What do you think?
Rate this book
¡CUENCA EATS!
Discover Cuenca, Ecuador, one delicious meal and one new Spanish expression at a time.
What if discovering a city began with a bowl of soup, a bustling market or two friendly words exchanged with a stranger? In Cuenca, food opens doors. A neighborhood hueca becomes a favorite meeting place, an almuerzo becomes a daily ritual and a simple “¡Buen provecho!” can make you feel like a neighbor.
¡Cuenca Eats! is a bilingual culinary and cultural guide written in BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH, with corresponding text side by side. Explore Cuenca’s beloved dishes, meet the people who prepare them and learn useful Spanish words and expressions in the context of everyday life. Read in English, compare the Spanish and carry what you learn into your next market visit or restaurant conversation.
This is not a cookbook or a formal Spanish course. It’s a welcoming companion for travelers, newcomers, residents and anyone curious about Ecuadorian food. Instead of isolated vocabulary lists, you’ll find real foods, local customs and the stories that make a city feel like home.
FOOD WORTH GETTING LOST FOR
Discover encebollado, a fish soup often enjoyed at breakfast; tigrillo, a hearty plantain dish; corviche, rich with tuna and peanuts; and local favorites such as llapingachos, mote pillo, patacones, hornado and locro de papa. Explore grilled corn, empanadas, fresh juices, traditional sweets and tropical fruits unfamiliar even to seasoned travelers. Find affordable lunches, special occasions and options for vegetarians and seafood enthusiasts.
INSIDE YOU WILL
• More than 100 traditional Ecuadorian foods, drinks, fruits, snacks and desserts explained in clear, practical language.
• More than 100 personally selected restaurant recommendations, from neighborhood almuerzos and breakfasts to bakeries, seafood, vegetarian food and street stalls.
• English and Spanish side by side, making it easy to compare food vocabulary and everyday expressions.
• Photographs and descriptions that help you recognize dishes, ingredients and market finds.
• Local mercados, neighborhood discoveries and ideas for exploring beyond the familiar tourist circuit.
• The ingredients, customs and stories behind Ecuadorian meals, from family lunches to bustling market counters.
THE CITY BEHIND THE FOOD
Cuenca is a UNESCO World Heritage city with an extraordinary culinary heritage. In 2024 the World Food Travel Association recognized it as a World Food Capital. In 2025 UNESCO designated Cuenca a Creative City of Gastronomy. Yet some of its greatest pleasures are wonderfully a steaming plate arriving at a busy lunch counter, a vendor explaining an unfamiliar fruit or a friendly greeting exchanged over lunch.
A THREE-YEAR FOOD ADVENTURE
This guide grew from more than three years of walking Cuenca’s streets, talking with cooks and vendors, following recommendations from Cuencano friends and recording memorable meals. Its restaurants were chosen through firsthand experiences, not a ranking algorithm. The aim is to inspire you to discover your own favorites.
MORE THAN A GUIDE TO WHERE TO EAT
Whether you’re planning your first visit to Ecuador, making Cuenca your new home, practicing Spanish or simply fascinated by South American food, ¡Cuenca Eats! offers a practical and joyful way to explore a remarkable city. Open the book, follow your appetite and discover the welcome behind “¡Buen provecho!”
What if discovering a city began with a bowl of soup, a bustling market or two friendly words exchanged with a stranger? In Cuenca, food opens doors. A neighborhood hueca becomes a favorite meeting place, an almuerzo becomes a daily ritual and a simple “¡Buen provecho!” can make you feel like a neighbor.
¡Cuenca Eats! is a bilingual culinary and cultural guide written in BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH, with corresponding text side by side. Explore Cuenca’s beloved dishes, meet the people who prepare them and learn useful Spanish words and expressions in the context of everyday life. Read in English, compare the Spanish and carry what you learn into your next market visit or restaurant conversation.
This is not a cookbook or a formal Spanish course. It’s a welcoming companion for travelers, newcomers, residents and anyone curious about Ecuadorian food. Instead of isolated vocabulary lists, you’ll find real foods, local customs and the stories that make a city feel like home.
FOOD WORTH GETTING LOST FOR
Discover encebollado, a fish soup often enjoyed at breakfast; tigrillo, a hearty plantain dish; corviche, rich with tuna and peanuts; and local favorites such as llapingachos, mote pillo, patacones, hornado and locro de papa. Explore grilled corn, empanadas, fresh juices, traditional sweets and tropical fruits unfamiliar even to seasoned travelers. Find affordable lunches, special occasions and options for vegetarians and seafood enthusiasts.
INSIDE YOU WILL
• More than 100 traditional Ecuadorian foods, drinks, fruits, snacks and desserts explained in clear, practical language.
• More than 100 personally selected restaurant recommendations, from neighborhood almuerzos and breakfasts to bakeries, seafood, vegetarian food and street stalls.
• English and Spanish side by side, making it easy to compare food vocabulary and everyday expressions.
• Photographs and descriptions that help you recognize dishes, ingredients and market finds.
• Local mercados, neighborhood discoveries and ideas for exploring beyond the familiar tourist circuit.
• The ingredients, customs and stories behind Ecuadorian meals, from family lunches to bustling market counters.
THE CITY BEHIND THE FOOD
Cuenca is a UNESCO World Heritage city with an extraordinary culinary heritage. In 2024 the World Food Travel Association recognized it as a World Food Capital. In 2025 UNESCO designated Cuenca a Creative City of Gastronomy. Yet some of its greatest pleasures are wonderfully a steaming plate arriving at a busy lunch counter, a vendor explaining an unfamiliar fruit or a friendly greeting exchanged over lunch.
A THREE-YEAR FOOD ADVENTURE
This guide grew from more than three years of walking Cuenca’s streets, talking with cooks and vendors, following recommendations from Cuencano friends and recording memorable meals. Its restaurants were chosen through firsthand experiences, not a ranking algorithm. The aim is to inspire you to discover your own favorites.
MORE THAN A GUIDE TO WHERE TO EAT
Whether you’re planning your first visit to Ecuador, making Cuenca your new home, practicing Spanish or simply fascinated by South American food, ¡Cuenca Eats! offers a practical and joyful way to explore a remarkable city. Open the book, follow your appetite and discover the welcome behind “¡Buen provecho!”
327 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 21, 2026
¡Cuenca Eats¡ is packed with excellent on-the ground intel. From how to identify that odd-looking fruit in the market, to how to pronounce the lunch menu, to what to buy for an afternoon snack, this book has it all. Helpfully written in both English and Spanish, this full-color guide will help you, as it helps me, navigate the wide array of tasty foods available in Cuenca and other cities in Ecuador and South America. For those in Cuenca, the second half of the book includes reviews of various restaurants throughout town, from local dives to fine dining restaurants. This is the only book of its type that I have seen here.
June 27, 2026
Food for the soul !
A truly excellent book about Cuenca, its culture, and its cuisine!
I especially appreciated the first section dedicated to local dishes and fruits. This kind of information is rarely documented, making it both fascinating and valuable.
The guide also includes numerous restaurant reviews, and thanks to it, we discovered many new favorite places to eat and still have to try new ones. :)
A truly excellent book about Cuenca, its culture, and its cuisine!
I especially appreciated the first section dedicated to local dishes and fruits. This kind of information is rarely documented, making it both fascinating and valuable.
The guide also includes numerous restaurant reviews, and thanks to it, we discovered many new favorite places to eat and still have to try new ones. :)
March 9, 2026
I have lived in Cuenca for more than three years and learned more in this book than in all my own gastronomic experiences because the author writes not just about the food, but about that food's place in the history, culture, and daily life of Cuencanos. It takes a deep curiosity to unearth those insights, and the author wove them into an interesting, easy-to-digest (pun intended) literary snack.
May 26, 2026
Comprehensive review of food and food culture in Cuenca. Tips on hidden gems , helpful photos, and fascinating bits of history and tradition fill the pages. If you love “fun facts” and pro tips” this book is for you!
January 19, 2026
If you are (going to be) in Cuenca and you love food, then this is the book for you! Full of background about the food itself and actual recommendations of where to eat!
January 24, 2026
A very complete guide about Cuenca's gastronomy that will make you mouth water !
June 25, 2026
A true journey in the Ecuador, learning new ways to travel , that to order and how
Great book
Great book
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews