The Guilded Iguana is the cheapest place near the hotels for a bite to eat and a beer, and it's a landmark in the area.
Olga's in Playa Pelada is a great location right on the beach and decent food. This place feels like it is straight out of a Hemingway novel. Dirt floor, chickens running loose, Iguanas in the rafters and a view that will make you gasp. Cold drinks on a hot day at Olga's is what Costa Rica is all about.
Casa Tucan and Casa Romantica have great food.
Rosie's is a good option for cheap and local food, they serve Arroz con Pollo, Casados and Tortillas
Harmony Hotel Restaurant and Bar
The open air restaurant at the Harmony seats 40 guests in a stylish but casual atmosphere that draws upon 70's surf culture, Brazilian Modernism, and old school tropical resorts. Taking its cue from a harmonious way of living, the kitchen cooks up local organic seafood, fruits, and vegetables. This means a menu of options flavored by the exotic likes of wild ginger, taro, banana, plantains, mango, coconut and of course, black beans and rice. In addition to the main restaurant at the Harmony, La Cafeteria provides vegetarian tapas, fresh squeezed juices and herbal teas. Like the restaurant, they use organic ingredients whenever possible. Tucked amongst the trees and wildlife between the hotel and the future spa, La Cafeteria's rancho-style pitched thatch roof and open-air structure is an ancient form of native architecture that is still popular today. It's said that people from Bali landed here hundreds of years ago and brought this style of architecture with them.