Rosa - Samara

We had a fantastic experience at Restaurante Rosa. We were having a difficult time finding a place that looked good for dinner as we had a poor lunch experience, however, this place exceeded expectations. The owner, a local who moved from France was our server and was so kind and helpful. He made great food recommendations and helped us order. All of our drinks and meals were fantastic and the service was impeccable. A few of us had the chicken and mushroom risotto and others had the shrimp bruschetta. Both were delicious. We would absolutely return. Thank you for a great meal in Sámara!

Best food AND best prices in Sámara, maybe Costa Rica! Everything was delicious, seasoned and cooked to perfection. The servers were friendly, attentive and knowledgeable, which is not easy to find in CR. We keep going back! The steak and burger are amazing, but they have great vegan options as well, including the avocado burger. My favorite is the tuna poke bowl, I could eat it every day! It's impossible to get bored of the menu as they have new specials every day and all are worth trying, especially the ribs. Last but not least, the cocktails! Balanced flavours, nice presentation and some innovative plays on the classics. Not too sweet, which is beyond rare in these parts. 5 stars!

We came here after reading the multiple really positive reviews about the restaurant. The food was mostly fine. The roast vegetables were very good. However a word of warning, “Caramelized Tuna” is not tuna that is fried low and slow (like caramelized onions). It is actually tuna steak covered in caramel sauce. This was the first time I’ve ever returned food at a restaurant in my many years of eating out. Luckily, the kitchen was very accommodating when I asked them to just wash the caramel Off and squeeze some lime on it instead (though I did see the chefs pointing and whispering about me afterwards since it was an open kitchen, and they saw that I saw them). The wine selection was good. At the end when we went to pay, we were informed that they don’t take credit card, and the owner said that it’s been a month since they’ve done this. If there had been a visible sign saying this, we would have not decided to eat here since it took a big chunk of cash out of our chequing accounts. Cash/sinpe only is to be expected from smaller places, but not “higher end” restaurants such as this one. The owner was kind enough to drive me to my hostel so I could pick up my cash from there. All in all, our visit left a caramel-y taste in our mouths and a big hole in our cash-on-hand.

Rosa is right in the center of Samara, across from the church and near BNCR. There isn't a parking lot but street parking wasn't difficult. We were walk-ins and seated immediately but we were early and got lucky. In retrospect, I recommend reservations. The waitress was friendly and fast, but not pushy, allowing us to enjoy our time. The cocktails were good and refreshed regularly. The menu is small and covers a good variety, including vegetarian options. It is a weekly rotation, so something new each week. Everyone at our table enjoyed their meals which ranged from Tuna tartar, to angus hamburger to pork ribs. Live music on the roof above the restaurant, where the bar is located, was a nice addition.

We came after reading the many really positive reviews about the restaurant. The food was mostly good. The roasted vegetables were very good. A word of warning, “Caramelized Tuna”, however, is not tuna that fried low and slow (like caramelized onions). It is actually tuna steak covered with caramel sauce. This was the first time I ever returned to a restaurant in my many years of eating. Fortunately, the kitchen was very polite when I asked her to wash off the caramel and instead squeeze some lime (although I saw that the chefs show me later and whisper when it was an open kitchen, and they saw that I saw her). The wine selection was good. In the end, when we went to pay, we were informed that they were not a credit card, and the owner said that it was a month since they did this. If it had been a visible sign that would have said this, we would not have decided to eat here, as it would have taken a big crack of cash from our chewing accounts. Cash/Sinpe is only expected from smaller places, but not “higher end” restaurants like this. The owner was kind to drive me to my hostel so I could pick up my money from there. All in all, our visit made a caramel taste in our mouth and a big hole in our bar-on hand.