Imagine driving along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast and spotting the nose of a cargo plane sticking out beside the road. It looks as if the aircraft has landed in the wrong place, yet there it sits above the tropical landscape, surrounded by restaurant terraces and overlooking the ocean. This is El Avión Restaurant in Manuel Antonio, one of Costa Rica’s most unusual dining destinations.
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| El Avión combines an unusual cargo-plane setting with dining and views of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. |
The aircraft is not a replica built for tourists. It is a Fairchild C-123 cargo plane with a remarkable past connected to the Iran-Contra affair of the 1980s. Today, the old aircraft forms part of a restaurant and bar where visitors can enjoy a meal, have a drink inside the fuselage, and watch the Pacific sunset.
What makes El Avión memorable is the contrast. A plane associated with a tense chapter of Cold War history has found a second life in a place known for tropical scenery, relaxed dining, and ocean views. Its story is as unusual as its appearance. The restaurant’s official website provides details about the dining experience and the aircraft’s history.
What Makes El Avión Restaurant So Unusual?
Many restaurants attract visitors with their menus, architecture, or location. El Avión has all three of these features, but its most striking aspect is the cargo plane built into the venue. The aircraft’s nose and fuselage are visible from outside, while the restaurant and its terraces extend around and above it. Part of the plane has been converted into a pub, making the aircraft more than a decorative object. Guests can experience the unusual setting up close rather than simply viewing it from the road.
The setting also helps explain its popularity. The restaurant sits on the hillside in Manuel Antonio, an area on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast. From its elevated terraces, visitors can look out across the ocean and surrounding green landscape. For travellers searching for an aeroplane restaurant in Costa Rica, El Avión offers something different from an ordinary seaside dining room: a real cargo aircraft with a complicated history at the heart of the experience.
The Story Behind the Fairchild C-123 Cargo Plane
The aircraft at El Avión is a Fairchild C-123 Provider, a type designed for military transport. Its original purpose had nothing to do with serving cocktails or providing a backdrop for holiday photographs. The plane became associated with the Iran-Contra affair, a political scandal that emerged in the United States during the 1980s. The affair involved secret arms sales to Iran and efforts to channel money to the Contra forces opposing Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. The episode generated investigations and intense political controversy.
According to the official history published by El Avión, two C-123 cargo planes were purchased as part of the supply operation. On October 5, 1986, one of the aircraft’s sister planes was shot down over Nicaragua. Crew member Eugene Hasenfus survived by parachuting from the aircraft and was captured. His capture helped expose the covert operation and brought renewed attention to the Iran-Contra affair.
It is important to distinguish the two planes. The aircraft shot down over Nicaragua was not the same airframe now incorporated into El Avión Restaurant. The restaurant’s aircraft was the surviving sister plane, later left at the airport in San José, Costa Rica. That detail is central to the story. The restaurant is linked to the affair through the aircraft and its former role in the operation, but the plane on the hillside was not the one shot down.
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| The aircraft’s nose makes the restaurant instantly recognisable from the road. |
How an Abandoned Aircraft Became a Restaurant
After the cargo operation was suspended, the surviving aircraft was abandoned at San José’s international airport. It remained there until the owners of El Avión acquired it in August 2000, according to the restaurant’s own account. Moving a large cargo plane from an airport to a hillside restaurant was no simple transport job. The aircraft was dismantled into sections and taken to the Quepos area. Its fuselage was transported by sea, and the pieces were hauled up the hill to Manuel Antonio before being reassembled at the site.
The unusual move gave the aircraft a second life. Instead of returning to the skies, it became a permanent part of a restaurant and bar. Its past was not erased; it became part of the attraction. Today, El Avión’s history is woven into the visitor experience. The plane is both a conversation starter and a physical reminder of an event that once made international headlines. A meal here offers a chance to encounter an unusual piece of aviation history in an entirely unexpected setting.
Dining With a View of the Pacific Ocean
The aircraft may catch the eye first, but the setting is another reason people visit. El Avión combines its distinctive plane-themed bar with open-air dining terraces overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The restaurant describes its experience as informal dining with seafood, drinks, and sunset views. Its published menu features dishes such as coconut shrimp, seafood curry, yellowfin tuna steaks, and fried calamari, alongside changing fish specials. You can browse the official El Avión menu before visiting.
The best time to appreciate the view depends on the weather and the time of year, but sunset is a natural draw. As the light softens over the water, the terraces provide a place to pause after exploring the surrounding coast. Of course, views and menus can change with conditions and restaurant updates. If you are planning a special meal, check the official website for current offerings and contact details rather than relying on old travel information.
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| The retired cargo aircraft is the defining feature of this unusual restaurant on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. |
Where Is El Avión Restaurant Located?
El Avión is in Manuel Antonio, near Quepos, on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast. The area is known for tropical vegetation, coastal scenery, beaches, and access to Manuel Antonio National Park. The restaurant’s hillside location makes the aircraft visible to people travelling along the main road through the area. It is a convenient stop for visitors exploring Manuel Antonio, though it is a restaurant rather than an attraction inside the national park. For directions, menu information, or enquiries, use the official El Avión website or the Hotel Costa Verde restaurants page. Confirm current opening hours directly before travelling, especially during holidays or seasonal changes.
Why El Avión Is More Than a Novelty Restaurant
At first glance, El Avión might seem like a quirky restaurant built around an oversized prop. Its history makes the experience more compelling. The Fairchild C-123 links a present-day dining venue with the political tensions of the 1980s. The aircraft’s journey—from a role in a covert supply operation to abandonment at an airport to its new home above the Pacific—gives it a story that an ordinary themed restaurant could not easily reproduce.
There is also something appealing about the reuse of an old aircraft. Instead of remaining an abandoned object, the plane has been incorporated into a place where people gather to eat, drink, and watch the sunset. Visitors can appreciate its unusual design while learning why it became historically significant.
For photographers, aviation enthusiasts, and travellers who enjoy places with a story behind them, El Avión brings together several interests in one stop. It is a restaurant, a bar, a landmark, and a surviving reminder of a complicated period in modern history.
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| Day time views are part of the restaurant’s appeal on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is El Avión Restaurant famous for?
El Avión is known for its restaurant and bar built around a Fairchild C-123 cargo aircraft, its connection to the Iran-Contra affair, and its elevated Pacific Ocean views.
Where is El Avión Restaurant located?
It is in Manuel Antonio, near Quepos, on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast.
Is the aeroplane at El Avión real?
Yes. The restaurant identifies it as a Fairchild C-123 cargo plane, not a replica made for decoration.
Was the El Avión aircraft shot down over Nicaragua?
No. The aircraft now at the restaurant was the surviving sister plane. Another C-123 involved in the same operation was shot down over Nicaragua in October 1986.
When did the aircraft arrive at El Avión?
The restaurant’s official history says its owners purchased the abandoned aircraft in August 2000 and transported it in sections to Quepos and Manuel Antonio.
What kind of food does El Avión serve?
Its published menu includes seafood dishes such as coconut shrimp, seafood curry, yellowfin tuna, and fried calamari. Check the official menu for current options.
Can visitors go inside the aeroplane?
The restaurant advertises a pub inside the fuselage and invites visitors to experience the aircraft. Check with the venue for current access arrangements.
Is El Avión a particularly nice place to watch the sunset?
Its hillside terraces overlook the Pacific, and the restaurant promotes sunset dining. Actual views depend on weather and visibility.
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| The restaurant’s hillside location provides views across the Pacific coast. |
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| Details of the original aircraft structure remain visible in the restaurant’s distinctive design. |
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| The aircraft’s size and structure give the restaurant its unmistakable aviation character. |
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| Part of the retired cargo aircraft has been repurposed as a pub. |
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| The restaurant’s outdoor seating adds a coastal setting to its unusual aircraft theme. |
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| The aircraft is incorporated into the restaurant rather than displayed as a separate museum exhibit. |
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| El Avión gives a retired cargo aircraft a second life as a restaurant and bar overlooking the Pacific coast. |
Conclusion
El Avión Restaurant in Manuel Antonio is memorable for a reason that goes well beyond its unusual appearance. A Fairchild C-123 cargo plane, once associated with the Iran-Contra affair, now stands at the centre of a restaurant overlooking Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.
The aircraft’s history gives the place a deeper story: one sister plane was shot down over Nicaragua, while the aircraft that survived eventually found a new role far from its original purpose. Transported to Manuel Antonio in sections in 2000, it became part of a venue where visitors can enjoy food, drinks, and ocean views. For anyone exploring Costa Rica, El Avión offers an unusual combination of aviation history and relaxed coastal dining. It is a notice that sometimes a destination’s most interesting feature is not just what you see, but the story behind how it got there.
References & Sources
- El Avión official website — restaurant overview, menu, and contact details.
- El Avión official history — aircraft background and the restaurant’s account of its connection to the Iran-Contra affair.
- El Avión official menu — published food offerings.
- Hotel Costa Verde restaurants page — restaurant listing and visitor information.
- Christian Science Monitor: “Relic of Iran-Contra scandal now a hip eatery” — independent reporting on the aircraft’s history and conversion.
- AOPA: “Destination Costa Rica: Into the wild” — aviation-focused travel coverage.
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