Mango Tree Cafe - Almirante

The café is now called Cool and Calm Cafe. Here you will find the best food, the best service and the friendly staff of any facility in the Manzanillo area... by far. Prices are very favourable for both food and beer. Our group of 6 ate there 3 separate nights and we were never disappointed. Highlights were the lobster and shrimp with pasta (educated), Caribbean chicken, roasted Yucca root and red Snapper fillet. Food tastes wonderful and Andy the cook and owner also plate the food beautiful. Andy sat with us after dinner at our last night in Manzanillo, shared some cold beers and told us about his life. Wow, what a great guy. Please stop at his café. They won't be disappointed.

Best meal I had in Costa Rica!!! We had grilled tuna and grilled mackerel. OMG, so fresh and so good. Both came with homemade salsa for which they should die. Salsa was made with mango, papaya, pepper, cilantro and olive oil. So tasteful! If I had this salsa every day, I would be a happy camper. The fish was grilled by Tez in front and the wonderful smoke aroma of the fish grill really got the appetite. Peter's service was quick and friendly. The atmosphere is very Caribbean. The café is located right on the beach with a fantastic view of the beach and the sea. The price was fantastic! This is a place in Manzanillo that you cannot miss! I'm back! update: good I went back... many more times. Jenny the main chef prepared Caribbean chicken for which to die. I am now convinced that Jenny is the best cook in Manzanillo!

I read the other two reviews here to try. Please place the Mango Tree Cafe on your list of places where you need to eat while visiting the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. In fact, right after dinner tonight, we told Tes and Jennifer (both Manzanillo locals who lead the place) that we will come back to lunch tomorrow. And we will! Tonight, when I asked for a menu, Jennifer simply asked my wife and I what we want. Then she went to the kitchen and created the best Caribbean shrimp dinner for me and Red Snapper for my wife who, in our opinion, came from every kitchen. This is like at home for a meal with family and friends and it turns out that the friend (Jennifer) is the best cook in the world. Tes, your husband, sat and talked to us while we waited for our meals. Absolutely one of the best evenings and meals, each of our many trips!

Stumbled upon this cafe by pure, beautiful luck! It is located in the front part of the Mar Y Sol Hostel with a new sign for Mango Tree Cafe being painted even as we speak (or type . When my husband and I were planning our trip to Costa Rica and researching all the cool little places to eat and hang out...THIS is the place we were dreaming about! We walked in and were instantly greeted like old friends by Peter, just the most down-to-earth, fun-loving person. By the end of our conversation, we had made plans to come back for a dinner of fresh-caught tuna and mackerel. Later that night, as we neared the Mango Tree Cafe, we could smell the insanely amazing aromas of our fish being grilled out front. Holy mackerel (yep...I just went there . There was a candle-lit table for two waiting for us, and Peter with his business partner, Tez, were grilling up a storm. We sat there with a cooling breeze coming off the ocean, the sounds of crashing waves only yards away, the mouth-watering smells of the grilling sea-food, drinking our icy beverages, and had to pinch ourselves (actually, we pinched each other...not that we 're into that kind of thing...wait...not that there 's anything wrong with that. . You get the picture, tho '. It seemed like heaven on earth...then Peter served the food... Oh my gosh...the food! I swear to you, I don 't know how to describe it. It seems futile to try. The tuna: perfectly grilled, so fresh and tender! The mackerel: also insanely fresh, smoky, and melting in our mouths! Add the delightfully subtle flavor of the beans and rice combined with a comfortingly tender baked potato. The salad of fresh greens and veggies with a hint of cilantro and a bright, tangy dressing seemed to bring out even more flavor in everything on our plate! But wait! Did I mention the mango salsa! Peter 's secret recipe! It was served in a shot glass which prompted my husband to want to actually shoot it...It was THAT delicious!!! Put it all together and we found that all five of our senses...plus our hearts...were in their happy place. I could say so much more, but I 'm afraid I 've created a wall of words already. In a nutshell: Don 't skip the Mango Tree Cafe!

The owners are the nicest people in the world. Get the lobster and dine outside with a view of the beach. Maybe add a bit of rum to a tamarind batido. What more could you want?