Restaurants in Quito and Lima
Quito, Ecuador
La Querencia
Eloy Alfaro 2530 and Catalina Aldaz
Quito, Ecuador
Phone number: (02) 2446-654
Type of Cuisine: Ecuadorian
Average Cost: Main Courses $5.00 to $22.00 per plate
La Querencia offers delicious local food in a beautiful setting. If you're looking to try Ecuadorian specialties such as Seco de chivo (a lamb stew) or Ceviche (white fish cooked by contact with acidic citrus juices rather than heat), but you're a bit apprehensive about venturing into a hole-in-the wall restaurant, La Querencia is for you. From the outside, you can immediately tell that this is a place for wheelers and dealers. On the inside, you'll find large picture windows, which open on to a garden; brightly colored walls decorated with typical Ecuadorian crafts; a fireplace; and charming, large-planked hardwood floors. It is recommended that you start your meal with empanadas de verde and tortillas de maíz. This is definitely the best restaurant in Quito for high-quality local dishes.
El Nispero
Valladolid N24-438 and Cordero
Quito, Ecuador
Phone number: (02) 2226-398
Website: http://www.elnispero.com/
Type of Cuisine: Ecuadorian
Average Cost: Main Courses $7.00 to $12.00 per plate
This hip newcomer on the Quito dining scene has taken the locals by storm. The restaurant is housed in a charming old home that was totally renovated last year with hardwood floors and blue and yellow walls; a serene quiet atmosphere prevails throughout. Service is gracious; and unlike other good restaurants in town this one has a young, hip wait staff (as opposed to old and stuffy). And the food is very good. The specialty is traditional recipes with a twist: the roast pork is served with figs and a mint sauce; the fresh prawns with coconut sauce comes with an Ecuadorian nut called tocte; pancakes are made from yuca flour and the humitas (a kind of corn mush) are served like a pudding, in a bowl. For dessert, try the oritas -- small ecuadorian bananas drizzled with local honey. The house (chilean) sauvignon blanc is good and reasonably priced at $2.50 a glass. If you like ice cream, be sure to ask about the helado special of the day -- it's delicious.
Rincón La Ronda Restaurante
Belo Horizonte 400 And Almagro
Quito, Ecuador
Phone number: (02) 2540-459
Type of Cuisine: Ecuadorian
Average Cost: Main Courses $6.00 to $17.00 per plate
This restaurant takes its name from one of the most historic streets in the old city, with colorful colonial buildings and old-time charm. The restaurant feels very Spanish colonial, with thick white stucco walls, red carpeting, sloped wood ceilings, brick archways, dark wood high-back chairs, and iron chandeliers. But tour buses bring hordes of diners here nightly; very few locals come here. Highlights of the high-quality Ecuadorian cuisine include langostinos del pacífico (pacific jumbo shrimp in garlic or tarragon sauce), brocheta mixta con lomo, pollo, y chancho (grilled kabob with beef, chicken, and pork), and perníl con llapingachos, mole, salsa de maní, y aguacate (roasted leg of pork with mashed potatoes and cheese in a peanut sauce with avocados).
Other restaurants
Glossary:
Aji -hot pepper sauce, served with many meals -use with care.
Cachos -croissants
Caldo de Patas -cows foot soup -a local delicacy believed to increase virility.
Ceviche de Camarones (o Pescado) -a soup of prawns (or of fish) marinated in lime and onion and served cold with popcorn and peanuts.
Choclo -grilled sweetcorn
Chupe de pescado, -fish and vegetable soup from the coast.
Corvina -sea bass.
Cuy -guinea pig
Empanadas -meat or cheese turnovers served as a snack or starter.
Encocados -seafood cooked in coconut milk
Fanesca -a festive soup made with dry fish and fresh grains such as corn, peas, etc.
Fritada -fried pork
Jugo -Juice
Llapingachos -fried mashed potato and cheese cakes.
Locro -cheese and potato soup
Lomo salteado -thinly cut beef steak
Plato Tipico -typical plate -made with fried pork, llapingachos, rice, avocado, mote and tostado.
Seco -stewed meat, eg Seco de Pollo -Chicken Stew
Tortillas de Maiz -corn pancakes
Cooking terms:
A la brasa -grilled; Al vapor -steamed; Apanado -batter-fried/breaded; Brosterizado -deep-fried;Frito -pan fried; Hornado -roasted; Reventado: skillet-fried
Miraflores, Peru
Restaurant Huaca Pucllana
Av. Arequipa 4698
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone Number: (01) 242-7978
Type of Cuisine: Nouveau Peruvian
Average Cost: Main Courses $10.00 to $23.00 per plate
Located in an unparalleled setting -- within the compound of
1,500-year-old construction of an adobe pyramid built by the original inhabitants of Lima -- is one of the city's greatest dining surprises. A beautiful and serene upscale restaurant with knockout views of the pyramid, secluded in the midst of Lima's chaotic jumble, makes for a remarkable night out. The low hump of adobe bricks and excavation walkways are illuminated at night, and diners can take a tour of the construction and digs after dinner. The restaurant is handsomely designed in a rustic colonial style; you can dine indoors or out, but the best spot is surely the covered terrace. The menu is creative Peruvian, with fusion touches spicing up classic criollo cooking. Excellent appetizers include humitas verdes (tamales) and causitas pucllana (balls of mashed potatoes with shrimp and avocado). Main courses are focused on meats, such as rack of lamb. Desserts are worth saving room for; the napoleon, with chocolate mousse and passion fruit sorbet between chocolate cookies, is heavenly.
La Hamaca
General Borgoño, Block 8 (Huaca Pucllana)
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone number: (01) 445-4042
Type of Cuisine: Peruvian, International
Average Cost: Main Courses $8.00 to $19.00 per plate
Sometimes the setting is so splendid that the food hardly enters into the equation. The solid but expensive criollo preparations are certainly satisfying -- but the interior of this art- and antiques-filled three-story mansion, with a warren of sumptuously decorated small dining rooms, would outclass just about any kitchen. One of Lima's most seductive new restaurants, it is a splurge but well worth it for an extraordinary experience. The house looks like a cinematically art-directed Mexican hacienda, and some pieces of the owner's private collection on display are extremely valuable. The restaurant plays host to its share of bigwigs, who enjoy simple, traditional Peruvian specialties such as ají de gallina (chile cream chicken) and tacu tacu (Peru's standard, slightly spicy rice and beans), as well as nicely prepared dishes such as sole in a langoustine and garlic salsa. On Friday and Saturday evenings, there is dancing on the top floor (dining at the restaurant is not required), which draws a sophisticated, mature crowd.
El Se Orío De Sulco
Malecón Cisneros 1470
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone number: (01) 441-0183
Type of Cuisine: Peruvian (Criollo)
Average Cost: Main Courses $8.00 to $16.00 per plate
This elegant restaurant takes a thoughtful approach to traditional Peruvian cooking. Located at the northern extreme of the Miraflores district at the end of Avenida pardo, the restaurant has several dining rooms, including a piano bar and an enclosed terrace that overlooks the coast. Many of the dishes come served in earthenware pots. Start with a chupe de camarones, a combo plate of sole, octopus, prawns, oysters, sea urchins, and scallops. For a main course, huatia sulcana, a dish of pre-Columbian origin, is beef stewed in a clay pot and smothered in aromatic herbs. The daily lunch buffet, with its almost overwhelming lineup of cold and hot plates, is the perfect way to sample a wide variety of Peruvian dishes, some spicier than others.
La Querencia
Eloy Alfaro 2530 and Catalina Aldaz
Quito, Ecuador
Phone number: (02) 2446-654
Type of Cuisine: Ecuadorian
Average Cost: Main Courses $5.00 to $22.00 per plate
La Querencia offers delicious local food in a beautiful setting. If you're looking to try Ecuadorian specialties such as Seco de chivo (a lamb stew) or Ceviche (white fish cooked by contact with acidic citrus juices rather than heat), but you're a bit apprehensive about venturing into a hole-in-the wall restaurant, La Querencia is for you. From the outside, you can immediately tell that this is a place for wheelers and dealers. On the inside, you'll find large picture windows, which open on to a garden; brightly colored walls decorated with typical Ecuadorian crafts; a fireplace; and charming, large-planked hardwood floors. It is recommended that you start your meal with empanadas de verde and tortillas de maíz. This is definitely the best restaurant in Quito for high-quality local dishes.
El Nispero
Valladolid N24-438 and Cordero
Quito, Ecuador
Phone number: (02) 2226-398
Website: http://www.elnispero.com/
Type of Cuisine: Ecuadorian
Average Cost: Main Courses $7.00 to $12.00 per plate
This hip newcomer on the Quito dining scene has taken the locals by storm. The restaurant is housed in a charming old home that was totally renovated last year with hardwood floors and blue and yellow walls; a serene quiet atmosphere prevails throughout. Service is gracious; and unlike other good restaurants in town this one has a young, hip wait staff (as opposed to old and stuffy). And the food is very good. The specialty is traditional recipes with a twist: the roast pork is served with figs and a mint sauce; the fresh prawns with coconut sauce comes with an Ecuadorian nut called tocte; pancakes are made from yuca flour and the humitas (a kind of corn mush) are served like a pudding, in a bowl. For dessert, try the oritas -- small ecuadorian bananas drizzled with local honey. The house (chilean) sauvignon blanc is good and reasonably priced at $2.50 a glass. If you like ice cream, be sure to ask about the helado special of the day -- it's delicious.
Rincón La Ronda Restaurante
Belo Horizonte 400 And Almagro
Quito, Ecuador
Phone number: (02) 2540-459
Type of Cuisine: Ecuadorian
Average Cost: Main Courses $6.00 to $17.00 per plate
This restaurant takes its name from one of the most historic streets in the old city, with colorful colonial buildings and old-time charm. The restaurant feels very Spanish colonial, with thick white stucco walls, red carpeting, sloped wood ceilings, brick archways, dark wood high-back chairs, and iron chandeliers. But tour buses bring hordes of diners here nightly; very few locals come here. Highlights of the high-quality Ecuadorian cuisine include langostinos del pacífico (pacific jumbo shrimp in garlic or tarragon sauce), brocheta mixta con lomo, pollo, y chancho (grilled kabob with beef, chicken, and pork), and perníl con llapingachos, mole, salsa de maní, y aguacate (roasted leg of pork with mashed potatoes and cheese in a peanut sauce with avocados).
Other restaurants
Glossary:
Aji -hot pepper sauce, served with many meals -use with care.
Cachos -croissants
Caldo de Patas -cows foot soup -a local delicacy believed to increase virility.
Ceviche de Camarones (o Pescado) -a soup of prawns (or of fish) marinated in lime and onion and served cold with popcorn and peanuts.
Choclo -grilled sweetcorn
Chupe de pescado, -fish and vegetable soup from the coast.
Corvina -sea bass.
Cuy -guinea pig
Empanadas -meat or cheese turnovers served as a snack or starter.
Encocados -seafood cooked in coconut milk
Fanesca -a festive soup made with dry fish and fresh grains such as corn, peas, etc.
Fritada -fried pork
Jugo -Juice
Llapingachos -fried mashed potato and cheese cakes.
Locro -cheese and potato soup
Lomo salteado -thinly cut beef steak
Plato Tipico -typical plate -made with fried pork, llapingachos, rice, avocado, mote and tostado.
Seco -stewed meat, eg Seco de Pollo -Chicken Stew
Tortillas de Maiz -corn pancakes
Cooking terms:
A la brasa -grilled; Al vapor -steamed; Apanado -batter-fried/breaded; Brosterizado -deep-fried;Frito -pan fried; Hornado -roasted; Reventado: skillet-fried
Miraflores, Peru
Restaurant Huaca Pucllana
Av. Arequipa 4698
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone Number: (01) 242-7978
Type of Cuisine: Nouveau Peruvian
Average Cost: Main Courses $10.00 to $23.00 per plate
Located in an unparalleled setting -- within the compound of
1,500-year-old construction of an adobe pyramid built by the original inhabitants of Lima -- is one of the city's greatest dining surprises. A beautiful and serene upscale restaurant with knockout views of the pyramid, secluded in the midst of Lima's chaotic jumble, makes for a remarkable night out. The low hump of adobe bricks and excavation walkways are illuminated at night, and diners can take a tour of the construction and digs after dinner. The restaurant is handsomely designed in a rustic colonial style; you can dine indoors or out, but the best spot is surely the covered terrace. The menu is creative Peruvian, with fusion touches spicing up classic criollo cooking. Excellent appetizers include humitas verdes (tamales) and causitas pucllana (balls of mashed potatoes with shrimp and avocado). Main courses are focused on meats, such as rack of lamb. Desserts are worth saving room for; the napoleon, with chocolate mousse and passion fruit sorbet between chocolate cookies, is heavenly.
La Hamaca
General Borgoño, Block 8 (Huaca Pucllana)
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone number: (01) 445-4042
Type of Cuisine: Peruvian, International
Average Cost: Main Courses $8.00 to $19.00 per plate
Sometimes the setting is so splendid that the food hardly enters into the equation. The solid but expensive criollo preparations are certainly satisfying -- but the interior of this art- and antiques-filled three-story mansion, with a warren of sumptuously decorated small dining rooms, would outclass just about any kitchen. One of Lima's most seductive new restaurants, it is a splurge but well worth it for an extraordinary experience. The house looks like a cinematically art-directed Mexican hacienda, and some pieces of the owner's private collection on display are extremely valuable. The restaurant plays host to its share of bigwigs, who enjoy simple, traditional Peruvian specialties such as ají de gallina (chile cream chicken) and tacu tacu (Peru's standard, slightly spicy rice and beans), as well as nicely prepared dishes such as sole in a langoustine and garlic salsa. On Friday and Saturday evenings, there is dancing on the top floor (dining at the restaurant is not required), which draws a sophisticated, mature crowd.
El Se Orío De Sulco
Malecón Cisneros 1470
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone number: (01) 441-0183
Type of Cuisine: Peruvian (Criollo)
Average Cost: Main Courses $8.00 to $16.00 per plate
This elegant restaurant takes a thoughtful approach to traditional Peruvian cooking. Located at the northern extreme of the Miraflores district at the end of Avenida pardo, the restaurant has several dining rooms, including a piano bar and an enclosed terrace that overlooks the coast. Many of the dishes come served in earthenware pots. Start with a chupe de camarones, a combo plate of sole, octopus, prawns, oysters, sea urchins, and scallops. For a main course, huatia sulcana, a dish of pre-Columbian origin, is beef stewed in a clay pot and smothered in aromatic herbs. The daily lunch buffet, with its almost overwhelming lineup of cold and hot plates, is the perfect way to sample a wide variety of Peruvian dishes, some spicier than others.
posted by WW at 3:23 PM
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