Find the Real Food Fast: How Locals Eat

Skip TripAdvisor's front page and go straight to Google Maps. Filter by 4.5 stars, open now, and sort by most reviewed. Then scroll past the top five — the sixth or seventh result is usually where the locals actually eat. No tourist pricing, no watered-down version of the dish.

Two more moves that work everywhere: ask your hotel's housekeeper or the person behind the counter at the grocery store. Not the concierge, not the front desk — they're paid to recommend the places that pay them back. The housekeeper eats near the hotel every day. That's the intel you want.

For Costa Rica specifically: soda restaurants are the local standard. A soda serves casado — rice, beans, protein, salad — for under $6. Cleaner than most tourist spots, faster, and the food is honest. Walk away from the tourist corridor one block in any direction and prices drop by half.