Thanksgiving in Costa Rica 2025: Weather and Where to Eat

If you are planning to visit Costa Rica over Thanksgiving, you’ve come to the right place for all the info!

If you are new here, I am Sarah and I am from the Boston area, but I now live in Costa Rica. It has been over 10 years since I left the United States, but Thanksgiving is still the one day of the year I get really homesick. To help ease my sadness of missing my family, I always try to do a big Thanksgiving celebration with my husband and friends in Costa Rica.

So, by default, I know all about the ingredients you can and can not buy, great restaurants where you can eat a Thanksgiving meal, what you can expect from the weather, and more! 

Let’s get to it!

Is Thanksgiving Celebrated in Costa Rica?

Traditionally, Thanksgiving is not a Costa Rican holiday. However, a few years ago the president enacted it as a holiday.

It’s not a day off of work or school and most Costa Ricans do not celebrate in any way.

I think it was mostly just a public relations thing to try and increase tourism from United States travelers. 

However, there are a lot of people from the United States who live in Costa Rica. That means that it is often possible to find some of your favorite Thanksgiving foods or find a restaurant that has a Thanksgiving meal.

If you are visiting from Canada and looking for info on Canadian Thanksgiving in October, there are a lot of restaurants that offer special menus on that day as well.

Here is one option I know of in Playas del Coco.

How to Cook Your Own Thanksgiving Meal

I cook Thanksgiving almost every year in Costa Rica and surprisingly it is not hard to find some of the specialties from home that you might want.

However, I live in San Jose so the grocery store selection is much better than a lot of other towns.

Here are all my tips for you….

The Best Grocery Store

Auto Mercado is by far the best grocery store for finding all the things you want from home for cooking Thanksgiving dinner. This grocery store is located throughout the country in larger towns. 

In our Auto Mercado in San Jose, they usually have an aisle endcap that is dedicated to Thanksgiving products. 

I can usually find canned pumpkin, canned cranberry sauce, and boxes of stuffing at the endcap. There are typically frozen Butterball turkeys in the poultry section. 

Alternatively, if you are staying somewhat near the Liberia Airport, you could check out the Walmart. I am not sure how great their selection is, but it is worth a try.

Recipes You Can Make from Costa Rican Ingredients

These are some dishes I typically make with ingredients I find here.

Turkey: Usually you can buy a turkey in the frozen section of major grocery stores. However, I have never found one that is under 12 pounds here. Plus, they typically come frozen so you will need to let it defrost for a few days. 

If this does not make sense for your travel plans you can always buy a whole chicken instead.

Another alternative is to be a premade rotisserie chicken. This can be bought at some grocery stores or at one of the many chicken shops throughout the country. Rotisserie chicken is actually very popular here.

Search for places selling “Pollo Entero” that means whole chicken. If you are in the San Jose or Alajuela area there is a chain called Rosti that sells good whole rotisserie chickens. 

Green Bean Casserole: You should have no problem finding fresh green beans in the produce section of most grocery stores. It is also often possible to find canned or frozen beans. 

Mashed potatoes: You can always buy everything you need for mashed potatoes at any major grocery store. Boxed mashed potatoes are also often available. 

Mac and Cheese: Cheese is somewhat pricey in Costa Rica, this particularly implies to imported cheese. I like to make my mac and cheese with cheddar cheese. A small bag of grated cheddar is usually about $6.00. You will have no problem finding a variety of noodle types and cream or milk. 

Stuffing: As I mentioned above, at Automercado you can often buy stuffing mix just before Thanksgiving. However, you could also opt to make your own. I’ve been using this recipe for the past few years and it has always turned out really good. 

Apple Pie: You can always buy apples at all grocery stores. I have also seen premade pie crust in Auto Mercado. Usually, I opt to make apple crisp instead of apple pie. This is just so much easier because you don’t need to deal with crust. Here’s a good apple crisp recipe.

Pumpkin Pie: In Auto Mercado you can usually find canned pumpkin. 

Cranberry Sauce: Usually at Auto Mercado at the special endcap I can find canned cranberry sauce. I, unfortunately, have never found fresh cranberries. You can usually find dried cranberries though if you at least want a salad with some taste of cranberries in it. I like this salad a lot.

For other vegetable-based dishes, you should have no problem. It is always possible to buy fresh vegetables throughout the country.

Using a Kitchen

If you would like to cook your own meal the best way to do that is to stay at a vacation rental property. 

I like the website VRBO for finding a comprehensive list of great vacation rentals. 

Just keep in mind that the kitchen might not be as well equipped as you are used to. In my experience, most ovens are decent-sized here because they come from the US. However, there is a chance that it could be a smaller oven that wouldn’t be able to hold a huge turkey. 

Also, keep in mind that you might end up with a lot of leftovers if you cook a big meal. This could be a problem if you are traveling to multiple locations.

I always like to pack some Tupperware containers when traveling around the country if I plan on cooking. They take up virtually no space in your luggage and can also be used to separate things in your bags. 

Hire a Private Chef

If it seems to daunting to cook your own Thanksgiving meal, you could always opt to hire a private chef to come cook for your group. This is always fun if you are staying in a villa with a large group of family or friends. 

If you are considering this, I suggest asking your VRBO host if they have any recommendations for great people to hire.

Travel Tip: If you are looking for a luxury trip with Thanksgiving planned for you, get in touch with our favorite travel planners. They are awesome and will plan an unforgettable trip for you catered to your exact wishes.

Restaurants Serving Thanksgiving Meals

I don’t have a set-in-stone list for you of places that are serving Thanksgiving in 2025. It tends to change every year. 

This Facebook group is a great spot to check for updates on places serving a nice Thanksgiving meal. 

Most places only announce a few weeks in advance, so stay tuned!

Travel Tip: If you opt to stay at an all-inclusive resort you can always have your own feast. It might not be a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but you can definitely eat plenty of food!

Black Friday in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, there are now often Black Friday deals at some stores. 

This typically isn’t of the same caliber as it is in the United States, but you can still sometimes find discounts. 

If you are traveling from the US, I don’t think it is worth trying to go to the malls on Black Friday in Costa Rica. Most things in this country are a lot more expensive than in the United States and even with discounts you won’t usually get great deals.

What Is the Weather Like in Costa Rica in November?

Typically late November is somewhat of a transition time in Costa Rica. The rains are starting to taper out and the dry season is rolling in.

You might experience some afternoon rain showers, but there typically aren’t complete washout days. Everything is still lush and green and the country isn’t overly crowded yet with high season tourists.

However, it’s very hard to predict. Some years it is still very rainy at this time of year. 

🗺️ Overwhelmed by options? Download the Trip Kit

The first year we lived in Costa Rica there was a hurricane that hit the Caribbean Coast over Thanksgiving. This is very rare though. Costa Rica doesn’t typically get hit by hurricanes. 

Check out our guide to Costa Rica weather in November for more info.

Typically, this is a great time if you want lower prices and not a ton of other tourists.

Conclusion: Thanksgiving in Costa Rica

In conclusion, Thanksgiving can be a great time to visit Costa Rica. You likely won’t have the typical meal that you are used to, but with some modifications, you can still enjoy Thanksgiving. 

If you have any questions about visiting at this time of year don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section below. We are always happy to help you plan.

These Posts Will Also Help You Plan…