A Beer and a Boca

Pablitos Bar is a stand-by for lunch in Samara, favored by truckers, Ticos and extranjeros alike for good value.

After 20 years at the same roadside location just west of Samara, Pablitos recently moved to a new beach palapa.

With lots of parking and a big screen TV, it’ll still be popular with truckers and soccer fans.

But now it’s beach view and breezes will make for a more pleasant afternoon spot than its previous warren of tiny dark rooms.

At Pablitos, every beer (or soft drink) comes with a cup of soup (boca).

Olla de Carne is a consistent standard but there’s usually another option or two, which might be shrimp, chicken, carne en salsa, or white bean.  And for less than two bucks (c1,000), you can’t beat it.

There is a menu with the usual tipico fare, enjoyed by families and cowboys, but most patrons opt for a beer and a boca.

Near the west end of Samara Beach, just next to the Rio Lagarto, Pablitos is reached by the road to El Manglar and Lagarto restaurants.

The biggest problem with the move is that many “direcciones” – We don’t have street names or numbered addresses in Costa Rica.  That’s a subject for a much longer post. – will be obsolete.  My uncle’s “direccion” will forever more be “900 meters northwest of OLD Pablitos Bar.”