A Chef’s Dream Villa in Costa Rica

The roads to Villa Deveena are much improved as of February 2024. Only the last 50 yards before the turn off is crushed gravel, the rest is paved. Fear not, epicurians, fear not! Still a great place, and now even easier to get there!

My wife Karen and I plodded into this restaurant about 8 years ago on one of our visits to Costa Rica’s Guanacasta region . It turned my head around when we walked through the door. “Where are we?” I thought. This is not Costa Rica. We sat down and had a great dinner and because we were staying just down the street we came back one more time on that trip. On our next visit to Plya Negra we had a New Years dinner there. After reading this I want to go back soon .

I had the unbelievable opportunity to dine at Deveena In June 2017. My girlfriend and I had been invited to my best friend’s house close to Playa Negra. Being a restaurant owner and major food lover, my friend told us that we needed to go Deveena upon arrival. We traveled most of the day from Portland Oregon and we were famished. We plugged in the coordinates for Deveena into our GPS and away we went. It is very hard for me to describe to anyone who has not been there, but the road to this restaurant is like no other you will experience. We twisted and turned, jostled and bounced headlong into the jungle. Defying reason, we inched closer and closer to our destination. Suddenly our GPS told us we had arrived. We parked our car in the tiny parking lot and walked into a place that was part Nirvana and part oasis. How could this be? In the middle of the jungle, was this beautiful restaurant, with an amazing list of champagnes and Bordeaux wines and amazing food. The owners were gracious and hospitable. After a couple of hours, we left as happy as we ever had been. What an introduction to Pura Vida!!! We went back again once our friends arrived. This place is not to be missed!!! What love and passion and integrity has gone in to Deveena. These guys got it right!

Guests trek to the restaurant from San José, five hours away by car, as well as from New York, Los Angeles and Paris - how ridiculous !

Wow! I was transported there, and my senses are hyper stimulated by the tastes described on the article. Thank you NYT, this is one of the reasons I keep my subscription, from France, to Los Angeles, to Costa Rica, tres fun and fulfilling vie for the chef and his belle wife!

As frequent visitors to Playa Junquillal, Costa Rica, just south of Playa Negra on the dirt road, my wife and I have been to Villa Deevena many times. We are now permanent ex-pats residing and dining here full time. We have been lucky enough to travel worldwide and sample high end dining in Paris, Tuscany, New York, San Francisco and San Sebastian. If we had to choose one restaurant to eat at for the rest of our lives, we would choose Villa Deevena. The review failed to mention the short ribs which may be the single best bite of food I have experienced. The wine list is outstanding. We have taken less adventurous friends and family, as well as tourists we happen to meet, to Villa Deevena and watch their faces light up when we enter the other world that is the restaurant and stay lit as the dreamy cuisine hits the table. Pura Vida.

Linking to a vinegary Ruth Reichl review does an undeserved disservice both to the widely celebrated (and passionately remembered) Les Anges - cf., Gourmet, Bon Appétit - and to the current iteration of Patrick Jamon's stunning and ever evolving talent for the creation of fabulous food. Sometimes we read critics at our own risk. Pish, tosh. But, never mind. Because what Tasia and Patrick have now created down that dusty road is an extraordinary oasis. and what they offer is an amazing experience for both the locals and the tourists savvy enough to appreciate it. Go.