Gate-side caffeine in Terminal A, 24/7 at Amazonía Café
In Terminal A post-security, Amazonía Café runs 24 hours and fills the gap when Starbucks has a 20-minute line and your flight boards in 30. It sits in the cheap tier on paper ($), but expect standard SJO markup on espresso drinks and pastries. Think grab-and-go croissants, muffins, and basic sandwiches, not a full Ecuadorian menu despite the label.
The menu leans on espresso, cappuccino, and lattes, plus bottled water and soft drinks, priced higher than similar drinks in downtown San José. Reviews mention “fine but super overpriced” coffee, which matches the norm at SJO. Food is mainly prepped earlier in the day; by late afternoon some pastries can taste a little stale, especially sweeter items that sit in the case for hours.
Rating comes in strong at 5 stars on airport listings, but that likely reflects low expectations for airport coffee at 3 a.m. more than standout quality. Regulars who fly through SJO a few times a year often recommend getting your good Costa Rican coffee in town and treating Amazonía Café as a backup. It does work for a 5-minute espresso before an Avianca or Copa departure when you don’t want to walk back to Starbucks.
What regulars actually do: they walk past Starbucks, glance at the queue, and decide. If Starbucks is slammed with 15 people in line, they pivot to Amazonía Café and accept the slightly higher price-per-quality ratio just to avoid the wait. Most grab one drink and maybe a single pastry, then head straight to nearby A-gates.
Tip: Hit Amazonía Café early in the day for fresher pastries; after 3 p.m., stick to coffee-only and eat properly in San José before heading to SJO.