My girlfriend is Ecuadorian and we went to visit her family so most of the food we ate there was either home-cooked or from a restaurant that I was just taken to but I do have a few suggestions. In the Centro Historico there is a restaurant called Hasta La Vuelta, Señor that I remember being a good first meal. Hamburguesas de Rusty is an Ecuadorian burger place and they were good as well but they are burgers so if you're looking for something more local this might not be it. I also remember eating very good arroz negro and two more formal, fine dining places we went to in Quito but not the names of the restaurants. I had freshly fried empanadas from a cart which were amazing but they were on the coast, not in Quito and great ceviche. I highly recommend dousing everything with aji, the pepper sauce that accompanies every meal. Ecuadorian food is a lot of soups and stews, particularly in the mountains and I would highly recommend llapingachos, which are mashed potatoes pan fried with a filling (normally cheese), and humitas, a steamed corn bread.

As far as side trips I really enjoyed the thermal baths at Baños and the great thing about the country is that you can go anywhere in about 2 or 3 hours. We were based out of Quito but we went to the beach and rainforest. You mentioned Otavalo, which is a very fun and interesting market to walk around. I don't remember the name of the beach we went to but it was nice and very casual, with people riding around selling ice cream and coconuts and in the middle of the day some farmers drove their cattle down the beach. For the rainforest we stayed in Tena and went to an area called Playa de Los Monos where there were monkeys running around everywhere and hanging from the buildings in the middle of town. In Quito some o hte highlights were the Centro Historico, going up the Teleferiqo, which gives you a great view of the city from high up in the mountains, and the Guayasamin museum. We also had a great time at a cafe on La Ronda watching live music and drinking mate tea.

If you're interested in more information mesage me and I'll talk to my girlfriend's cousin, who is from Quito and visiting us in New York right now.

Posted Dec 27, 2010

Alva,

I'm a retired US diplomat living in Quito with my Ecuadorean wife since 1995.  There are so many types and prices of restaurants available in Quito its hard to know where to begin.  If you want excellent Ecuadorian food, specializing in more coastal seafood dishes, try "Lo Nuestro located a block from the SwissHotel (rear entrance)  on Isabel la Catolica street.  Great place for breakfast is the Swiss Corner rest. (also serves lunch), located on Calle Los Shyris, one stop light north of the main cross street Naciones Unidas   You might email me when you are in Quito so we can talk on the phone re other options.

As for places to visit, a must is a day or two walking about the Historic District of old Quito, one of the original UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  It is the best preserved Spanish colonial architecture in L.America, with many museums, churches, plazas and restored sites.  Also lots of typical places to eat and shop.   As a retireee I am doing a walking tour (3 hours) of the old city, for $60 for a family.  I also do day tours by car to Otavalo, Mindo, mountain spa of Papallacta, and beautiful glacier high plateau area of Antisana National Reserve.   These tours cost about $160-175 per family.   Let me know if interested.

Kenneth Farr

Posted Dec 30, 2010

Hello Alva,

I stayed in Ecuador for two months as a student, here are my recommendations:

Quito:

Old town, Guayasamin museum

Cuenca:

Hit all the lovely bakeries for tasty empanadas, Visit the archeological museums, eat lots of aji (unless you have a peanut allergy) and try cuy. 

Otavalo:

Check out the markets in town, have a banana milkshake, maybe visit a local indigenous community if you can get in contact. We stayed with a farming community that had a big soccer game on the weekend and sold homemade empanadas. Go hiking around Taita Imbabura and find out why Cotacachi is snow-capped in the morning.

Tena:

Its worth going over to Tena and traveling on the Napo for a few days. We visited indigenous museums, an animal refuge center (where we encountered a bird that growls like a big cat) and were welcomed into our guide's home to sample homemade chicha.

We also spent a few weeks at Hacienda Guachala: http://www.guachala.com/english/index.php

Gabriela and her family are wonderful people, each with specialized knowledge about local natural, political and scientific history. Also, the food was nothing short of amazing.

They can direct you to the real equatorial line, which is not located at Mitad del Mundo. Its a short hike away.

I hope you enjoy your trip (and that these tips are not coming too late)

-Amber

Posted Jan 16, 2011

Hi Alva,

here in Ecuador there is plenty of this to do.  In Quito we have amazing restaurants I can recommend a few. La boca de Lobo, Cat´s, La Choza, El Petizo.  These are just a few that came to my mind.

Places near Quito is the Cotopaxi national Park, The Teleferico etc.

Please contact me by mail telling me what are your main expectaions about Ecuador and I can design a perfect trip for you.

Have a nice day,

Mateo Ponce

Posted Jan 03, 2011

Alva, Cotacachi (leather goods) and San Antonio (woodwork) are excellent sidetrips from Otavalo.

 Between Otavalo and Quito , the "Mitad del Mundo"(Ecuator) is nice, tho the smaller museum adjacent to the large area is the correct ecuator and more fun (you see thewater swirl opposite directions on each side of the equator.

Banos is a nice little  side trip between Ambato and Riobamba.

Riobamba to Cuenca is beautiful.  ..breathtaking drive with Quichua villages short distances any direction you go.

Cuenca is a great place and the El Cajas Natl Rec area just west of Cuenca is worthwhile..very high (altitude), mountain lakes, wild llamas, trout streams, etc

Posted Jan 17, 2011