Escazú's New Dinner Map: A Local's Guide to This Year's Biggest Restaurant Bets
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
Three established restaurants opened in Escazú between August and October 2026. Fogo de Chão opened at the Hotel Sheraton. Muelle 21 brought its Costa Rican seafood house to Guachipelín. Ibèrik opened a second Spanish restaurant north of La Paco. None of them was new to cooking. One is a Brazilian steakhouse brand with more than a hundred locations, and the other two have been running for years in other parts of the San José area.
What they share is how they built here. Fogo de Chão made Escazú its first Costa Rican location and gave it six separate spaces. Muelle 21 says its Escazú room takes the concept further than its first two locations. Ibèrik's Escazú menu is longer than the one in Sabana. Each brand used its Escazú address to show more of its range, not less.
La Nación reported in mid-July that Fogo de Chão planned to open its first restaurant in Costa Rica that month at the Sheraton in Escazú. By August 11, La República was reporting that it had officially opened, with CEO Barry McGowan at the opening.
The size is what stands out. The same La República report describes 690 square meters split into six spaces: a bar lounge, three main dining rooms and two terraces, one of which has a VIP area. In total it seats up to 240. The format is cuts cooked over open fire and carried to the table in a steady rotation, plus a Market Table and a bar menu. The brand was founded in Brazil in 1979, and McGowan told the paper that Escazú is its 123rd location worldwide.
For a brand at that scale, a first location in a new country sets the tone for the whole market. Fogo chose a hotel address in Escazú and built it with enough separate rooms for a corporate dinner, a birthday and a bar crowd to share the evening without overlapping.
Muelle 21 started in Tres Ríos in 2019 and opened a second location in Barrio Escalante in 2023. Its third opened in Escazú this year, as ACCIONCR reported in September. The restaurant lists its address as 250 meters northwest of Distrito 4, and its map pin sits in Guachipelín in San Rafael.
In the same article, the brand calls the Escazú room a step up from what it had built so far. Founding partner Rafael Torres made the case for coming here in direct terms: "We're not coming to be one more option. We're coming because what we bring is missing here." ACCIONCR's report notes that Escazú has one of the most competitive dining scenes in the country but no full-service Costa Rican seafood house with its own atmosphere.
That idea of a complete experience runs through the Escazú setup. The location has a bilingual photo menu, six signature cocktails, a curated soundtrack and staff trained to work as hosts rather than waiters. The dish to order is still the Pescado Entero Relleno de Camarones, a whole fish stuffed with shrimp that is large enough to share. Until this year, the closest Muelle 21 to Escazú was in Barrio Escalante.
Ibèrik's original restaurant is in La Sabana. Its second opened in Escazú in October, 300 meters north of the BAC in La Paco, with seating for 100 and 18 new jobs. Chef Jordi Cañameras designs the menu. Ileana Alfaro is a partner and the general manager.
This opening backs up the larger-room idea most directly. Rumbo Económico reports that the Escazú location has an expanded menu that builds on the one in Sabana. The two share a kitchen philosophy, and the main difference is in the atmosphere and the layout of the space. The Escazú building has a main dining room, a terrace, VIP rooms, outdoor areas and its own parking.
Alfaro explained the choice of location in the same report: "We chose Escazú because it's an area with a dynamic food scene and diners who value the experience around the table."
The center of the room is a paella kitchen you can watch. As Hoy Dónde Estamos describes it, diners can follow the sofrito, the saffron, the stock coming to a boil and the crisp socarrat forming in iron pans. A temperature- and humidity-controlled wine cellar holds bottles from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rías Baixas and Priorat. Reservations are by phone at 8811-0057 or 2101-7699.
All three brands built their Escazú locations around separate spaces, not a single dining room, so the useful question is which room fits which evening.
| Fogo de Chão | Muelle 21 | Ibèrik | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Hotel Sheraton, Escazú | 250 m northwest of Distrito 4, Guachipelín | 300 m north of BAC La Paco |
| Opened | August 2026 | September 2026 | October 2026 |
| Capacity | Up to 240 | Not published | 100 |
| Private space | VIP area on one of two terraces | Not published | VIP rooms |
| Built for | Big groups and visitors in town | Shared seafood with friends | Long Spanish lunches and wine pairings |
| Order first | Fire-roasted cuts and the Market Table | Pescado Entero Relleno de Camarones | Paella from the open kitchen |
With three main dining rooms, Fogo has the most room for a large group. Ibèrik's private rooms and Fogo's terrace VIP area suit a celebration that needs its own door. Muelle 21's format centers on one large platter for the whole table, so it works best for a group that plans to share.
Hours are where these three differ most, and Sunday is the clearest example. Each restaurant lists the following hours on its website or in its opening coverage. Check before you go, since new restaurants often adjust their schedules in the first months.
On Sunday, Muelle 21 and Ibèrik close by late afternoon, which makes both of them lunch spots that day. A paella takes time, so a Sunday table at Ibèrik works best if you arrive soon after noon. Fogo de Chão is the only one of the three serving Sunday dinner, until 10 p.m. On Friday and Saturday nights, Fogo and Muelle 21 stay open until 11 p.m. and Ibèrik closes at 10.
The three addresses are spread across the canton. Ibèrik is in La Paco, Muelle 21 is near Distrito 4 in Guachipelín, and Fogo de Chão is at the Sheraton. Ibèrik has its own parking lot, according to Rumbo Económico's report. Muelle 21's website links to a map pin for directions, which helps because it is listed by landmark rather than a street address.
If these new rooms have you thinking about how your own home hosts a long Sunday table, Bryana Conway can help you plan the layout, the finishes and the build so the space works for the gatherings you actually host. Let's Connect.
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