The Mercado Central is everything a covered market should be: dense, fragrant, loud, and indispensable to the people who live around it. Butchers hang their cuts at the front, spice sellers offer dried chiles and medicinal herbs, and fishmongers pack ice around the morning catch. Push deeper and you find cheap sodas — the informal Costa Rican lunch counters — serving casados (the classic rice, beans, salad, and protein plate) for under a dollar more than the tourist zone charges.
This is one of the best places in San José to eat cheaply and well. The soup stalls are particularly good in the morning. It is also a working market, not a curated experience, so expect tight quarters, warm smells, and the occasional brushing-past. Watch your pockets in the busier sections.