Grocery shopping in Guanacaste doesn't work quite like it does at home, and honestly, that's part of the fun. You've got real supermarkets, tiny family-run tiendas, a wine shop, a fish market with a guy who'll tell you exactly what came in that morning, and a roadside stand where someone will crack a coconut open with a machete while you wait. Here's our real, local's rundown of where we actually shop — organized from the closest options to the house out to the bigger runs worth planning for.
A quick note on how things work here: supply isn't always constant, even at the bigger stores, so if you see something you need, it's worth grabbing it rather than assuming it'll be there next week. Bring cash — the smaller stores, the fish market, and every roadside vendor are cash-only — and bring a reusable bag or two, since plastic bags aren't a given.
Names in orange are the three closest stores to the house — walking or golf-cart distance.
1. Right around the corner: Surfside & Potrero
These three are what we use for day-to-day basics, and all three are close enough that you won't think twice about a second trip if you forget something.
Merkado - located in the Centro Comercial Pacifico on the main street in Potrero. It's good for the fundamentals, there is a decent liquor selection and they sell some basics for the beach such as sunglasses, umbrellas and toys. But it is pricier than most.
Super Wendy's — 50m north of Hotel Isolina in Surfside. Also good for basics and liquor, and worth knowing: they sell propane, so it's your go-to if a tank runs low mid-stay.
Super Massai — 100m north of Banco Nacional, right by A Lo Nico. Technically it is located in Flamingo but it is on the way to Brasalito past the Flamingo turnoff. They also sell the basics but with a bigger range than the others, a solid produce section and a separate liquor store. This is our favorite local store.
There are other general stores in the area offering much the same thing plus an electic mix of other merchandise but they don't offer anything particularly different to the ones listed above. Several smaller stores exist around Playa Penca that offer milk, cereal, snacks, and other basics; prices tend to run a bit higher than the bigger stores, but when all you need is milk for the morning coffee, the convenience wins.
Worth knowing the difference between these and a classic Costa Rican tienda or pulpería (more on those below): Merkado, Super Wendy's, and Super Massai are all self-serve "minisúper" style — you grab a basket and walk the aisles yourself, which isn't a given at every small store in this country.
2. Stocking up bigger: Huacas & the road to Tamarindo
When the basics aren't enough, everything gets bigger about 15–20 minutes down the road.
Super Compro — in Huacas. A genuine full-size supermarket and the closest thing to a real one-stop grocery run without heading all the way to Tamarindo.
Maxi Pali — on the road down to Tamarindo. A full hypermarket with clothes, home goods, electronics, pharmacy items, and its own "Great Value"-style private label alongside the groceries.
Mega Super — also on the road to Tamarindo, in Villa Real. A solid mid-range supermarket, similar in feel to Super Compro.
Fun fact: Maxi Pali, Mega Super, and Super Compro are all part of the same family — Walmart's Central American arm bought into Costa Rica's local supermarket business in the early 2000s, and today runs Palí, Maxi Pali, Mega Super, and Super Compro as different-sized versions of essentially the same company. So if one doesn't have what you're after, a corporate sibling a few minutes away often will.
3. The upscale option: Auto Mercado, Tamarindo
If you want imported brands, a bigger organic and specialty selection, Auto Mercado in Tamarindo is the closest thing to a familiar grocery store like Safeway. It costs more, but it's the easiest place to find specialty diets covered or a splurge ingredient for a big dinner.
4. Going big: PriceSmart, Liberia
If you're flying into Liberia and staying a week or more, PriceSmart — Costa Rica's Costco-style warehouse club — is right across from the airport as you exit. It's membership-based (< $50) but for a longer stay or a big group, one bulk run for meat, drinks, and pantry staples on the drive down can be worth it. We're members and always stock up once we've picked up the rental truck. If you like Costco, you'll love it.
5. Fresh produce: verduras and the ferias
For fruit and vegetables, skip the supermarket produce aisle if you can. The biggest stand is in Huacas, right by the turnoff to Playa Grande which sells fresh, local produce that tends to be better and cheaper than what you'll find packaged at the bigger stores.
More broadly, this is real feria del agricultor country. Costa Rica runs more than 80 farmers markets nationwide, and for generations they've been where most Ticos actually do their produce shopping — fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, and often seafood, sold direct from the farmer at a government-tracked "fair price" that consistently beats supermarket prices, sometimes by a lot. If you come across one on your travels around Guanacaste, it's cash-only, it's busiest early, and it's as much a community gathering as a shopping trip — worth the stop even if you just want to see how differently this end of the food chain works here.
6. The fish market
Our favorite place to buy fresh fish is a small fish market next to Gracia La Vid, the Italian restaurant just shy of Brasilito. The owner speaks good English and will tell you straight what came in that morning — genuinely some of the freshest fish you'll eat all trip, and usually cheaper than what you'd pay at a restaurant for the same catch.
7. The little guys: tiendas, pulperías & street vendors
Beyond the named stores above, you'll find small tiendas scattered all over Potrero selling basics — snacks, drinks, sunscreen, the things you forgot to pack. These shade into the classic Costa Rican pulpería, a small neighborhood store where goods sit behind a counter rather than out on shelves, and where you ask for what you want rather than browsing.
Pulperías are a genuinely old institution here — the name may come from selling fruit pulp rather than anything to do with octopus, and the stores themselves trace back to Costa Rica's early colonial settlement pattern, when scattered homesteaders needed a single place to get salt, cloth, tools, and a bit of company. Those original general stores often became the actual seed of a town. They're not just nostalgia, either — as recently as 2016, surveys found nearly three-quarters of Costa Ricans still preferred shopping at their neighborhood pulpería over a supermarket, mostly for the convenience of having one within walking distance.
And then there's the roadside economy: keep an eye out for vendors selling pipas — young green coconuts, machete-cracked to order and served ice cold with a straw. It's the local answer to hydration on a hot day (and, we're told, a hangover), and a splash of rum turns it into a proper beach cocktail. Seasonal fruit stands and trucks pop up along the main roads too, especially around mango and watermelon season — worth a stop if you see a good one.
Practical tips for grocery shopping near Playa Potrero
- Bring cash. Tiendas, the fish market, the wine shop, and every roadside vendor are cash-only — cards work at the bigger supermarkets, but don't count on them everywhere.
- Bring a reusable bag or two. Plastic bags aren't a given at every store.
- Supply isn't always constant, even at the bigger stores — if you spot something you need, grab it rather than planning to come back for it.
- Running low on propane? Super Wendy's sells tanks.
- Bring any specific medications or brands you rely on — you can usually find substitutes here, but don't count on finding your exact brand.
- For a proper stock-up, plan a Maxi Pali, Mega Super, or Super Compro run early in your trip rather than making several small ones.
How we actually shop
On arrival day, it's Pricemart to stock up and then we supplement at Merkado or Super Wendy's for the basics — milk, coffee, better quality beer. Next morning, we swing by the Huacas produce stand for fruit and vegetables for the week, and if we're planning a nice dinner in, that's a fish market stop at Brasilito on the way back. After that we stop in to whatever location is on the way back from the beach when we need something. Like ice cream!!
Ready to stock the fridge for your trip to Playa Potrero?
Casa Roberta and Casa Daniel are a golf-cart ride from Merkado, Super Wendy's, and Super Massai, and about 20 minutes from the bigger stores in Huacas and Tamarindo. Book direct with us and save on platform fees.
Questions about where to shop during your stay? Reach out — you'll get us, not a call center.