Quito: Where to Eat and What to Try
Quito’s food is highland Ecuadorian through and through, and since Ecuador uses the US dollar, every price on this list is already in the currency in your wallet.
Hornado. Slow-roasted pork, crackling skin and all, usually served with llapingachos, the cheese-and-potato patties that show up on nearly every plate in the city. Look for it at market stalls rather than sit-down restaurants; it’s fresher there and considerably cheaper.
Fritada. Pork cooked in its own fat until crisp, plated with mote (hominy corn), avocado, and more llapingachos. A hearty, affordable lunch almost anywhere in the Old Town.
Locro de papa. A creamy potato and cheese soup finished with avocado, genuinely one of the most comforting things to eat on a cold, high-altitude night, and a real Quito staple rather than a tourist invention.
Encebollado. The fish soup that doubles as the national hangover cure, tuna or bonito in an onion-and-cumin broth, technically a breakfast dish that Quiteños eat at any hour of the day.
Ecuadorian ceviche. Worth calling out specifically because it isn’t the Peruvian version: it’s tomato-forward and soup-style, built around shrimp, and served with popcorn and plantain chips on the side rather than presented as leche de tigre.
Cuy. Roasted guinea pig, a centuries-old Andean tradition that shows up matter-of-factly on local menus rather than as a shock-value stunt. Worth trying once if you’re curious about a genuinely regional dish.
Canelazo. A warm cinnamon, aguardiente, and naranjilla drink, best had on La Ronda in the evening alongside empanadas de viento.
Colada morada and guaguas de pan. A purple corn-and-fruit drink paired with bread shaped like small figures, made specifically for Día de los Difuntos on November 2. If you’re in town for it, don’t miss it.
Chocolate. Ecuador grows some of the world’s best fine-aroma cacao, and Pacari and República del Cacao both run tastings and sell bars worth packing home.
For a sit-down meal, the names that consistently hold up are Casa Gangotena (fine dining on Plaza San Francisco), Zazu, Urko, and Nuema for contemporary Ecuadorian cooking, and Café Mosaico, where the view over the Old Town is genuinely as much the draw as the food. For something closer to street level, Mercado Central in the Old Town gathers dozens of local stalls under one roof, a solid $3-6 lunch and a good way to try several dishes at once without committing to a full restaurant meal.
Read more: for where to stay near this food scene, see where to stay by area , and for a fuller trip plan, our main Quito guide .