Review of Sheriff Rustic in Playa Samara - 5-22-2012

Sheriff Rustic in Playa Samara, Costa Rica

Sheriff Rustic is a small "soda," the Costa Rican term for a small, locally owned restaurant, right on the beach in Playa Samara. Unlike the beach bars in town like La Vela Latina, Locanda and Lo Que Hay, Sheriff Rustic is open only for breakfast and lunch...no dinner and drink service. Also unlike those places, Sheriff Rustic has an authentic, easy feel to it that says in no uncertain terms, "this is how Ticos vacation."



Sheriff Rustic in Playa Samara, Costa Rica

The soda serves local fare like beans and rice, casadas (meat, beans, rice, plantains and sometimes fresh fruit), fresh fruit, etc. and tourist food like hot dogs, burgers, fried chicken and similar fast food offerings. Burgers with fries are about $5, hot dogs go for $4. Traditional Costa Rican casadas go for between $6 and $7, depending on the meat you order. An Imperial is $2 and they serve it in a cup. I loved the fried chicken here. For $5, you get either a breast and wing or a thigh and leg, plus a pile of French fries and a mixed green salad with oil and vinegar dressing. The chicken was golden brown, juicy and seasoned to perfection -- flavorful, not salty. It's such a good deal for $5. I've heard the burgers and casadas are good too, but I stuck to the fried chicken...it was that good.

Sheriff Rustic in Playa Samara, Costa Rica

Sheriff Rustic sits underneath an awning and is further shaded by the branches of several huge old trees. Both provide a welcome respite from the day's heat. The dark brown, heavy wooden tables and dark brown sand floor give the restaurant a rustic, beachy feel, as does the line of surfboards propped up against the tree right in front of the restaurant. Particularly strong high tides sometimes come up almost to the restaurant itself. Eat here during high tide and you can listen to the pounding waves while watching some of the best local surfers do their thing. Conversely, eat here during low tide and you're treated to a parade of expats, tourists and locals walking the wide beach as the waves lap lazily against the sand 100 yards away from your seat. In either case, the soft salsa music playing in the background really brings home the fact that you're vacationing in a beach side paradise.



Sheriff Rustic in Playa Samara, Costa Rica

Find Sheriff Rustic by walking Samara's main street all the way to the beach, and then turn right at the sand. Walk about 50 yards and you'll see its tables and chairs behind Coco's Surf School. If you've reached Tutti Frutti, Bar Tabanuco, or the grass campus at the Intercultura Spanish School, turn around because you've gone too far down the beach.