From IT to hot dogs.
The story of don Diego, Marcia and a window in Barrio La California.
An IT guy with a craving
Diego spent a good part of his life in front of a computer. But the craving for a properly made hot dog, like the ones he had tried in other cities, never went away. He could not find it in Costa Rica. So he decided to make it himself.
The sausage came first
Before opening, he worked on the sausage. Months of tests until he landed on his own recipe: 100% beef, no filler, no gluten. The La Caliente team still makes it, and it is the same sausage in all eleven dogs on the menu.
A window in La California
In 2024 they opened the window, 74 meters south of the Nicaraguan Embassy, in a neighborhood that comes alive at night. Diego on the griddle, Marcia on everything else. “Starting a business is not easy, but you have to have the courage,” she says.
What comes back
Diego sums it up in two words: it all comes back. People who try a dog come back. And the team has a single instruction: always give your best. The window, he says, is like a daughter.
We're in Barrio La California.
Hours
- Monday to thursday11:00 – 23:00
- Friday to saturday11:00 – 01:00
- Sunday11:00 – 23:00
Address
74 m south of the Nicaraguan Embassy, Barrio La California, San José