The Cerdas family makes their mission clear: "We feel blessed to have the opportunity to share our traditional home-cooked foods. We hope your entire experience proves to be pura vida, which means pure life in Costa Rica."

Specialty: Costa Rican/Mexican cuisine

Attire: Casual

Location: Bucktown

Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm

Traditional home-cooked foods? Check. Look for avena, the trademark milkshake of Costa Rica made with an oatmeal base. Sounds different, but at $2.75, it can't hurt to give it a sip or two; other shake flavors include passion fruit, mango, pineapple and banana (tip: order a two-flavored shake for only a dollar extra).

Move on to the casado, a traditional Costa Rican plate packed with your choice of thin rib eye steak or chicken breast with caramelized onions, rice, beans and sweet plantains, all served over an egg and cabbage salad. A bargain at $10.

If you'd rather stick to plates from lands you know (like the land of Flash Taco) go for the award-winning vegetarian burrito made with sautéed mushrooms, or the chips with guacamole.