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El Cafecito
Serves inexpensive, mainly vegetarian meals and snacks all day long. Great breakfasts.
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El Cafeto
This outstanding Ecuadorian-owned coffee shop serves coffee made from 100% organic Ecuadorian beans. The espresso is likely the best in town.
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El Chisme
This friendly, locally owned eatery cooks up cheap Ecuadorian meals, and the owner is hip to the pickiness of foreigners. Great set lunch.
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El Cucurucho
This drool-inducing dulcería (candy shop) sells more than two dozen types of traditional Ecuadorian sweets.
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El Español
This Spanish delicatessen is a good place to stock up for picnics.
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El Guambra
It doesn't look like much, but this wee restaurant serves knockout ceviche and seafood dishes at rock-bottom prices. It's owned by a family from Manabí, the land of what's arguably Ecuador's best food.
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El Kukurucho del Maní
C'mon, where else do they cook up kilos of sugary nuts, corn kernels and haba (peeled fava) beans in a copper kettle big enough to cook a pig in? These are the best of the candied peanuts you see sold everywhere.
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El Maple
This well-loved restaurant serves excellent organic vegetarian food. The four-course set lunches (around US$3 ) are a steal, and the juices are tops.
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Fried Bananas
This cute little place has a varied menu of steak, seafood, trout, chicken, soups and salads, all creatively prepared and fresh as can be.
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Frutería Monserrate
If there's one restaurant in the old town that you don't want to miss, this is it. It's best known for the giant bowls of tropical fruits smothered in raspberry topping and whipped cream, but it also serves delicious soups, sandwiches, Ecuadorian snacks and outstanding breakfasts (complete with huge croissants and bottomless cups of fresh-roasted coffee).
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Govindas
Leave it to the Krishnas to whip out a delicious buffet-style vegetarian lunch in the old town.
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Grain de Café
Kick back over coffee or order a full meal. This is a laid-back place in the best sense, and there are lots of vegetarian options. Hamburgers too.
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Hassan's Cafe
Lebanese food - shawarmas, hummus, kebabs, stuffed eggplant, veggie plates - is good, fresh and cheap at this 10-table restaurant.
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Hasta La Vuelta, Señor
Ecuadorian cuisine gets a gourmet twist at this excellent restaurant with balcony seating. Thursday through Sunday it's a great place to try the highland's two most famous soups: yaguarlocro and caldo de patas (cow hoof soup). For something unique, try the empanada de viento (wind empanada).
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Heladería San Agustín
The Alvarez Andino family has been making helados de paila (ice cream handmade in big copper bowls) since 1858, making this Quito's oldest ice-cream parlor and an absolute must for ice-cream fans. Made with real fruit juices, they're more akin to sorbets.
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Kallari
Besides the fact that Kallari's chocolate bars induce orgasms on the spot, this Quichua coop serves up delicious, healthy breakfasts and lunches as well. For lunch, try the guacamole sandwich and the grilled plantain with cheese.
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King Chicken
Good fried chicken, big ice-cream sundaes, dinerlike atmosphere. For those pinching pennies, you'll find good family-style food and cheap almuerzos (set lunches) here.
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La Bodeguita de Cuba
With its wooden tables and graffiti-covered walls, this is a great place for Cuban food and fun. Cuban musicians perform to a standing-room-only crowd on Thursday nights, when the bar stays open till .
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La Briciola
This longtime favorite has an outstanding and varied menu. The portions are large and the wine is fairly priced. Make a reservation if you hope to eat before .
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La Canoa
This highly regarded restaurant from Guayaquil is your best opportunity to try Ecuadorian delicacies without emptying your wallet: there's sopa de verde (plantain soup), caldo de manguera (tripe soup that's said to be an aphrodisiac), seafood bandera (a mixed seafood plate) and other treats.
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La Choza
Delicious Ecuadorian food is served in colorful, elegant surroundings. Expect to pay about around US$15 for a complete meal.
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La Cocina del Monasterio
Inside a converted little monastery, this charming restaurant serves outstanding Ecuadorian and international dishes at midrange prices. Try the costillitas Carmelitas (barbecued 'Carmelite ribs'). Great for a treat.
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La Cocina Quiteña
Free popcorn and a local crowd make this as authentic as you can get around the Mariscal. Soups, menestras (lentils or beans), ceviche, noodle and rice dishes and seafood are all dirt cheap. There are outdoor tables too.
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La Colmena
For 50 years, the Vaca Meza family has been serving one of Ecuador's favorite dishes, guatita, a tripe and potato stew in a seasoned, peanut-based sauce. Whether you can stomach tripe or not, it's well worth sampling the original at this old-town landmark.
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La Cueva del Oso
Loungelike Cueva del Oso serves exquisitely prepared Ecuadorian specialties. The bar, with its low, round booths, makes for a sultry escape from the noise outside.
