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    Pura Vida

    4.2 (10 reviews)
    Closed • 12:00 pm - 11:00 PM

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    House Salad, Tropical Shrimps Paradise on Crispy Plantains, Casados / Pura Vida Special with Grilled Fish, Arroz con Camarones
    Sel Z.

    Having newly opened, Pura Vida already garners word of mouth as being a cozy and casual spot for Costa Rican food in the city. The interior is bright, airy, and inviting, with lots of greens and a big screen depicting Costa Rica's rainforest. The ambience if very casual. They offer dine-in, take-out, and delivery. Service is fast and friendly. There are street parking and Green P parking nearby, as well as TTC stops (bus, streetcar, subway) only steps away - a very convenient location to get to! They serve Costa Rican classics such as gallo pinto, fried plantains, all-day breakfast, tacos, empanadas, and soups. All the dishes we tried were excellent, with colourful plates, lots of vegetables, and nice flavours. 1) House Salad (spinach, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, carrot, white onion, avocado) - Fresh, good portion, good mix of vegetables in a salad. 2) Tropical Shrimps Paradise on Crispy Plantains (shrimps, mango, red onions, garlic, avocado, and cilantro, served on fried green plantains) - I thought this dish was unique, modern, and inventive by mixing the ingredients that you'd typically find in a ceviche, and putting them onto crispy vessels of fried plantains (that stayed crispy despite the wetness of the content that they were holding). Each bite consisted of the crispy plantain and burst of flavour of the shrimps, chunks of mango, cilantro, and other ingredients. It tasted refreshing and had a bit of a kick (perhaps from the garlic). 3) Casados / Pura Vida Special (gallo pinto (Costa Rican-flavoured rice and beans) with coleslaw, mixed vegetables, fried plantains, and choice of protein) - We chose grilled cod fish fillet as the protein selection. This dish was hearty and had the best of Costa Rican staples. 4) Arroz con Camarones (Spanish yellow rice mixed with shrimps and vegetables, served with house salad) - This came out a bit different from the Arroz con Camarones that I was used to at other Central American establishments. The rice was more akin to fried rice with shrimps with peas and carrots, but it was still pretty good. 5) Stir-Fried Jackfruit with Red Bell Pepper and Corn - This was an add-on that we ordered (instead of getting a whole extra Pura Vida Special dish with the jackfruit). This was probaby one of my favourite dishes here. Glad that they offer vegan option as a protein choice in the casados, and you can also get it on its own as a side.

    Phuong P.

    I was most excited about the guacamole & plantain but it felt like something was missing. The plantain was fried and slight salted and the guac was creamy but perhaps it was missing an acidic flavour. Overalls, it was a miss for me. Overall, busy spot with constant traffic. The spot is cozy and can be tight during busy hours.

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    After Seven - High tea

    After Seven

    4.6(71 reviews)
    4.5 km•Downtown Core

    Late to this Speakeasy behind Misfit Ice Cream (formerly Kome Yogurt... RIP)... Great drinks and…read morevibes. The small space gets busy on Tuesday nights, Fridays and weekends. Note to self: book a table next time! I came with 3 friends on a Tuesday night after dinner, and it was busy and all tables were reserved. We managed to snag seats at the bar. Not as comfortable, but front row seats to bartenders making the drinks. Service is perfect -- courteous without being interruptive or overbearing. Drinks were great! A nice range of beverages, and even a selection of mocktails too. Several things on the menu with Asian flavours, which was well executed. There was something for everyone!

    I am a fan of Asian inspired flavors for cocktails, and this one is no exception. From oolong teas…read moreto yuzu and exotic fruits, there are a wide variety of creative flavors to choose from. Not going to lie, we had trouble finding the entrance, even after looking it up online, but it is through the shop in the corner of that block and through a vending machine door. There was already kind of a line waiting in the shop on the side, so we did not order the #8 to get in. It is dimly lit and has good music playing, but the area inside is on the smaller side. The drinks are on the expensive side but the drinks are higher quality. The staff was also very nice, they provided phone chargers for us when our phones were about to die.

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    After Seven - Dark knight

    Dark knight

    After Seven
    After Seven - Entrance

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    Entrance

    Esto Es Colombia

    Esto Es Colombia

    4.0(12 reviews)
    3.5 km

    They get 2.5 stars…read more Bandeja paisa: steak was decent, crackling was so-so (pretty crispy but not that moist or flavourful). Sausage tasted decent but slightly dry. Egg was a bit overdone & arepa was decent though somewhat crispy  Beans were decent. Plantain was so-so (not crispy or sweet). Pork tenderloin was pretty tasty but tough & dry especially for a tenderloin. Rice was decent, with a slight flavour, but a bit mushy. Plantain was crispy. The restaurant interior was decorated quite nicely but was very warm (in summer) & service was disorganised & some servers didn't speak English well so communication was sometimes difficult. I asked if the pork tenderloin had a sauce; they said no but it came with a tomato & peppers sauce. They also billed me wrongly.

    Incredibly delicious food, authentically Colombian, big portions, and amazing value for money. The…read moreseafood dishes are filled with various different kinds of high-quality seafood to the brim (more protein than rice). All the staff are so friendly - from the waitstaff to the chefs / owners and kitchen staff, everyone in the restaurant seems to exhibit the Latin American hospitality and friendliness. The place feels homey, cozy, and festive with the music in the background (from the TV screen on the wall), and big photos depicting different places in Colombia along the wall. Ambience is very laid-back and casual, with amazing food that tastes homemade and authentic. It took a while for the food to cook and come out (about 40 minutes) - mostly because of the Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup) that took the longest to cook. It was also during a very busy time on a weekend. They seemed to have a constant flow of incoming catering and take-out orders (a good sign), and the restaurant itself was packed. All / most mains come with coconut rice, salad, and tostones (fried plantains). As for drinks, you can order freshly squeezed juices in either water or milk. We ordered the fresh strawberry & blackberry juice in water, as the one in milk would make it more like a smoothie. Each juice order comes in a jug (whether it be a small or large jug). This came as a surprise to us - really good value for such a large volume of juice ($6 for a whole "small" jug that turned out to be quite big, enough to refill each glass a few times for 2 people). The juice itself tasted fresh, natural, and refreshing. Dishes that we tried: 1) Filete de Tilapia con Camarones (grilled tilapia fish fillet & shrimps with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Big pieces of fish and lots of small shrimps, in a very delectable sauce. 2) Arroz Marinero (seafood rice with plantain & salad) - Loved this dish. The rice was a bit soupy which I liked. It was a bit like a soupy paella (including the rice) - very delicious and packed with various kinds of seafood. 3) Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Very creamy soup, like a chowder. I'm not a big fan of chowders / cream-based soups in general, but others liked it and said this was good. 4) SIDE: Ensalada (House Salad) 5) Arepa de Chocolo con Queso (sweet corn dough with cheese) All of the main dishes were EXCELLENT - loved the mixed seafood (fish fillet, shrimps, octopus, squid, etc.). There was so much seafood in every dish. In most places, you get more carbs / rice compared to the protein. Here, it was the opposite. The coconut rice was a bit dry but it's decent - good to soak up the sauces of the main dishes. The salad is just shredded cabbage and carrot with big sliced tomato. I was a big fan of the salad dressing (some creamy mayo-like dressing), but luckily the dressing was only at the top of the salad (the bottom part of the salad remained fresh and crunchy, which I liked). We ordered the Arepa de Chocolo con Queso for to go. It was different than the Venezuelan arepa that I'm used to. The Colombian arepa seemed to be sweeter and more buttery. It probably would've been better if it was eaten right after it was freshly made, and while it was still warm. There was a lot of cheese in the arepa, giving it a nice salty and savoury contrast to the sweet corn dough. After you're done the meal, you go up to the counter to pay (instead of having the bill brought to your table). Great food overall - I would not hesitate to come back.

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    Esto Es Colombia
    Esto Es Colombia - Bandeja Paisa  White rice, beans, steak, pork crackling, egg. Colombian sausage, sweet plantain, corn flatbread and avocado.

    Bandeja Paisa White rice, beans, steak, pork crackling, egg. Colombian sausage, sweet plantain, corn flatbread and avocado.

    Esto Es Colombia

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    Pura Vida - latin - Updated October 2026

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