Celeste

Tourism Service in Las Catalinas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Celeste is the beachfront restaurant on Playa Danta in Las Catalinas, a compact, walkable town on Costa Rica's Guanacaste coast. It stands on the former Limonada site and was redesigned as a two-level dining room. Tables sit indoors, on the patio, and out toward the sand. The kitchen works with Costa Rican ingredients from the ocean, mountains, and nearby farms. The bar focuses on craft cocktails, beer, and wine.

Beachfront tables on Playa Danta

Once you are in town, Las Catalinas is designed for walking and bikes. That makes a meal here a natural pause in a beach day rather than a separate excursion. The restaurant sits on Playa Danta. Outdoor seating is close enough to the shoreline that lunch can be taken with feet in the sand. Indoor tables and patio dining give you a choice when the sun is high or a breeze picks up.

Upstairs, the Canopy Lounge sits among trees. Howler monkeys can be spotted in the trees around the lounge, and birds are part of the setting. The lounge uses deep blue, silver, and lighter tones. A banquet area and several seating arrangements mean a group can settle above the beach instead of on it. Downstairs, sand-colored chairs, white tables, and dark blue cushions keep the room in the same coastal palette.

Casual dress is the code. Wheelchair access, a gender-neutral restroom, and an outdoor smoking area are available. American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa are accepted. Takeout is offered if you would rather carry food back to a rental.

Menu highlights and mixed diets

The menu mixes Costa Rican plates with international and Latin cooking. Specialties include fish ceviche, fresh catch of the day, local prawns, an Angus hamburger, and tenderloin. Camarones al coco come with a sweet-and-sour sauce. Parmesan fries are served with garlic aioli and chipotle ketchup. The cheese burger is plated with cheddar and a choice of french fries or fresh fruit.

Vegetarian-friendly dishes, vegan options, and gluten-free items are on the menu. That helps when a table includes mixed diets after a morning in the water. You can come for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch. Call +506 2654 4600 or email celeste.restaurant@lascatalinascr.com to lock in hours, Tuesday service, and weekend brunch. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday from 15:00 to 18:00.

Craft cocktails and the bar

A full bar covers beer, wine, and cocktails, with corkage if you bring a bottle. The Ginny Rita is a skinny margarita of jalapeño-infused tequila, fresh ginger, and lime. The blackberry-thyme mojito uses thyme-infused rum, blackberries, basil, sugar cane, lime, and club soda. Other drinks on the list include the Paloma Pufferfish with mezcal, grapefruit, lime, and soda. The Tico Tini mixes vanilla vodka, coffee liqueur, cinnamon, Costa Rican espresso, and coconut milk.

Monkey Biz pairs gin with starfruit, lime, and tonic. Sunset By The Sea uses hibiscus-infused vodka, passionfruit, orange syrup, and soda. The Miraflores Mule combines mezcal, grilled pineapple, ginger beer, and lime. The Celeste Midnight brings together bourbon, cassis, lemon, simple syrup, hibiscus syrup, and Angostura bitters. Smoothies with local fruit sit alongside the cocktail list.

If your group cares more about drinks than a long dinner, start with the bar or time the meal for late afternoon. If you prefer wine with food, corkage and a full bar both work. Decide before you sit whether you want sand-level tables, the patio, or the Canopy Lounge. The drinks list is the same, but the setting is not.

Picking a kitchen in a walkable town

The town's food cluster is close by on foot. Nearby options include Ponciana and Ponciana Bar, Pots & Bowls, and The Deli at Copper and Stone Gourmet Market. Papagayo Brewhouse, La Taqueria at the Beach Club, and Cuatro Calle La Ronda sit in the same compact grid. Pascual, Coquelicot, Tamaki, and La Pampa Grill add still more choices. Celeste is the Playa Danta beachfront room with a dedicated cocktail list and both sand-level and canopy seating.

Choose it when the beach itself is the point of the meal. That can mean ceviche and catch of the day facing the water. It can mean a burger and fries after swimming. Choose a brewery, taqueria, or market deli when you want a quicker bite, a different cuisine, or a second stop later in the evening.

For families, the burger, fries, and fruit option sits next to seafood, which makes sharing easier. For a longer meal, indoor seating or the Canopy Lounge is more sheltered than a table on the sand. For late afternoon light, outdoor tables face the water. Give yourself time to be seated. Tables are arranged by phone or email. Meals fall in the 7,500 to 15,000 colones range, a useful comparison against other kitchens in town.

Parking, walking, and a simple beach day

The address is Playa Danta, Las Catalinas, Guanacaste. Parking is a private lot. Once you leave the car, the rest of the visit is on foot. That is how the town is meant to work, with less time in traffic and more time between the beach, paths, and restaurants. Guests staying in town can walk over without a drive. Guests coming from elsewhere in Guanacaste should allow time to park and stroll rather than expecting a table at the curb.

A straightforward Playa Danta day is a morning swim, shade through midday heat, then a late lunch or an afternoon cocktail hour that turns into dinner. Weekend brunch fits the same pattern if you want the beach setting earlier. After dinner you are already walking. A second stop at the brewery, the taqueria, or the gourmet market is a short stroll, not another parking exercise.

What to bring, then how to reach them

Sun protection matters at outdoor tables, and a light layer helps after the afternoon breeze comes up. Casual clothes match the beach. If anyone needs vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free cooking, say so when you book or arrive. The same goes for allergies. The kitchen can then point you to the right plates.

Settle party size in advance, plus a preference for sand-side seating or the Canopy Lounge. Ask whether weekend brunch is running and what the catch of the day is. Takeout is available if you are heading back to a rental after a boat trip or a hike.

Reach Celeste at +506 2654 4600 or celeste.restaurant@lascatalinascr.com. Ask for a sand-side table if the water is the point, or for the Canopy Lounge if you want shade in the trees. Then walk the rest of the town after you eat.

Location

Phone: +506 2654 4600