A beer at Gate 1 here can run double your Alajuela tab.
Chill and Drinks sits in Terminal A by Gate 1, post-security, and runs roughly 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., so it’s there for the first SJO departures and most evening flights. It’s basically a bar kiosk plus snack shelves, not a sit-down restaurant, and locals in Costa Rica travel groups talk about it in the same breath as the other gate bars in A and B.
Figure on paying airport markups: commenters mention one simple drink here costing more than an entire bar bill in Alajuela the night before. Beer and basic cocktails price well above what you’d see in town, even though the selection looks standard for SJO kiosks, with bottled beers, simple mixed drinks, and packaged snacks.
The setup near Gate 1 means it’s one of the last options before boarding many US-bound flights out of Terminal A. Seats at the counter and nearby high-tops disappear fast during afternoon peaks, roughly 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., when multiple flights load at once and people park with a drink to wait out boarding groups.
Service reports are mixed: when two or three flights depart from nearby gates at the same time, a few travelers say staff turns brusque and rushed, especially on drink refills. At quieter times, getting a beer and a snack packet can still take 5–10 minutes because there’s usually only one person working the bar and register.
Regular SJO flyers in Facebook groups often mention a simple strategy: hydrate before security, carry an empty bottle, and refill at airside fountains instead of dropping several dollars on water or soda here. Many say they’ll only buy one drink at Chill and Drinks if there’s a long delay at Gate 1 and they’re stuck nearby anyway.
Tip: if you care about price more than proximity, skip ordering here and eat or drink in Alajuela or San José before heading to SJO Terminal A; treat Chill and Drinks as a last-resort snack-and-drink stop by Gate 1.