian options such as the Typico (Gallo Pinto, cheese, egg and tortillas) and french toast. I found the labelled vegan options a bit restrictive (Tofu Scramble) but they were very open for me substituting tofu scramble into the Typico instead of egg and cheese. The quality is top notch and portions sizable. The view at breakfast is sensational - a tropical beach just feet away!
Dinner is where this place comes into its own! The menu us huge, diverse and well thought-out. Much of the menu is a fusion of Latin American and Asian cuisine with dishes as diverse as sushi, teryiaki and nachos (to name a few).
The menu consists of meat, vegetarian, vegan and raw vegan. Veg dishes are dotted throughout the menu but there are dedicated vegan and raw sections. The vegan menu consists of 5 appetizers and 8 main courses with dishes such as Baked Thai Teriyaki Tofu, Vegan Latino Nachos and Blackened Tofu Steak with Mango Sauce (all of which I tried - Yum!!)
The food is of the highest quality and the portions are more than generous. This is very much at the higher end of Montezuma dining and a main course will set you back between $12-$20 (this will be included in your tariff if you stay at the resort).
The setting is divine, right on the beach, surrounded by palms, listening to the breaking waves.You can choose to sit in the covered bar area or out on the patio amidst candlelight and the sounds of the jungle.Get there between 3pm-6pm and enjoy a delicious Happy Hour cocktail - we enjoyed watching both Howler and Capuchin monkeys around the pool area during our Happy Hours :)
If you do come here for dinner and don't stay at Ylang Ylang, it's worth bringing a flash light - the walk along the beach is only about 10min but beware of sand crabs darting around in the dark!
Pros: Fantastic Food, Great Location and Hotel, Good Service
Cons: Not wholly Veg
Guest
AbbyM
Points +20
Beautiful location, wonderful food, awesome staff! - Edit
I visited Ylang Ylang beach resort last year with my fiancee and was so impressed with the food and the service that I decided to get married there! It is a definite must visit. The food and the ambiance is great, who wouldn't want to fall asleep lulled by the sound of the ocean and wake up to an amazing breakfast made with mostly organic ingredients? Go, you won't be sorry!
Read morePros: good location, great food, wonderful service
Cons: short walk away from town on the beach
Guest
ashachotard
Points +13
Delicious and healthy - Edit
The meals offered are delicious as well as healthy. They try to use organic ingredients as much as possible. An extensive menu, which includes a variety of vegetarian dishes, allows something yummy for everyone. The food is made consciously and with love.
Read moreGuest
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