Gate 10 in Terminal A is home base for Bar Imperial
Right by Gate 10 in Terminal A, Bar Imperial is where people do the “last cold Imperial before leaving Costa Rica” ritual. It sits post-security, directly in the main gate area, so you can watch your boarding line form while you finish a lager. The tap list centers on Imperial-branded beers and basic bar drinks, with a short burgers-and-fries menu to soak it up.
Bar Imperial runs 24 hours, which matters if your SJO departure is one of those 02:00–05:00 flights. Expect airport markups: travelers report a beer here running roughly double what they paid in San José or Alajuela, and snacks tracking the same pattern. Call it mid-range ($$) by airport standards, but high compared to town. Tabs climb quickly once you add a burger and a second drink.
The move here is simple: order a cold Imperial lager, maybe one burger to share, and treat it as a sendoff rather than dinner. Regular Costa Rica visitors in Facebook groups say they eat properly in Alajuela or San José, then hit this bar specifically for a single “goodbye” beer before boarding. That keeps the bill down and still checks the box of one last local drink at the airport.
Watch out for the pricing shock. Multiple flyers call Bar Imperial and nearby spots “ridiculous” on cost, saying the bar charges well above even normal airport levels because they know options at SJO are limited past Terminal A security. One thread flat-out advises people to avoid full meals here and to expect even a basic drink to feel steep once converted from colones to USD.
Practical tip: eat in town, then aim to arrive at Gate 10 with 30–40 minutes before boarding for a single Imperial and a quick bite at Bar Imperial, so you’re not rushing or paying dinner money for bar food.