Gate-side chain comfort at SJO comes with a sticker shock
TGI Fridays in Terminal A at Juan Santamaría (post-security) runs 24 hours, and families use it as the default stop when kids want familiar U.S. chain food before a 5:00–7:00 a.m. departure or late-night arrival. Expect the same American grill menu you know: burgers, wings, nachos, and desserts, not much Costa Rica on the plate beyond maybe a local beer.
Prices sit at the higher end of $$ for SJO: a burger-and-fries combo can run close to what you’d pay for a full dinner in central San José, and a couple of mains plus soft drinks easily tops $40–$50. One parent summed it up as “kids happy, bill painful,” which tracks with most reviews of this location.
The menu mostly mirrors standard TGI Fridays: loaded potato skins, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, and big salads, plus burgers and grilled chicken plates. Regulars with picky eaters lean on shareable appetizers and kids’ meals, then skip dessert. If you care about value, splitting one of the larger mains between two people cuts the damage without leaving anyone hungry.
Service is the weak spot. Reviewers consistently mention long waits, especially in the 6:00–9:00 p.m. window before multiple U.S.-bound flights. “Typical Fridays menu, just airport prices and slower service” is a fair summary. If your boarding pass shows a 90-minute connection, you’re fine; if you land with 40 minutes to spare, this is the wrong choice.
What regulars do: frequent SJO flyers say they save Fridays for days when they’re traveling with kids or fussy eaters and skip it entirely on solo or business trips. Many order only appetizers, waters or sodas, and then snack again in town, treating this as a stopgap instead of a full meal.
Tip: If you want to sit down here, walk in with at least 60 minutes before boarding, ask how long the kitchen is running, and pick items that are quick to fire, like wings or fries.