Surf Club Bar & Grill

Had our hopes up when we found this spot. Love the atmosphere, tv’s for games, pool tables, cornhole.. but the service frankly sucks and the food was not great either. We ate it all because we paid for it but left a lot to be desired. We had to ask for beer refills, vs them observing the empty glasses. Really disappointed.

Quirky and unexpected in Tamarindo! And very much out of the way. Basically an American style bar, with large screen TVs playing sports,pool tables, ping pong, and other games. The menu was mostly classic north american fare, with a few Costa Rica options. Very easy going atmosphere. Rueben was excellent. Pulled pork seemed a little too smokey. I can't recall the other items exactly, but everyone was happy. Only negative was the nachos with the fake cheese sauce, but I know some people love that.

Food: 1 star. We got the nachos and they had so much potential. Pulled pork was okay. But the cheese. Awful. If you want to substitute grated cheese for a queso cheese when it comes to nachos I’m all about that, which is why we ordered them. They caught my eye, must be amazing right? This was more like if you melted packaged sliced cheese (Kraft singles) with a little milk. As soon as it came out you could see an almost crusted shell over the cheese layer. Only saving grace was the guacamole tasted fresh. Service: Can you rate something less than 1 star? I’m honestly just shocked to be honest. It’s the service industry. My partner and I probably would have had another couple drinks more between us if we were actually asked. It’s basically taking money from the owners pockets but theirs as well. No service, no tips. When I went to pay the bill (went to the bar to do so because mine and my partners glasses had been empty for 30 minutes) I got asked to add a tip. I NEVER not tip. This is the first time I felt like I shouldn’t. If it was overwhelmingly busy I would understand, it wasn’t. Seeing the servers pay more attention to each other and the regulars sitting at the bar more than the patrons is a reason I will never return. Atmosphere: One positive thing is they have A LOT of game. Darts, pool, horseshoes, fooseball, cornhole. Usually I’d put 5 stars for this. However atmosphere also brings in the patrons. There were two other tables of two customer that had empty drinks for over half hour like us. They looked miserable and also annoyed, ready to leave. Unfortunately the lack of customer service brings this place down in ratings for me. It has so much potential but the service was atrocious. I’d come back again if it meant I wouldn’t have to go to the bar to order drinks. I hoped it was a once off but looking at recent comments it does not seem to be that way 😔