You probably don't want to spend your first afternoon in Costa Rica driving to five grocery stores. Start with enough food for the next couple of days, then leave room for the things you find along the way.
Around Dominical and Uvita, a supermarket is the practical starting point for a full kitchen shop. Mama Toucan's gives you another option for organic and specialty foods, while the ferias are worth making part of the week rather than treating them as an errand to squeeze in.
BM: start here for the main shop
BM lists branches in both Dominical and Uvita, so choose the one that fits your route and accommodation. Its store directory gives you the current branch locations.
Make one list for breakfast, easy lunches, a couple of dinners and household basics. Shopping for meals you already know how to make is usually more useful than buying a fridge full of ingredients for an ambitious holiday cooking project.
If you're staying above the coast in Escaleras or another hillside neighborhood, do the bigger shop before the final drive up. Keep chilled groceries together and head to the house afterward; a waterfall stop is better saved for a day when there isn't food waiting in the car.
Mama Toucan's: specialty groceries and something ready to eat
Mama Toucan's is in Centro Comercial Pueblo del Río in Dominical. Its focus is organic and natural groceries, with a deli and burrito bar alongside the market.
This is a useful stop when you want to look beyond the basics or pick up a meal while sorting out the rest of the shopping. The burrito bar offers bowls as well as burritos, which gives a hungry group another option before everyone starts negotiating dinner.
If you have a food allergy or need a particular dietary product, read the label and ask about preparation. An organic supermarket can still carry foods that don't fit your needs.
Friday Eco Feria in Dominical: 8am–2pm
The Eco Feria runs on Fridays from 8am–2pm. Head to Domi Plaza, bring reusable bags and give yourself time to look around. The market connects local growers, food producers and artisans, so it can be a good place to find something for lunch as well as ingredients for later.
Let what's available guide a meal or two. Fruit for breakfast, vegetables for an easy dinner and something from a food stall make more sense than arriving with a recipe that depends on one exact ingredient.
The Eco Feria's own updates are useful for weekly announcements. It also has an online market, with delivery arrangements listed separately from the Friday in-person feria.
Uvita's Feria Marino Ballena
Feria Marino Ballena publishes a Wednesday and Saturday schedule, 8am–2pm. It gives visitors staying farther south another market option during the week. Use the market's official page for its location and latest announcements; don't assume every feria in the area uses the same venue.
| What you need | Where to begin |
|---|---|
| Food and household basics for several days | BM Dominical or BM Uvita |
| Organic or specialty groceries, plus a prepared meal | Mama Toucan's in Pueblo del Río |
| Friday browsing and local food | Eco Feria Dominical, 8am–2pm |
| A midweek or Saturday market option | Feria Marino Ballena, 8am–2pm |
A grocery plan you can actually use
For the first shop, think breakfast, water, snacks and an easy dinner. Once you've seen the kitchen and know how often you want to eat out, you can buy the rest without guessing at fridge space or cooking equipment.
Keep small colón notes and reusable bags handy for market visits, and compare prices on the things you actually buy rather than assuming one shop wins on every item. If you're still planning the arrival day, our SJO-to-Dominical guide helps put the transfer, grocery stop and check-in in a sensible order.
Sources and further reading
Store and market information checked October 15, 2026. Flow confirmed the Dominical Eco Feria’s Friday 8am–2pm hours. Vendor selection and special-date schedules can change.