Cafe Caribe — Restaurant in Centro Histórico

I had breakfast here. This place is quintessentially Quito, offering what most Quiteños would consider a breakfast, which usually includes something sandwichy with maybe cheese or ham in it, a hot chocolate, coffee, and a juice. The coffee there is not like coffee I recognized as coffee at first -- it's something called a tinto which is like a reduced coffee concentrate that you would put into hot water. It's really not my cup of tea, half-pun intended. You could get a hot chocolate in place of the coffee but it's kind of like Swiss-made and not what you would expect from a country that grows some of the best coffee on Earth. There are some traditional hot chocolates elsewhere that are made with spices and orange that are delicious, but I'm still trying to find them. Only had them from generous older...

I ate here once a few years ago. Honestly, the food is ok, but the service is chaos. They don't have instructions/signs, so if you are new, you don't know that you have to order at the cashier first, which adds to the chaos at the counter. I've seen people sit and wait at a table not knowing the process and then they leave after 5-10 minutes, because the staff don't even take the time to explain this to them. Honestly, for being in a tourist area, they should...

Cafe Caribe is excellent for quick desayuno/amuerzo, ice cream, coffee, tea and snacks. It's located on the corner of Venezuela and Bolivar.

The cafe offers counter service, order at the register and get served later at a table. The pernil sanduche was really tasty! Served on freshly baked bread with whole slices of ham and a little bit of tomato relish. Quimbolito and coffee really hit the spot. Cafe Caribe is definitely worth a visit for...