San Jose Jewish & Kosher Guide 2025: Kosher Info in San Jose, Costa Rica

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About San Jose

San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, sits in the Central Valley region with the Talamanca Mountains to the south and volcanoes to the north. The city is distinguished by its Spanish colonial architecture, such as the ornate neoclassical National Theatre of Costa Rica, at downtown’s Plaza de la Cultura. Underneath the plaza, the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum displays hundreds of gleaming artifacts. The population of San José Canton is 188,054. The temperature ranges between 17 and 30 °C (63 and 86 °F). It rains on an average of 170 days per year but half the rainfall pours down on only 15 of these days. The rainy season is from May to mid-November, but cloudiness and rainfall can occur during the dry season. San José has many beautiful theatres, many with European-inspired architecture. San José is also host to various museums. San José is home to many parks and squares (plazas in Spanish); where one can find gazebos, open green areas, recreational areas, lakes, fountains, statues and sculptures by Costa Rican artists and many different bird, tree and plant species.

The Best Of San Jose

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Jewish History, POI & Kosher Establishments in San Jose

The first Jews arrived in Costa Rica from islands in the surrounding Caribbean in the 19th century. Today, Costa Rica's Jewish population is approximately 1,500, though thousands of Israeli tourists visit the country each year. Jewish life in Costa Rica today is very vibrant and caters to the 1,500 Jews in the country. All denominations of the community revolve around the Centro Israelita Sionista founded in 1930, which includes a WIZO, B'nai B'rith, La Sociedad de Damas Israelitas de Beneficencia, several Zionist and youth groups, and a social and sports club. There is a Chabad House in San Jose. The main synagogue in San Jose, however, is the Orthdox Shaare Zion congregation. B'nai Israel is a Reform synagogue, which meets Friday nights at 7:30. Kosher food is readily available in San Jose with a kosher butcher shop, and a delicatessen run by Orthodox Jews that carries kosher products. There are two kosher hotels in Costa Rica, one in San Jose, and another in Camino Real.


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What Is *JOFY?

JOFY, or "Jewish Observant Friendly" Establishments are lodging establishments offering special services for Jewish Observant guests such as Shabbat meals, accommodation on lower floors and regular keys for the rooms. It can also be a NON KOSHER establishment located in walking distance from the local Shul, community or kosher restaurants area.

Please note - *JOFY does NOT mean that KOSHER food is served on the premises!

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