“We tried so many great versions of iconic Ecuadorian dishes. We never would have been able to discover all of this on our own. ”
— Myra, 2026
01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Quito.
Quito Eats
Quito
Eat Quito at lunchtime — locro de papa, hornado pork and encebollado from the market.
Quito Kitchens
Quito
Discover Quito's Andean highlands — locro de papa, hornado pork and encebollado at daybreak.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Locro de papa potato and cheese soup, hornado slow roast pig, encebollado tuna and yuca soup, aji criollo on the table. Quito cooks the Andean highlands.
04 The pantry
- Aji criollo, coriander-lime chilli sauce on every table
- Papa chola, waxy Andean potatoes for locro
- Queso fresco, fresh white cheese melted into potato soup
- Achiote, orange annatto oil coloring stews
- Choclo, fat-kernelled Andean corn for empanadas and mote
05 In the kitchen
- Slow-cooking locro de papa potato soup with cheese and avocado
- Roasting hornado whole pig for the Sunday market
- Curing encebollado tuna stew with tomato and yuca
- Griddling llapingachos potato and cheese patties on a comal
- Blending aji criollo fresh for every table
06 Eat this first
- Locro de papa, creamy potato soup with cheese, avocado and toasted corn
- Hornado, whole-roasted pig with mote hominy and llapingachos
- Encebollado, tuna and yuca soup with pickled onion for hangovers
- Llapingachos, cheese-stuffed potato patties fried on the comal
- Empanadas de viento, cheese empanadas puffed and sugar-dusted
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
Egg yolks whipped with sugar into a foam, mounted with hot milk, cinnamon and a shot of aguardiente. Quito's Christmas Eve nightcap.
Fluted rings of fried dough drenched in a panela-and-cinnamon syrup. Ecuador's Christmas Eve dessert, served alongside hot cinnamon chocolate.
Fresh corn ground with butter, milk and cheese, wrapped in corn husks and steamed into a soft sweet-savoury cake. Andean afternoon-tea food.
Green plantain and peanut dough shaped around a spiced fish filling, deep-fried until crackling. Manabí's most iconic street food.
Whole pig roasted for hours over wood coals, marinated overnight in beer, garlic and achiote. Ecuador's Sunday feast, served with mote, potato patties and a spoon of tangy agrio.
Cooked hominy corn scrambled with eggs, onions and achiote until the kernels turn golden and glossy. Cuenca's breakfast staple, eaten with fresh coffee.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Quito.
Weather
High altitude at 2,850 m. Spring-like year-round (10–20°C). Two mild rainy seasons. Direct sun at altitude burns quickly.
Currency
The US dollar (USD). Ecuador uses it. Cash for markets and taxis; cards for restaurants and hotels. Bring small notes.
Language
Spanish. Quichua (Ecuadorian Kichwa) heard in the surrounding countryside. English coverage is decent in La Mariscal, thinner in the historic centre.
Etiquette
Modest dress at churches. The historic centre is packed with UNESCO-listed baroque sites. Ask before photographing indigenous people.
Getting around
The TeleferiQo cable car climbs Pichincha volcano. The trolley bus is cheap and covers the historic centre. Uber and Cabify both work. The Old Town is walkable but hilly.
Prayer
Predominantly Catholic. The ornate colonial churches (La Compañía, San Francisco) are among South America's most impressive. Growing Evangelical presence too.