Ecuador Chop and Drink Guide: Wetin to Chop and Drink

Country wey get three kitchens

Ecuador dey pack coast, Andes, and Amazon into one small country, and each region dey cook different. For coast (la Costa) na all about seafood and plantain. For highlands (la Sierra) you go chop potato, corn, pork, and warm soups. To know di difference go help you order well from Guayaquil to Quito.

Signature dishes wey you must try

• Encebollado - Ecuador beloved breakfast and hangover cure: tuna and yuca soup wey get pickled red onion on top, dem serve am with chifles (plantain chips) and popcorn. Find am for Guayaquil for around USD 3.
• Ceviche - Ecuadorian ceviche dey more watery pass Peru own. Shrimp ceviche (ceviche de camaron) come for tangy tomato-lime broth, often with popcorn for side.
• Llapingachos - cheesy fried potato patties wey dem serve with chorizo, fried egg, and avocado, na Sierra classic.
• Hornado - whole pig wey dem roast slow, dem go carve am for market and serve with mote (hominy) and llapingachos.
• Fanesca - rich soup wey get twelve grains and salt cod, dem only chop am for Easter Holy Week.
• Cuy - roasted guinea pig, na Andean delicacy especially around Cuenca and Banos.

Street chop and snacks

• Bolon de verde - ball of mashed green plantain wey get cheese or pork inside, na coastal breakfast staple.
• Empanadas de viento - puffy cheese empanada wey dem dust with sugar.
• Choclo con queso - grilled corn with fresh cheese, dem dey sell am from highland roadside stalls.
• Salchipapas - fries with sliced sausage, na di late-night favourite.

Wetin to drink

• Fresh juices (jugos) - try naranjilla, tomate de arbol, maracuya, and guanabana.
• Colada morada - thick spiced purple-corn and berry drink wey dem serve with guaguas de pan (bread figures) every November for Day of di Dead.
• Canelazo - hot Andean nightcap of cinnamon, naranjilla, and aguardiente.
• Coffee and chocolate - Ecuador dey grow world-class cacao (cacao nacional); look out for single-origin bars and correct third-wave cafes for Quito.
• Pilsener and Club na di everyday beers; aguardiente (sugarcane spirit) dey fuel di festivals.

Practical dining tips

• Di big chop na afternoon. Order almuerzo, na set menu wey get soup, main, and juice, for USD 3-5.
• Tap water no reliable; drink bottled or filtered water.
• 10 percent service charge dem often add; if you round up extra, dem go appreciate am but e no be must.
• Markets like Quito Mercado Central na di cheapest, freshest place to chop.

Stay connected for Ecuador

HelloSIM eSIM go keep you online for map, menu translation, and restaurant booking, no roaming fee, so you fit find dat perfect encebollado stall di moment you land.