Árbol Restaurant Manuel Antonio: Menu, Hours and Dining Guide
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Breakfast and Pool Terrace — 7:00 to 18:00
The pool terrace at Árbol opens daily at 7am for breakfast and runs through to 6pm. Breakfast service runs until 10am with fresh Costa Rican fruit, local eggs and house coffee. From 11am the pool terrace switches to the lunch menu — lighter dishes designed to be eaten at the pool or on the terrace without interrupting your day. The menu covers fresh ceviche, salads, soups, burgers and a dedicated vegetarian selection available throughout lunch hours. Happy Hour runs every day from 4pm to 6pm with reduced drink prices and small sharing bites — the most social moment of the day at Árbol, and the hour that transitions naturally into dinner as the Pacific light changes behind the restaurant.
Dinner: Signature Set Menu — The Best Way to Experience Árbol
The Signature Set Menu is Árbol's flagship dinner format — New Costa Rican cuisine inspired by local products and the nature of the Central Pacific. Two courses at $65 or three courses at $95. The menu is structured around cold starters, hot starters and main dishes. Cold starters include Angus beef tartare with miso cream and marinated eggplant, Brioche with foie gras and truffle honey, and Tuna with ruda oil and jalapeño. Hot starters feature Octopus with pepperoni oil and black garlic mayo, Clam chowder with oysters and vongole bouillon, and Chorreadas with melted duck and oyster mushrooms. Main dishes include Lobster tail with sweet corn sauce and corn popcorn, Tenderloin with fermented beetroot, Sea bass with duck sauce and walnuts, and Pork belly with calabaza. Reservation required — book at arbolrestaurant.com.
Dinner: À la Carte Menu
The À la Carte menu gives full individual choice across every course. Starters include Pejibaye Hummus with pita and crispy chorizo ($12), Octopus Carpaccio with tropical sauce ($26) and the Makanda Craft Salad with avocado, mango, asparagus and truffle honey dressing ($22, with optional grilled tuna, shrimp or chicken). Soups include Sweet Corn Cream with king prawns ($18) and Peas Soup with Caribbean Lobster ($25). Pasta options cover Linguini with King Shrimps in wine cream sauce ($32) and Artisanal Ravioli with ricotta, spinach and butter ($24). Main courses include Sea Bass fillet with carrot purée ($35), Chilean Salmon with avocado-zucchini skin ($38), Angus Beef Tenderloin ($48) and Lobster Tail ($48). Dessert: Banana cake in local chocolate coating ($15). All prices USD, plus 13% tax and 10% service.
The Wine List at Árbol
Árbol has the most serious wine list in Manuel Antonio. By the glass: nine selections across white, red and sparkling at $18 — Casas del Bosque Chardonnay, Pazo Pegullal Albariño, Noble Vines Pinot Noir, Canti Extra Dry. By the bottle the list moves from accessible options like Matua Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand ($77) through to serious bottles: Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($320), Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($350), Joseph Faiveley Chambolle-Musigny ($320), Domaine des Perdrix Échezeaux Grand Cru 2023 ($950), and the top of the list — 2012 Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac ($1,850). A wine list of this range is unusual for a boutique hotel restaurant in Manuel Antonio and is worth exploring with the staff who can guide pairing with the Signature Set Menu.
The Árbol Setting: Dining in the Pacific Rainforest
Árbol Restaurant is fully open-air on the pool terrace at Makanda by the Sea, facing due west over the Pacific. Every table has an ocean view through the forest canopy. The restaurant does not have walls — the sounds of the rainforest, the evening breeze and the Pacific sky are part of the dining experience in a way no enclosed restaurant can replicate. The golden hour before sunset, when the light turns warm and the cocktail signatures are flowing at the bar, is the most atmospheric time to be at Árbol. Wildlife visits the hotel grounds regularly — toucans, white-faced monkeys and occasionally sloths in the nearby trees, particularly in the early morning and late afternoon. Dinner at Árbol as the sky goes from gold to deep red to Pacific dark is the experience most Makanda guests describe as their most memorable evening.
Reservations, Hours and How to Visit
Árbol Restaurant is open every day. Pool terrace breakfast 7:00–10:00. Pool terrace lunch and vegetarian menu 11:00–18:00. Happy Hour 16:00–18:00. Dinner service from 18:00. The restaurant is open to both Makanda hotel guests and outside visitors. Dinner reservation is strongly recommended, particularly between December and April. To reserve a table visit arbolrestaurant.com, email arbol@makanda.com, or call +506 4010-4337. The Signature Set Menu requires advance booking. Hotel guests at Makanda can arrange reservations through reception. The restaurant is located on the main road to Manuel Antonio, 3 kilometres from the national park entrance — 5 minutes by car from the park or town.
Direct booking tips before you travel
If you like to plan with zero surprises, review our official Reservation Policy before arrival so you know exactly how deposits, payments, and cancellations work.
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