Ecuador Food and Drink Guide: What to Eat and Drink

A country of three kitchens

Ecuador packs coast, Andes, and Amazon into one small country, and each region cooks differently. On the coast (la Costa) it is all about seafood and plantain. In the highlands (la Sierra) you eat potatoes, corn, pork, and warming soups. Knowing the difference helps you order well anywhere from Guayaquil to Quito.

Signature dishes to try

• Encebollado - Ecuador's beloved breakfast and hangover cure: a tuna and yuca soup topped with pickled red onion, served with chifles (plantain chips) and popcorn. Find it in Guayaquil for around USD 3.
• Ceviche - Ecuadorian ceviche is soupier than Peru's. Shrimp ceviche (ceviche de camaron) comes in a tangy tomato-lime broth, often with popcorn on the side.
• Llapingachos - cheesy fried potato patties served with chorizo, fried egg, and avocado, a Sierra classic.
• Hornado - slow-roasted whole pig, carved at the market and served with mote (hominy) and llapingachos.
• Fanesca - a rich Easter-only soup of twelve grains and salt cod, eaten during Holy Week.
• Cuy - roasted guinea pig, an Andean delicacy especially around Cuenca and Banos.

Street food and snacks

• Bolon de verde - a ball of mashed green plantain stuffed with cheese or pork, a coastal breakfast staple.
• Empanadas de viento - puffy cheese empanadas dusted with sugar.
• Choclo con queso - grilled corn with fresh cheese, sold from highland roadside stalls.
• Salchipapas - fries with sliced sausage, the late-night favourite.

What to drink

• Fresh juices (jugos) - try naranjilla, tomate de arbol, maracuya, and guanabana.
• Colada morada - a thick spiced purple-corn and berry drink served with guaguas de pan (bread figures) every November for the Day of the Dead.
• Canelazo - a hot Andean nightcap of cinnamon, naranjilla, and aguardiente.
• Coffee and chocolate - Ecuador grows world-class cacao (cacao nacional); look for single-origin bars and good third-wave cafes in Quito.
• Pilsener and Club are the everyday beers; aguardiente (sugarcane spirit) fuels the festivals.

Practical dining tips

• The big meal is lunch. Order an almuerzo, a set menu with soup, main, and juice, for USD 3-5.
• Tap water is not reliable; drink bottled or filtered water.
• A 10 percent service charge is often added; rounding up extra is appreciated but not required.
• Markets like Quito's Mercado Central are the cheapest, freshest places to eat.

Stay connected in Ecuador

A HelloSIM eSIM keeps you online for maps, menu translation, and restaurant bookings with no roaming fees, so you can find that perfect encebollado stall the moment you land.