Dragonfly Bar & Grill

Restaurant in Playa Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Dinner in Tamarindo, a short stroll from the center

Dragonfly Bar & Grill opened in January 2005 in Tamarindo, Guanacaste's busy visitor town a short drive from Playa Flamingo. It serves dinner only, nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., tucked away a short stroll from the town center. That placement works if you already have a hotel in Tamarindo and want to walk, and it is a planned outing if you are based in Flamingo or another nearby beach.

The kitchen uses fresh local ingredients and changes the menu with the season, pairing creative culinary cooking with wines, cocktails, and craft beers. The atmosphere is charming and romantic, which suits a slower evening rather than a quick beach bite. Large groups can be seated on a typical night, and the restaurant also handles private events.

If your lodging is in Playa Flamingo, treat this as a Tamarindo dinner, not a restaurant on Flamingo beach. Confirm where to meet when you book, then build the rest of the night around the 5:30 opening and 10:00 close.

Seasonal cuisine, fusion plates, and drinks

Dragonfly presents creative culinary cuisine and adapts options through the year, so the first useful question is what is on tonight's menu. Fusion cooking with Asian, Latin American, and Mediterranean influences has included sushi rolls, ceviche, steaks, gourmet burgers, and fajitas. Plates have included a tofu Buddha bowl, worth asking about if you want a vegetarian option. Because the board is seasonal, name the style you want when you reserve rather than assuming a favorite dish will be there.

Drinks sit beside the food: wines, cocktails, and craft beers, including handcrafted cocktails such as a blackberry mojito and wines such as Malbec. If you care about a specific bottle or a lighter drink, ask in the afternoon when you book.

Mention allergies, spice preference, and vegetarian or vegan needs before you arrive. A seasonal, locally sourced menu is easier to adjust when the kitchen has notice. If the meal is a birthday or a rehearsal dinner, say that in the same message so the team can tell you what they can arrange for a group.

Hours, reservations, and closed dates

Open nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Reservations go by call, text, or WhatsApp to +506 8805-7777, by landline to +506 2653-1506, and by email to dragonflybarandgrill@gmail.com. Send those messages before 4:30 p.m. Set a reminder if you will be on a boat, a tour, or the road from Liberia. After 4:30 p.m. you may still eat, but you should not count on a same-day booking being taken.

The restaurant is closed May 17 through May 24, 2026. If your travel window includes those dates, choose another night or another restaurant before you promise the table to guests.

Tamarindo gets busy in dry season and around holidays. Two people on a midweek night might try walking in; six or more, a weekend, or a celebration should be booked. Large groups are taken on a nightly basis, which helps in a town of small dining rooms, but a last-minute dozen still needs a yes from the restaurant.

Private events, weddings, and birthdays

The restaurant can accommodate up to 150 guests for private events, including rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, birthdays, and similar gatherings. Contact the team to discuss the specific event. Have a date, a headcount, and a sense of whether you need the full restaurant or a section inside the 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. service window.

Before you call, gather adult and child counts, dietary notes, and a rough timeline if you are coming from a beach ceremony. Ask how a seasonal menu would be written for a group, whether wine or cocktail service can be planned, and what time guests should arrive so dinner is not rushed before close. Capacity of 150 is a maximum, not a default; smaller receptions should still reserve.

Guests split between Flamingo hotels and Tamarindo rentals need a meeting point and a ride plan. Tamarindo is a common evening destination for North Guanacaste visitors, but it is not a walk from Flamingo. Assign drivers or book taxis before speeches begin, and ask what last seating still leaves room for toasts.

Getting there from Playa Flamingo or around Tamarindo

From a Tamarindo hotel, plan on a short walk from the town center. Streets can be uneven and dim after dinner, so shoes you can walk in and a phone light are more useful than beach sandals. The 10:00 p.m. close means you can walk back while town is still active.

From Playa Flamingo you need a car, taxi, or driver. The coastal road is a normal evening drive, but it is dark, sometimes wet from May through November, and shared with walkers. Leave a buffer after sunset. Do not look for this restaurant in Flamingo's beach plaza; start from Tamarindo's center and walk the short distance from there.

A workable day looks like this: beach or boat in the morning, rest through the hot afternoon, a reservation message before 4:30 p.m. if you have not already booked, sunset on Flamingo or Tamarindo beach, then a 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. seating. For much of the year, Guanacaste sunset falls before or near opening time, so you can watch the sky and still sit down without skipping either.

If you drive from Flamingo, give yourself time to find a legal place to leave the car in town and save a taxi number for the return, where late-night street hails can be harder to find than in Tamarindo.

Choosing a sit-down dinner in Guanacaste

North Guanacaste evenings split between casual sodas, beach grills, and reservation rooms. Dragonfly belongs to the third group: dinner hours only, seasonal cooking, a drinks list, and space for large parties.

Ask every restaurant in this category the same practical questions. Do you need lunch, or is dinner enough? How far will you travel after dark? Do you need a long table or a private room? Can tonight's seasonal menu handle allergies or a vegetarian plate? What is the latest seating that still feels unrushed? For a wedding-related meal, what is the real capacity on your date?

Budget and dress are worth asking about when you book. Many visitors come sandy from the beach; a romantic Tamarindo dinner usually works better in neat resort casual, but only the restaurant can tell you if you are welcome as you are. If you need a company invoice, or if you prefer to pay in colones, dollars, or by card, ask in the same call.

If the May 2026 closure, a full events calendar, or the drive from Flamingo does not fit, stay in the same sit-down category unless you actually want a simpler soda meal. Flamingo and Tamarindo both have rooms that cook with local seafood and produce. Use the same checklist: hours, group size, dietary needs, and a ride home.

What to have ready before you contact them

Write down party size, date, and a second-choice time. Use +506 8805-7777 for call, text, or WhatsApp, +506 2653-1506 for the landline, or dragonflybarandgrill@gmail.com for a longer event note, and send it before 4:30 p.m. Costa Rica time. WhatsApp is often the fastest once you are in the country.

If children are coming, ask whether a simpler plate can come off the seasonal menu. If you have an early flight from Liberia, the 10:00 p.m. close keeps the night from running late; still plan the drive back to Flamingo and any drinks around who is behind the wheel.

For a birthday or rehearsal dinner, send names, timing, and any cake or flower ideas in one message so you get a clear yes or no. Then put the table on the day's map: sunset first, walk or drive from Tamarindo's center, dinner from 5:30, and a return before town fully winds down. That sequence is how this restaurant fits a Guanacaste day, especially for visitors who sleep in Playa Flamingo and want one planned evening in Tamarindo.

Phone: +506 8805-7777