A small stroll away from Hotel Mandarina lies El Avión, a retired cargo plane that crashed in Nicaragua in the 1980s carrying supplies to the Nicaraguan Contras. The Fairchild C-123 plane is linked with one of the biggest scandals of the mid 1980’s involving the US government. The plane played an interesting part in the dealings by the Reagan Administration and its network for arms sales to Iran. The cargo plane that is now the base for the restaurant and bar El Avion was shot down on October 5, 1986, and stranded at San Jose international airport. It was purchased in August 2000 for $3,000, disassembled and later shipped in pieces to Quepos. The fuselage had to be shipped via ocean ferry due to it being just 10 inches too wide for the antiquated Chiquita Banana railroad bridges!
Once all seven aircraft sections had been hauled up the Manuel Antonio hill, the C-123 is currently majestically lying on the cliff side with fantastic views of the Manuel Antonio bay, known as El Avion Restaurant and bar. This 1954 model cargo plane now shelters an excellent restaurant offering some of the best food and most delicious drinks available in Manuel Antonio.
We ate lunch at El Avion on Saturday, after having trekked for three hours around the Manuel Antonio National Park and arriving at the restaurant with stomachs growling. The Nachos at El Avion were the perfect start to the meal. Nestled on a layer of frijoles the nachos lay covered in cheese, sour cream, guacamole, gallo pinto, chicken and jalapeno.. The perfect amount of nachos with a generous serving of toppings, ideal as a large starter for two people, or as a small nibble for four.
The half pound burger that Joel had was excellent while the chicken fajitas could have been served with a better variation of vegetables to the chicken strips than just the red pepper and onion. We had freshly blended melon and strawberry juices served in large glasses to quench our thirst and finished the massive meal at only $43 in total (all included)..
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