Where should I eat in Quito, and which local food or drink is worth trying?

Ecuador uses the US dollar as its legal currency, which removes the exchange problem and replaces it with a change problem. The US International Trade Administration's Ecuador guide, last published 2 September 2025, records that credit and debit cards are widely accepted but that many smaller retailers take cash only, that merchants generally refuse bills larger than $20, and that traveler's cheques are not accepted for purchases. It also notes that taxis do not take cards. Practically, that means a day of market eating in Quito runs on ones, fives and tens.

The guide's working-day figures shape when to eat. It gives normal hours as 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, with lunch usually taken around 1:00 p.m. — so the midday meal is the structured one, and a 1:00 p.m. table is the local rhythm rather than a tourist convenience. For scale on how much of Ecuador's economy is food, the same guide reports the food processing sector generating about $14 billion in net sales in 2024, equal to 56 percent of manufacturing GDP, against $10.2 billion and 41 percent of the country's $24 billion in non-oil exports in 2023, with retail food sales projected at $26.6 billion for 2025. Ecuador's major agricultural exports are shrimp, bananas, cocoa and flowers, with shrimp alone at 43 percent of US agricultural imports from Ecuador in 2024.

The CDC's food and water chapter is the practical guide to eating here. It puts raw or undercooked meat, fish, shellfish and eggs, raw produce and unpasteurized dairy in the higher-risk group, and fully cooked meat and eggs, pasteurized dairy, fruit you peel yourself and vegetables rinsed in safe water in the lower-risk group. Where hygiene is poor it advises avoiding salads, raw vegetables, unpeeled fruit, unpasteurized juice and unpasteurized milk. On drinks: use commercially bottled water from an unopened, factory-sealed container; boiled-water drinks such as tea and coffee are generally safe; sealed cans and bottles are generally safe but wipe the outside before drinking; avoid iced drinks and fountain drinks made with tap water; and alcohol does not kill pathogens in ice made from contaminated water. It adds that perishable food should be held at 4°C (40°F) or below and not left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, that tap water should never be used for sinus rinsing or for contact lenses even where it is treated for drinking, and that hand sanitizer should be at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are unavailable — though it works poorly on visibly dirty or greasy hands and less well against Cryptosporidium and norovirus.

The altitude changes the drinking advice, not just the eating advice. The CDC's altitude chapter tells travelers to avoid alcohol for the first 48 hours at high elevation and to treat alcohol and other respiratory depressants as things to avoid, including as a sleep aid. At 2,850 meters that applies to Quito on arrival — so the first evening is not the one for a tasting menu with wine, whatever the restaurant. The CDC is also specific that street vendors add to risk on top of the general restaurant risk, and that the safest options are food that is hot and fully cooked or that you have prepared yourself.

• Lunch at 1:00 p.m. — The International Trade Administration gives that as the usual Ecuadorian lunch hour within a 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. working day.
• Small notes only — Cards are widely taken but many smaller retailers are cash-only and bills over $20 are generally refused.
• No alcohol on night 1 — The CDC's 48-hour rule at altitude applies on arrival in Quito.

Money moving in and out is regulated. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Ecuador guidance, updated 1 November 2026, states that adults carrying taxable goods or cash of US$10,000 or more must register online at least 3 days before travel and present a QR code on arrival or departure, and that cash leaving Ecuador must be declared with tax paid on amounts over US$1,350. It also records that a passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond arrival, that visa-free visits run to 90 days in any 12-month period with a paid 90-day extension available if applied for before the first period ends, and that travel health insurance is mandatory for foreign tourists visiting the Galápagos. The International Trade Administration notes that medical care is adequate in major cities but limited elsewhere and that most providers accept only cash, and that yellow fever proof is required for arrivals from certain countries including Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. On food specifically, the Trade Administration records that Ecuador depends on food imports because local production does not meet national demand — so some of what is on a restaurant menu will not be local, whatever the framing.

The Quito when-to-visit answer gives the altitude timings and the months when the country is on holiday; the things-to-do answer covers the 1978 World Heritage inscription and the Compañía de Jesús.