Tucanes Restaurant

Let me start by saying that I am Costa Rican. I have tried all the Costa Rican restaurants in NJ. They each have their own specialty. I highly recommend this restaurant. The foods here are as if they were home made Costa Rican. The service is impeccable. Arturo from the town of Perez Zeledon (same place where Keylor Navas –the 2016 UEFA champions league champion goalie for Real Madrid– came from) is affable and knows his Futbol well. The only problem is that he had an Herediano jersey hanging, but no one is perfect. There are two big screen TVs where one could watch matches from la Sele. I tried the Olla de carne and it was spot on delicious. This is a typical Costa Rican soup. The yuca was perfectly cooked and simmered with plantain, corn maize, chayote and a tender meat that melted in your mouth. I also Had the Casado with carne en salsa. This was so good with the blend of traditional Costa Rican staple of white rice and black beans balanced by a fried egg and the sauce from the meat. This was spot on delicious. However, you should not leave Tucanes without trying the Churchill which is Costa Rican shaved ice with powdered milk, condensed milk and ice cream.

Great authentic Costa Rican restaurant. We enjoyed a nice meal with friends. Food was very good and everything from fruit drink to dessert was Costa Rica. I could shut my eyes and I’m there. I highly suggest trying this place. It might be your new favorite spot.

I had been in this restaurant more than 4 times, never wrote a review cause I did not know about Unilocal,but let me tell you, this is a very inviting place, more like a family environment, the food is amazing and the attention has no word to describe, I will recommend the seafood soup which they make really good. Great place looking forward to go back again and again!!! Love this place!!!

For the first time ever having Costa Rican food it was a great experience! The waitress was very attentive and able to help with my indecisiveness. The food was made on the spot even their tortilla chips. I will definitely come until I’ve tried majority of the menu.

I’ve been here a couple of times and the food is always good and the service is usually good. I came here recently and the service was horrible. At first the waitress was nice but she was not attentive. After we finished our meal we waited an hour for our check. An hour is a ridiculous amount of time to wait for a check. The restaurant is small and I could hear her in the back talking and making jokes. This was the first time I went to have dinner here, I usually go during lunch and the service was great. I was extremely disappointed with the service I received that night, especially because I was bringing a friend to try Costa Rican food for the first time.

First time eating Costa Rican and I loved it! Waitress was super nice and accommodating. Latin flavors are the best!

Clean, consistently good food, friendly wait staff and nice atmosphere!

Eh. A bit disappointed. Went last year, and it was amazing! Now? Ceviche sucked, cas was not as amazing, piña drink, tres leches sucked :(i wanted to like it so bad too. Platanos were better. & The lomo saltado was okay. Peruvians do it better though tbh lol.

I stumbled upon this place when I was looking for a place to eat in the area — what a great find! The staff was welcoming, very pleasant and helpful; the food was delicious and presented beautifully; and the facility was clean, organized and tropically decorated. Our waiter made menu suggestions, as we were not familiar with the cuisine, and we were not rushed out of the place when we finished our meals.
If you’re looking for a good spot, this is the place!

One of the best places to eat and receive a great customer service! Me and my wife love this place. Their «Pinto especial» and their «Picada» are our favorite ones!

I have a good friend who is Costa Rican so he was pretty excited to try this place out. Beforehand I had only been to one other Costa Rican place and it was decent. This place upon entering seemed to be a lot more fancy than the other place I checked out. This place has a very tropical atmosphere, obviously because Costa Rica is a tropical place. I Decided on shredded chicken rice as my meal. It came with fries and a side salad.
I thought it was cool that the owner lived 10 minutes away from where my friend used to live in Costa Rica. It’s truly a small world after all! The owner was very nice and very accommodating I might add. Always a plus!
So here is the moment you have been waiting for; the food! My shredded chicken rice was nice and moist. Shreds of chicken with carrots, peas, and seasoning made it all come together. Portion size was great as well! Had plenty of leftovers! The fries were golden and crisp with the perfect amount of salt. Those didn’t last to long on my plate. The fries were just heavenly and could not be beat. Best fries I’ve had in a while. I also got a simple side salad as well. Whatever the vinaigrette is made out of it’s pure gold! I would consider it sacrilegious not to try the vinaigrette on your salad. Everything was excellent! My friend got the skirt steak which he enjoyed as well. He also let me try this fruit drink he had which I totally regret not getting. From seeing a previous review it was probably «fresco de cas» but I’m not a 100% sure on that.
So it’s safe to say I will make like the terminator and «be back». «Pura vida» at it’s finest! Cant wait til I stop here again.

One word, Fantastic!!!
Extremely clean place, I am a mother of a toddler therefore I need a changing table which I was pleasantly surprised to know the Rest bathroom have it, the majority of Hispanics Rest in this area don’t.
My favorite drink it is «FRESCO DE CAS“which is hard to describe, kind like lemonade/​grapefruit/​passion fruit but not as acid.
Now, let’s talk about food. I have to tell you guys that I am Costarican therefore i have a good sence of what this kind of food should be about and I can be honest with you and say that every time I eat there it’s like my mom is cooking in the back! Lol
I love my food with a lots of cilantro, red peppers, onion etc they Cook every time the way I like it, they are consistent with the flavor every time I have been there.
About three years ago I hosted my friends Bridal Shower, lots of my girlfriends didn’t know the place existed and since that night it has become their fav place to go.
The atmosphere is very friendly, as soon as you walk in I can assure you, You Will Feel Welcome!!!
Prices are reasonable. That is always good!
Downside it’s BYOB
Like I said at the beginning one word… FANTASTIC!!!

Quality spot. I love the «homey» atmosphere. I’ve never been to Latin America, but I got the feeling of it when walking in there. A friend of mine ordered food to pick up from there, so we didn’t dine in. But the experience was friendly and pleasant nonetheless.
Great food. I tried something along the lines of a Costa Rican chicken-​fried-​rice, with french fries. No flavors out of the ordinary, nothing eclectic. But simple comfort food done in a highly DELICIOUS manner. The chicken wasn’t dry, but tenderly cooked. The rice had a nice flavor with vegetables, and it wasn’t overwhelming. I would go to this place any time I’m in the area. Next time, I will have to try the sammiches that many people rave about. :-)

Not much. Grilled fish is dry and tasteless. Ceviche is way to sour and very plain. Not much service too. Only plus is cheap.

Typical Costa Rican food! It’s the hardest to find we came all the way from Brooklyn NY to eat here lol! Good sized portions, really good friendly service. The only down side is no alcohol and it’s in the middle of nowhere! Other than that it’s a needle in a haystack but deff worth the trip!

Cynthia, the owner, is very sweet and helpful. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting her husband, Jorge. They are bilingual and the menus are translated line by line. I love when someone speaks to me in Spanish and English. That’s how I speak it anyways!
This is a Costa Rican restaurant. If you love la comida Latina (Latin food), then you’ll love this place. I had a typical Costa Rican dish and thoroughly enjoyed it along with the beautifully decorated dining room filled with color and flair. It was nice to be there. I’ve posted pics.
Finally, I would recommend you try this jewel. The outside doesn’t quite catch your eye like the inside does but I think you’d find you’ll enjoy the food. That is not to say the outside is hideous. It’s just not as bold as the colors on the inside. I wish I had room to try the Tres Leches cake. I’m stuffed! But in the words of the Terminator — I’ll be back!!!
Here’s a challenge: Walk into the men’s room. If it isn’t the cleanest bathroom call me a liar! You can trust this place is doing the right things.

So I only stopped in for coffee here and, therefore, can’t review much, but I was pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere of the restaurant.
I drive by here all of the time and, I guess because of the area, never really thought to come in for a sit-​down meal. Don’t judge a book by its cover. The inside is so cute, the staff is friendly, and the coffee was really good! It was a big mug too so I left all jittery — whoops!
I bookmarked Tucanes Restaurant to come and enjoy a meal. Judging by the other reviews, it seems that Tucanes has way more to offer than just a coffee. I can’t wait to come back and find out what it is!

Just tried them for the first time, I would always pass them and wanted to find an authentic restaurant. I’m upset I’ve never been here sooner! The food is absolutely to fantastic! I had the chicken breast with tomato sauce. Sooo good!

Fair prices, great food, friendly service. We were happy with the portion size and what we got for the money. A great alternative to other restaurants in the area serving similar cuisine (such as Noches in Clifton).
No parking lot, street parking only. Not in the best neighborhood, so be alert. Still, better than venturing to Paterson.

Excellent Costa Rican restaurant.
1) The restaurant is excellent in terms of price and taste.
2) It is located in Prospect Park, as such the parking is much better than Hispanic restaurants in Paterson. And lets not forget it is safer.
3) I will recommend the Lomo Saltado — and the Costa Rican Style Chicken or steak.