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Don Rufino, La Fortuna, L Fortuna

Don Rufino

4.7
4.7
656 Reviews
$30 and under
International

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 21 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Great for fine wines
Don Rufino is about contemporary food, with a local touch. Fine, local, fresh ingredients, the use of novel cooking techniques and great passion, are the main components found in our kitchen and in each dish served.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    International, Fusion / Eclectic, Meat
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily 12:00 pm–4:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
    2479 9997
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Santiago Fernández Benedeto

What 656 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Costa Rica

    Best Overall

  • Costa Rica

    Best Food

  • Costa Rica

    Best Service

  • Costa Rica

    Innovative

  • Costa Rica

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Don Rufino in La Fortuna is a culinary gem, offering a "phenomenal dining experience" with innovative local ingredients. Patrons rave about the "amazing service" and "creative, flavorful dishes" like the Grandma chicken and bone marrow. The ambiance and extensive wine list enhance the upscale, memorable experience. Highly recommended for special occasions.

656 Reviews
  1. Yuriy

    New York City

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined today

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Tourist trap. We had ceviche, Grandma's chicken, and robalo white fish. Food was below average as far as taste, though well presented. Considering that prices are 1.5 to 2x over most of the restaurants in town, I kept wondering, why is it relatively well reviewed? As far as the ambience goes, the restaurant is nicely decorated inside, but you get a view of the gas station & appliances store across the street. Service was good. Overall, I think you could do better in almost any other restaurant in town.

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  2. Cat

    VIP

    Minneapolis

    36 reviews

    3.0

    36 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Great food but poor service and loud ambience. (Realizing we went on Valentine's day)

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  3. William

    VIP

    Tahoe

    13 reviews

    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Really enjoyed this place. From the drink service by cart to the presentation of the food to the attentive staff all were perfect.

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  4. Kristýna

    Costa Rica

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious food. Great place. Must do when in La Fortuna. Found this place in some blog post as a rec and that was a great rec. Really excellent dishes, perfectly seasoned and combined tastes tohether. Higly recommend

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  5. Kate

    Yorkshire

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and service would defo recommend. Great location too

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  6. Amy

    Washington DC

    37 reviews

    5.0

    37 reviews

    Dined on February 5, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    If your dining experience is important to your travels, this is the place that is worth the splurge. Exemplary service, wine that was remarkable, and the food was thoughtful, creative, and delicious. The desserts are Michelin Star worthy. Yeah, that good.

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  7. Abraham

    Fort Lauderdale

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 4, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food was horrible would not recommend. Pricey and not worth it

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  8. Chef Jewel

    New Orleans

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 31, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was amazing. Thank you for making my girls birthday dinner amazing.

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  9. David

    Philadelphia

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 27, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service and interesting way of using local ingredients in innovative ways.

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  10. Cristina

    New York City

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    El Rufino está ubicado cerca De la Iglesia de La Fortuna. Un ambiente cálido, con un servicio espetacular. Amigable y profissional. La comida muy buena, para nosotros la mejor que tuvimos en esa zona. La carta de vino excelente! Los precios de los vinos no son baratos, pero eso passa en toda la Costa Rica.

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FAQs

Don Rufino is rated 4.7 stars by 656 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 21 times today
Google Map for Don Rufino

Calle 466 Ave 142, Downtown, La Fortuna, L Fortuna 1417

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Alajuela
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily 12:00 pm–4:00 pm Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    International, Fusion / Eclectic, Meat
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Diners Club, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Santiago Fernández Benedeto
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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