I found this nice obscure Tico soda, behind Holiday Inn, corner of Calle 5 and Avenida 7, "La Casa Del Sazon".
It has a nice size screened porch off the main small restaurant, and is almost never overly crowded, but the INS employees love this place and pack it from noon to 1 pm, still, I always found a seat.
My favorite is small (but not that small, it fills you up) thin steak covered in onions, beans n rice, (get the yellow rice with beans already in it option, it has a very unique flavor) small salad or vegetable mix, (veg mix is a better choice) plantains, they also have an interesting mix of hot sauces there to choose from, and just when you think you had enough, the waitress spots you are finished and brings you a small bowl of ice cream...
$3 mil for all that, 4 mil if you get a drink. Based on today's exchange rate, $4.85 for the meal, $6.50 for the meal and a coke. I find it delicious and filling, the porch is private but has a view of the activity on the street, and they are fast, clean, friendly and helpful, seems like it's run and owned by a family.
I eat at a lot of sodas all around town in this price range, so far this seems to be the best in my opinion and you don't have to walk to a fightin' side of town...
They also have chicken and pork loins at the same price instead of the steak, I will be testing them soon. The pork loins sounds particularly intriguing.
At first I got excited because they advertise a cheap price for fish, but I cross examined them and they confessed it's tilapia, so even though tilapia tastes good, all the stuff I'm reading about them has made me swear them off, so I don't recommend the fish.
If the tilapia scare doesn't bother you, it just might taste great, and you have a fish dinner 1/3 the price and less than pretty much everywhere else...who knows? I forgot the price, it's just a little more than the steak.
They are open early around 8 A.M., not a bad little inexpensive quick breakfast, either, but unfortunately they close down around 6:00 P.M. Many times I eat there around 3:00 P.M. or so and have the entire porch to myself.
So far I've eaten there 1/2 dozen times and never been disappointed on food, service, quantity and most of all...price, lol.