Quito Restaurants

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When Sergio dropped me off early the last full day of my trip, he recommended the Magic Bean. This restaurant is on the calle Mariscal Foch and Juan Leon Mera. I figured on taking Mark "acemj" there, but he wasn't feeling too swift that day. So, my friend Esteban Cordero had business in that part of town and he ended up taking me to lunch here. They decorated this place with bold colours and eyecatching designs. Our waiter was real nice. He took a picture of Esteban and me together. The service was very fast too and the portions were big.

Favorite Dish: I had the chicken rosemary which is just what it seems- a chicken breast served with rosemary. It came with fried potatoes and salad. The chicken was tender and delicious. The potatoes were a wee bit on the dry side and, thankfully, the salad was dressed with something besides a mayonnaise-based dressing. It was some kind of mango dressing. Esteban had the steak cooked to his taste with a similar medley of vegetables. Overall, it was a very nice restaurant and the food was great.

La Vaca Negra (the black cow, for those in Roxboro) is one of those locally-owned small restaurants on the corner. This one is on the corner of Amazonas and Foch.

Favorite Dish: Per Richie's recommendation, I tried the quimbolito. Being from the Southern United States (and familiar with cornbread) it didn't really taste like anything new. The service was extraordinary and I had fun laughing and joking with the lady who runs the place.

I was originally going to met Esteban here for supper round about 8, but he had business in the area so we moved things up to have lunch. So, I got here a little early. I had plenty of time to sample their coffee and do some people watching of my own.

Favorite Dish: The coffee was the best I had the whole time I was there. It was a cafe americano solo con azucar (black coffee with sugar, for those from Roxboro).

'Ceviche' are shrimps or fish served in a tangy sourish lemon juice or tomato sauce, mixed with onions, parsley and some spices. This is usually served in a bowl with a side dish of salty popcorn or fried plantains.

This is a very popular dish along the coasts, from Ecuador, Peru to Chile. Do try it!

'Almuerzo del dia' means 'Lunch of the day'.

These are fixed-price lunches, usually between US$1 to US$1.50, that are available in markets and small local restaurants.

The lunch includes soup, a main course of rice and meat, dessert and a cup of drink like juice or syrup of some sort (possibly mixed with questionable water). Usually, the meat is not of good quality, and the menu is preselected. Well, it fills the tummy, that's the most important for budget-conscious.

Hornado de cerdo - This is a WHOLE PIG being cooked over fire, thoroughly crisping the skin.

They usually display the dish with the whole head of the pig staring at you. Very ‘Lord of The Flies’.

You should be able to see this dish from southern Colombia to Ecuador. It was very delicious, I think, rather fatty, considering I also ate the skin of the pig, but who cares… it was amazing.

Oddly enough we never saw the bus terminal market when we took the bus south into the Andes but came across it by accident while wandering around the city. We heard someone calling out morocho and stopped over to investigate. It’s a non-descript place but had quite a few choices and all reasonably priced.

Favorite Dish: There were numerous food stalls, all very busy but since we’d already eaten we decided to just try a morocho, a root based sweetish hot beverage. It’s quite tasty and filling so if you hear the words morocho head over and try one yourself.

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Quito’s Mercado Central manages to be clean and manageable while retaining all the local flavor that such markets should exhibit in South America. We found it one of the most pleasant we’ve ever visited and the vendors in particular were very friendly. In fact, we went back to one two weeks after our first encounter and she remembered us well. All the stalls have clean white tiles which gives you the impression of a German butcher shop. You can get meals from different stalls and sit in a communal area. Drink vendors will come up if they see you eating without a beverage and offer to bring you one!

Favorite Dish: We had fritada or roast pork served with potato pancakes which was succulent and very tasty. It was not super big but for $1.50 a fair serving. We shared it so we could try something else. We tried the blood sausage which sounds awful but was very tasty and again at $1.50 worth a try for anyone that like sausage in general. Somebody brought us some fresh squeezed orange juice for 50 cents.