Stella’s Bakery

Monteverde & Santa Elena


A bakery for birders. Come in the morning for strong coffee and sweet pastries, or later for rich, warming soup, and sandwiches on homemade bread. Plates such as the huevos rancheros satisfy, especially with a heap of passion fruit cheesecake for dessert. Whenever you come, keep on eye on the bird feeder, which attracts tanagers, motmots and an emerald-green toucanet.

A steakhouse opened here in 2018 and serves guests after the cafe closes, from 6pm to 10pm.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Monteverde & Santa Elena attractions

1. Bat Jungle

0.14 MILES

The Bat Jungle in Monteverde is a small but informative exhibit, with good bilingual educational displays and a habitat housing almost 100 free-flying…

2. Friends Meeting House

0.41 MILES

This simple meeting house in Monteverde is the ‘church’ of the American Society of Friends, or the Quakers, who first settled this area and committed to…

3. Butterfly Garden

0.61 MILES

Head here for everything you ever wanted to know about butterflies. There are four gardens representing different habitats; they're home to more than 40…

4. Herpetarium Adventure

0.98 MILES

For those who prefer their reptiles under glass (or at least behind it), a guide will show you around and introduce you to more than 50 species of…

5. Jardín de Orquídeas

1.05 MILES

This sweet-smelling garden in Santa Elena has shady trails winding past more than 500 types of orchids. On your guided tour, you’ll see such rarities as…

6. Ranario

1.05 MILES

Returning to its former glory as the Ranario, or Frog Pond (it's changed names a few times), this place also features an insect house. The frogs are still…

7. El Arbol Hueco

1.08 MILES

There's no sign, no website, and last we checked, nobody was collecting any money for this delightful roadside attraction. It's simply a hollowed-out fig…

8. Iglesia

1.11 MILES

A local landmark in the center of Santa Elena. The adjacent roasted-chicken shack apparently has no religious affiliation.