Tortilla Flats
At a Glance
- Most popular restaurant in town
- Close to the beach
- Affordable rooms
It's impossible to talk about Dominical without mentioning Tortilla Flats. Call it a staple, call it an icon, call it whatever chic word you have for the moment and Tortilla Flats will still be doing the same thing ten years from now: feeding big portions to hungry surfers, serving ice cold cocktails to thirsty bar patrons and renting out beachside rooms for prices that even backpackers on the thinnest budget can scrounge up change for.
read more closeNear the end of the shady dirt road just 50 yards from the beach, you'll find the Tortilla Flats. Even without the signs, you'll know you're in the right place when you see the crowd. Though it's one of the most popular places in town, there's almost always room for more in the restaurant and bar facing the ocean.
Rooms
Two rows of hostels flank the restaurant on each side, the best of which is a two-story complex with shaded balconies looking out toward the surf. Inside each of the rooms, $20 in the wet season (April-Nov.), you'll find the essentials: two single beds, sheets, a fan and private bathrooms with hot water. An octopus painted across the faded orange wall above the bed's headboard in room 17, definitely adds character to the room, plus as an extra bonus, it detracts from the weathered-looking wood floors.
While they aren't the cleanest rooms you can find for your money, they're definitely the most affordable for their location next to the world class waves of Dominical Beach. Also, if you're interested in peace and quiet, try and avoid the rooms closest to the restaurant, parties at the restaurant can go late into the night.
Restaurant
Tortilla Flats is better known for its restaurant than its rooms, and trust us, there is no better place for people watching in all of Dominical. Sun-tanned surfers, bikini-clad women, friendly locals and pasty-skinned travelers curl up at the bar for cold beers and surf videos re-runs on the overhead TVs, or, settle down at one of the many tables to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner with friends.
Jen, Tortilla Flats owner, has always put the food first, preparing huge portions of surfer grub whether it's Costa Rica's traditional casados (choice of meat, rice, beans, plantains and side salad), sub sandwiches, burgers or heaping baskets of calamari. The Tuna de Force, market price, is among the most popular dishes made with a coconut rum reduction, wasabi cream, mashed potatoes and salad.
Services & amenities
Tortilla Flats is pretty straightforward in terms of what it offers. There's the restaurant, the rooms and the beach. What more could you hope for? Well, except maybe some surf lessons, which, Tortilla Flats has in conjunction with local surf schools that use instructors from the trained lifeguard service on the beach.
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