Surprise! A "Soda" in Costa Rica Is Not a Diet Coke. Or a Sprite. Or an Orange Fanta, Which—Let's Be Honest—Is Delicious.

When you hear the word, "soda," caramel colored fairies and visions of high fructose corn syrup likely come to mind. Which is why you might be surprised, when you get to Costa Rica, to hear the word "soda" used in a different way.

In Costa Rica, a soda is not a beverage, but a restaurant. And a specific type of restaurant, at that. Instead of pulling out all the works—what, with white linen table cloths and sweeping views of the ocean—a soda, rather, is a small, cozy hole-in-the-wall restaurant (and I say that lovingly) serving local food on the cheap. There might be three, four tables, and there will definitely be casados, or the typical lunch plate of Costa Rica consisting of a meat, beans, rice, salad, and fried plantains. Sometimes, sodas are even operated out of the side window of someone's home. It's more of a fast-food vibe than a "let's sit down and dine" vibe.

Can you go to them? Absolutely. The only things you need to know are:

They probably won't speak English.
They probably won't take credit card.
You definitely can't request "gluten free."
And they probably don't serve booze. But if they do serve booze, it's going to be beer. Delicious.

They're definitely worth popping by for lunch, one day—at least to check out an important piece of the real Costa Rica culture. And bonus: you won't spend $70, hooray!