Where to Eat in Ambato, Ecuador
Five Moderately-Priced Restaurants for Travelers
As a tourist, it can be hard to know where to dine in a new city. Finding a hygienic and clean restaurant can be a challenge; assuring quality food can be impossible.
While traveler’s diarrhea is a common ailment and unavoidable at times, knowing where to eat in unfamiliar territory can greatly reduce its effects. Four moderately-priced restaurants in Ambato are listed below.
Ali’s Grill: Pizzeria and Steak House
The atmosphere at Ali’s is cozy and comfortable. The décor is inviting: dark woods, rich colors, a smoking grill at the entrance, wine bottles on the walls. Meat eaters will want to try the steak here – particularly the parrilladas (an Argentine barbecue, often including beef, chicken, pork, and sausages). The price for a parrillada ranges from US$8.90 for one person, to US$16.90 for two people, but there may be enough meat in the dish for three or four, depending on individual appetites. Other dishes to try are the filet mignon (US$8.90), chicken lasagna (US$3.90), or surf and turf (Mar y Tierra) (US$7.50). Most dishes are accompanied by a small house salad and steak fries, and garlic bread is served gratis at each table. For lighter eaters, there are personal pizzas (US$2.20 – US$3.50) with a variety of toppings. Ali’s also offers sangría (US$8.90 for a jar) and a selection of wines and cocktails.
Three locations: In front of Mall de los Andes, in Ficoa, and in Downtown Ambato
La Fornace Pizzería
This restaurant is centrally located on Ambato’s busy Cevallos Avenue downtown (there is another location in the Ficoa neighborhood, along with a hotel of the same name). Candles burn brightly on the tables, creating a romantic ambience at all hours of the day. A giant old-fashioned stone oven greets visitors at the entrance, fire flaming from its bowels as the cooks move pizzas and pasta dishes in and out, reading its cooking temperatures like a book. Although the pizzas (US$2.50-US$4) are most popular among the locals, the pasta dishes are perhaps the best choice (US$3-US$4). All of the pasta has been handmade with a recipe from the owner, who worked in Italy for years, observing and experimenting with recipes until perfecting his own. The owner and/or his wife are on site almost all day, assuring that service is fast and friendly, and the food good.
El Gaucho Steak House
This restaurant is a tradition in Ambato. It has been around for years, serving good-quality, affordable steaks. The menu is not as varied as Ali’s, but the restaurant is clean and hygienic. The milanesa (breaded beef) is good. The décor is nothing fancy: metal table and chair sets once popular in the 70’s, a bright neon sign gracing the somewhat empty walls, but the casual dining and convenient prices quickly make up for its lack of decoration.
Location: Downtown, Simon Bolivar and Quito Streets
Delicias del Mar Seafood Restaurant
Ambato has some wonderful seafood restaurants, but this is likely the best. It is casual dining, but the food is something to write home about. The breaded shrimp, fried fish, ceviches and sopa marinera (seafood soup) are menu items that are sure to please. The corvina in crab sauce is also delicious.
Location: Gonzalez Suarez and Abdón Calderón
Cuy in Ficoa
A more adventurous palate may like to try the traditional Ecuadorian dish, cuy (guinea pig). There are a number of small restaurants (more like outside stands) in Ficoa that sell roasted cuy with peanut sauce, atop a bed of lettuce and boiled potatoes. It is important to get there around 1 pm, when the lunch rush begins. Cuy tends to be a bit expensive, but is an opportunity to experience the cuisine of the original Incas.
