A long-standing favourite right on the main road through Santa Elena, Morpho's serves the kind of straightforward Costa Rican food the area does well. Casados — the standard plate of rice, beans, salad, fried plantain and a protein — are large and good. The black bean soup and tortilla soup are reliably warming on a cool, misty evening.
The decor is heavy on butterflies (the restaurant is named for the morpho), which can feel kitsch but is genuinely in keeping with the local fauna. Prices sit a notch above the soda-level competition but service is friendly and portions are generous. Vegetarian options are easy.