What to eat Ecuador? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Lunch is usually served between noon and 3pm. Plan to dine early, as most restaurants close around 9:30pm. Many restaurants are closed on Sundays.

A daily menu with drinks usually costs around US$3.50 in small local restaurants. Plan for a European budget if you're going to lunch or dinner in a specialty restaurant. All restaurants offer take-away service for excess food. If you wish to bring your own bottle of wine, you'll usually only be asked to pay a small corkage fee.

Gratuities (what you leave if you're satisfied with the service) are not included, but service (which is often the waiter's only wage) is usually included in the bill and in menu prices. Be sure to check that VAT (IVA) is included in the price.

Dishes are hearty, as in many American countries, but there's nothing to stop you sharing a dish with others. If you like your steak rare(jugoso), let the waiter know. If you like culinary discoveries, you won't leave the country without tasting cuy asado, roast guinea pig, a surprising Andean specialty.

On the coast, it's ceviche (marinated raw fish) that will delight your taste buds, with its mani sauce, peanut, which normally accompanies it.

Ecuadorians generally eat an almuerzo (daily special) for lunch, which is often very inexpensive compared to the a la carte menu. It usually consists of a soup, a main course(plato fuerte) and a fruit juice, sometimes with a dessert.

We recommend that you avoid drinking tap water, even in large cities, and avoid ice cubes wherever possible. You should also avoid the ice creams often sold by the roadside, as they are rarely preserved in accordance with hygiene standards.

Smoking is not permitted in the restaurant, but many terraces are available for smokers.

Please note that many bars and cafés are closed on Sundays. They usually open at 8am and close quite early (6pm) outside the big cities. During the day, Ecuadorians in the big cities like to take a break and drink a good local coffee, bearing in mind that the country is a major producer of this wonderful fruit.

Happy hour is a very common practice in Ecuador, but is usually limited to local drinks or certain cocktails. It usually starts around 5pm and lasts until 8pm.

Expect to pay between US$1 and US$2 for a coffee, US$3 for a beer in a bar and between US$6 and US$12 for a cocktail. Wine is quite expensive, and it's hard to find a bottle for less than US$20 in a bar or restaurant.

It's forbidden to drink alcohol under the age of 18, so be sure to bring your ID if you look very young!

When drinking with friends, if you don't finish the first shot in one go and leave a little alcohol at the bottom of the glass, you may hear your friends shouting"gota doble!" and you'll have to drink a second one straight away!

In recent years, craft beers have flourished everywhere and have become THE drink to share with friends. But as soon as you get away from the big cities, particularly in the Andes, you'll be offered a variety of canelazos, a hot alcoholic drink made withaguardiente (a strong local rum-like spirit) and cinnamon. Variations include orange juice, passion fruit juice and other local fruit juices.

Beware: if you ask for a national beer (often a Pilsener), it may come in a 1-liter bottle... please inquire beforehand.

Most bars have an area reserved for smokers, on the terrace, as smoking is normally prohibited indoors.

Beware of fake happy hours with restrictions in very small letters that generally exclude what you've chosen...