The best restaurants Pacific Coast

Carmita is a must in town. You can enjoy Ecuadorian-style ceviche, shrimp with garlic or a la plancha, calamari, octopus, fish of the day... Not to mention beef and chicken prepared according to local recipes. Lots of choice on the menu. The prices are a little higher than in other restaurants, but the quality is there and the portions are generous. The atmosphere is relaxed, but the place is a bit noisy at times... We are in the heart of the most animated sector of the village, every medal has its reverse.

An original address where you can enjoy a subtle, almost gastronomic cuisine. Shrimps in tartar sauce, parmesancorvina with spinach, potatoes, courgettes and tomato sauce are just some of the tasty dishes prepared by Big Ralph, the chef and owner of the place. Reminiscent of its origins, the fish of the day with breadcrumbs is a true British-style fish and chips. And don't forget the grilled chicken and salads that are part of the menu. Recommended!

The restaurant of this hostel managed by Martin and Maye Baldovino is a good surprise. Not only does the place have a beautiful view of the port of Bahia, but the food is very satisfying. On the menu, typical dishes, fish and seafood, fresh and well seasoned. Simple and efficient. At the time of our visit in May 2021, the facilities were closed, but let's bet that they will reopen very quickly because the place is very appreciated by the locals as well as the tourists, a buyer should be quickly interested...

This trattoria is as popular with Guayaquilenos as it is with visiting tourists. For almost 35 years, in a singular setting, both friendly and elegant, people have been flocking here to enjoy spaghetti, gnocchi, minestrone, ravioli, fettuccine, risotto(al funghi, for example). Piccolo Mondo is now considered by many to be one of the 10 best Italian restaurants in the city. Everything is quite good overall, with the added bonus of an original setting that will delight fans of kitsch. To be discovered.

There is a wide choice for lunch or dinner in Machala, but we have selected the Waikiki restaurant which is a bit more expensive than the others, but really worth it. Its terrace under a straw roof is the perfect place to enjoy a good dinner. The courbine au gratin with crab sauce is excellent as are all the dishes we tried. The Waikiki's slogan being "the authentic flavour of our coast", one could think that only seafood is served, but don't be mistaken, the menu is very complete. A favorite.

Here is an establishment opened since June 2017 and run by a French woman Valentine and her husband Yadin. The decor is neat and you quickly feel at ease, the beach in focus. It is the perfect place to enjoy a very good coffee or a fruit juice. The breakfasts served are very good. For the greediest, you can also taste the pancakes prepared by the team. For the rest of the day, they also serve sandwiches or excellent toasted bread as well as vegan dishes. A pleasant address of choice, a little away from the city.

On the Malecón, Blanche offers seafood dishes made with passion. Miguel Angel and Maria are in charge of the establishment and have learned a lot from Nico, a 20-year-old graduate of the Lausanne hotel school who opened a bakery here and now runs it remotely for hoteliers and restaurateurs in the area. Blanche also offers excellent breakfasts and delicious dishes made with local products. The bread is still as good as ever, it still comes from Nico's!

For those who tired of rice in Ecuador, would prefer rice to Chinese.

Attablé outside, you eat ceviches and fish well seasoned. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Restaurant specialized in Italian cuisine. In a charming setting, you will taste fresh handmade pasta (especially spaghetti and fettuccine), but also ravioli, risotto, lasagne... The pizzas are not to be outdone and are proposed in 2 sizes, large or very large! We are here in one of the best restaurants of Manta without any doubt and the local clientele is not mistaken, the regulars are numerous in these places. We finally succumb to a good dessert. The shrimp ravioli are to be tested.

A classic restaurant, well attended; local and international cuisine.

Directly on the Malecón, this is an authentic pizzeria whose owner worked for several years in Milan and learned the best techniques there. The products are chosen with care and you can enjoy the pleasant view of the ocean. Also on the menu, chicken and fish dishes are very successful. But if you come here, it is first of all for the very good pizzas cooked on a wood fire, with a very fine dough! Since the pandemic, Da Giulio also offers delivery to your hotel if you don't feel like going out.

Right next to the beach, the Seaflower Lateneus is a tasty and elegant restaurant nestled in a pretty wooden house. The Ecuadorian chef went to Europe to train before coming back to the country to offer his refined cuisine that one comes from far away to taste. Fresh fish and seafood to be enjoyed without moderation! The Seaflower doubles as the best bar in Same with a wide selection of cocktails and various alcohols. And if you wish, you can even sleep in a large and beautiful room for about fifty dollars.

Or the net, as its name indicates: fish, shrimp and shellfish; chicken also for good measurement!

A small bar for a beer.

A popular restaurant among many others. We eat fresh and well prepared products in a typical setting.

A small restaurant that does not pay a mine at first sight and yet it is here that you eat the best local specialities, especially with seafood. The chef, Patricio, watches the grain and will be happy to make you taste his culinary preparations. Very popular.

Central, this is a good table for those who want local, economic and popular cuisine. Among the inescapable: gallina caldo, legumbres locro, and pollo al horn. And for dessert, a good chocolate pie…

To contest a game of billiards by listening to Bob Marley.

They serve the same type of international cuisine for tourists.

Enjoy typical Italian cuisine in a friendly atmosphere. Pasta and pizza specialities.

A classic pizzeria, but it's the best of Montañita. The few tables are being stormed.

Specialities of parilladas, langostinos or meat. Also serves as a bar with a good cocktail card.

Dinner is served in the sound of traditional music, on the seafront.

A beautiful terrace facing the ocean, a tasteful snack-bar decoration, a kitchen without surprise, local and international. The map is varied and offers all kinds of dishes: The incontournable ceviche of camarones (shrimp, counting $ 7) to langoustines has plancha (or garlic…, counting $ 20) through the marinero marinero (rice with seafood, kind of local paella, counting $ 13), not forgetting pasta and meat dishes (carbonara à la exemple, for example, $ 8).

This restaurant doesn't look like much and yet you can eat really well here. The menu offers an eclectic selection of classic dishes, but also Thai ones. Pasta, homemade empanadas, risotto, fish and seafood dishes... There is something for everyone. On the Thai side, the Piña Thaï Bowl caught our attention. A beautiful Thai salad served in a pineapple half, a particularly successful mix of sweet and sour flavours. Also worth mentioning are the excellent ceviches, prepared on the spot and very well seasoned. In short, a nice little address.

Italian and Thai cuisine. One of the best tables in the village, a little more expensive than the others. Chicken sauce Maracuya is excellent. The restaurant is under a palm roof. On the first floor, the street animation is dominated. Concerts on weekends.

Without a doubt one of the best addresses in the city. In an enchanting setting on the waterfront, you are in Italy in a beautifully decorated room. You can come here for breakfast: pancakes, toasts and full breakfasts are excellent. Special mention for the house breakfast, very complete, for 5 dollars. The choice is also vast for lunch or dinner. On the menu: seafood dishes and transalpine specialities in a romantic atmosphere. There is also a wide choice of non-alcoholic house cocktails.

Open for almost 20 years, this bar-restaurant, especially lively in the evening, offers an almuerzo (lunch) and "combos" at a reasonable price. It is worth noting that the delicious crabs, the speciality of the town, are served in a particularly interesting all-you-can-eat formula. One goes there for the setting, resembling the interior of a ship floating on the river, which can be seen sailing from the portholes. In the evening, it is pleasant to have a drink. Live music and karaoke on some nights, especially on weekends.

One of the best places in town where fish and seafood are of course in the spotlight: lobster, crab, fish (garlic, coconut, grilled, in soup, etc.), and the meats are not to be outdone either (seco de chivo, beef, chicken with passion fruit, etc.). The Locro de camarones, a kind of shrimp soup with sliced avocado and corn in the form of Choclos is particularly good and we recommend it. The decor is old in a typical house; the service is professional, but a little too formal.

Distinguished clientele in this famous and elegant restaurant that serves delicious seafood and fish cuisine. The restaurant is also renowned for its meats and its fine wine list. For over 30 years (it opened in 1975), this place has been run by a charming Peruvian woman who speaks French. The address is also excellent for lunch. A divine ceviche and a fish a la plancha will make you happy. Or why not let yourself be tempted by the different formulas of lobsters. The service is impeccable.

A few tables in this small restaurant at the turn of a Spanish tavern. On the map: tapas, including tortillas, empanadas, jamon serrano, paella. Decor made of bullfighting posters. Chilean wine in the string.

Behind the mcdonalds and KFC, several stands offer local economic and roborative cuisine for a dinner or a almuerzo. The servings are huge and can be sufficient for two people (try rice for example). You can sit on the terrace under a parasol observing the go-and-come from Seawall.

The paradise of fruit in all its forms: fresh juices, milkshakes, ice creams, salads. A real pleasure to take a refreshing break here: the setting is acidic, in the colours of tropical fruits, and everything is divine. The best fruits of the country are cut as you eat: papayas, bananas, arbol tomatoes, pineapples, naranjillas and many others. Lovers will enjoy a real cure, especially since most of the fruit is organically grown, a guarantee of good health! Two other addresses in town.

Excellent local cuisine, shrimp and shellfish ceviche; humitas, guatita (guts). All at very reasonable prices. It is a pity that the restaurant is closed in the evening.

On the 4 ^th floor of this large store is one of the city's select cafeterias, managed by the descendants of an Italian family. It's not surprising that the speciality of the Casa is the coffee hit, subtle mix of vanilla espresso and ice cream blended. You can also enjoy breakfast or measure yourself at one of the rich club sandwiches in the menu.

It is just next to the new Cocoa Museum, on Calle Panama, that Romain welcomes you in this nice little French restaurant in the heart of Guayaquil with a nice terrace in a very pleasant patio. After having made his Ecuadorian debut in Salinas, Romain de Lamar, who has also worked in France in various gourmet kitchens, now offers an inspired cuisine based on fresh products. Octopus with parsley, chicken medallions with mustard or homemade crème brûlée will delight the taste buds of the most demanding palates.

This typical restaurant of Guayaquil, opened 9 years ago and very well located in the center of the city, is an excellent address to try the Ecuadorian cuisine, and more particularly the specialities of the coast, such as the delicious ceviche (one does not get tired of it!), the dishes in sauce bathed in the coconut milk or the arroces decorated with products of the sea. Fish, shrimp and other shellfish generously garnish the plates here. It's good and colourful. And the atmosphere is warm in the costeña way! We recommend it.

Here you are at the house of Ceviche in Guayaquil. Whether it is made with shrimp, fish or octopus, the ceviche here is always delicious. It is the speciality of this restaurant, which has been located in the city centre for a few years and has a pretty outdoor terrace. You can accompany your ceviche with tempura-style squid or plantain chips. Some meat dishes are also offered on the menu. The restaurant remained closed for a long time during the pandemic, let's hope it will recover from this difficult ordeal.

A nice pizzeria run by the young Chivo. Italian specialities are in the spotlight, including good pizzas with thin dough, but well garnished. The room is nice and offers beautiful wooden tables where the young people of Mompiche often meet. For those who have been surfing all day, we recommend the spaghetti dishes with a homemade sauce of your choice (the bolognese is excellent), they are gargantuan! Note that the place is accessible by bus from the terminal of Esmeralda, a stop is planned just in front of the pizzeria.

This restaurant concocts delicious Peruvian specialties to be enjoyed on wooden tables. It's hard to pass up the fresh, tasty ceviche , but don't forget to try the delicious marinated fish on the à la carte menu. An interesting fish&chips dish is the Jalea Marina, with octopus, shrimp, calamari and fish of the day, breaded and served hot on a bed of lettuce, corn and tomatoes, a gourmet's delight. Everything is very fresh and the vegetables are generally locally grown and free of pesticides. Vegetarian dishes are also available.

At the very end of the main street, this restaurant opened in 2013, offers successful Italian specialties (seafood pasta, risotto, lasagne...). Generous filling, fresh products. In the morning, you can choose between 4 types of breakfast, and for lunch or dinner, the menu is very complete. Beautiful salads, excellent pasta and homemade risotto will satisfy your desires. If you like sweet things, order a Tiramisu. You can also come and sip a cocktail while watching the passers-by sitting outside the restaurant. A good option!

The sushi at Shankha is simply excellent. Prepared on the spot of course, often with fish coming out of the water, as the fishermen are not far away, the menu is long and the choice difficult. We particularly recommend the Spicy Tuna roll which is to die for. The big plus is obviously the location, just extraordinary. With your feet in the sand, facing the sea, you can enjoy your meal to the sound of the waves in a Zen atmosphere that is different from the hectic atmosphere of the village centre. We are at the punta!

Maxi, an Argentinian chef, and Oriana in the dining room, make this restaurant a place to return to. The pizzas are excellent, but the a la carte dishes deserve special attention. Nestled in the heart of Balsa Surf Camp, Jaja en Balsa is indeed a true gourmet restaurant. Maxi is very inventive and his cuisine will surprise you as much as his little tropical paradise. The burgers, tacos and marinated fish dishes will undoubtedly seduce you. To complete the meal, you can choose from a good and varied drinks menu. Recommended!

If you like Ecuadorian Cevihe, you won't be disappointed here. Chuky's shack is a must-see beach restaurant serving probably the best ceviches in Puerto Lopez. Everything is prepared to order, which leaves time to enjoy a good fresh juice or a good local beer (beware they are often large) while admiring the spectacle of the bay. Fish ceviches, squids, octopus and especially the unique ceviche of conch, a specialty not to be missed. Chuky and his wife welcome you with a communicative good mood.