Gallo Pinto In Costa Rica
Written by Nikki Solano
Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️
The information about gallo pinto below is an excerpt from our full Costa Rica Food Guide. To learn about other types of Costa Rican food, visit our free food guide:
Get the Costa Rica info you need by browsing our article's TABLE OF CONTENTS:
What is gallo pinto?
A typical Costa Rican breakfast
Arguably the most Costa Rican of all things to eat in Costa Rica is gallo pinto. This staple breakfast dish is eaten by Ticos (Costa Ricans) daily. You’ll eat it daily too (and perhaps get tired of doing so) if you plan to spend a significant amount of time in the country. If it helps you any, gallo pinto is my favorite Costa Rican food, and I’m not even a big fan of beans.
Gallo pinto is built with two staple food items: white rice and black beans (less frequently, red beans are used). It’s a mix of the two foods, together with flavorful additions like salt and Costa Rica’s signature sauce, Salsa Lizano. The end product is a dry dish full of soft (and somewhat bland) rice and beans, supplemented by Lizano‘s tangy (but not spicy) zip. The dish gets its name (which translates to “speckled rooster) from the beans speckled throughout the dish.
Some servings of gallo pinto also include potent cilantro–a green, parsley-looking herb–which is an acquired taste. Sweet red pepper and onion may also be included.
Where to try gallo pinto in Costa Rica
Perhaps the easier question to answer here is where can’t you try gallo pinto in Costa Rica? To which we would answer, “nowhere!” Every restaurant in Costa Rica that serves Costa Rican cuisine and is open for breakfast has a plate full of gallo pinto with your name on it.
How to pronounce gallo pinto
GUY-YOH / PEEN-TOH
- Gallo: 2 syllables / equal emphasis on both syllables
- Pinto: 2 syllables / equal emphasis on both syllables
Want to make Costa Rican gallo pinto yourself? Check out the recipe in our related blog post here:
QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Have you tried gallo pinto in Costa Rica? What did you think?
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