La Negra Mala — Restaurant in Centro Histórico

Short version: La Negra Mala is a perfect mix of delicious traditional Ecuadorian food, hospitality, and historical ambience that all add up to a wonderful dining experience!

Long version: What a delightful evening we had dining at La Negra Mala! If you are in Quito you should not miss this hidden treasure. First, it is in a beautiful historic building on the end of Calle La Ronda, and from the moment you walk in you can feel the history and warmth of the home. The family home of several generations, its beautifully decorated with plants and furniture that maintain the bohemian ambience of its history. As we walked up the stairs we were greeted by the sights and smells of authentic Ecuadorian hospitality and food. Then Victoria, the owner and cocinera, welcomed us personally and told us about her restaurant and home before seating us. The seating is intimate and warm, at tables in several connected rooms, some overlooking Calle la Ronda. As we were ordering we mentioned that we are vegetarian and vegan, and Victoria promptly took us back to the kitchen, making sure that we were comfortable with all the ingredients! She and her son David even took the time to explain several different typical Ecuadorian dishes and sauces to make sure we were happy. In the end we chose a couple entradas, and asked Victoria to choose our main dishes for us, the chef's selection! Everything we had was fresh and delicious, from the Bolon Verde to Llapingacho to the Cariucho de Vegetales! After a leisurely meal enjoying the ambience we enjoyed a warm canelazo which is a delicious drink made from naranjilla juice and cinnamon, and if you want to get the full experience you will have it with a shot of aguardiente de caña!

Honestly I can't say enough good things about "Mama Victoria" and this delightful and charming restaurant with the homemade delicious and comforting food of Ecuador! You will enjoy your meal and have memories...

!!! THE OWNER HUGGED US. I REPEAT. THE OWNER, THE CHEF HERSELF, HUGGED EACH OF US???

🏃🏽‍♂️To set the scene: we were prowling the city streets, searching for vegetarian food. We could not find this restaurant and began to raise our voices, arguing about where we should eat instead.

That was when the doors opened, and we were informed that the place was technically closed, but because we seemed to be really passionate about it, it wouldn’t be too much trouble for them to serve us.

During the wait we talked to the owner’s son about life in Ecuador. He spoke excellent English and was very friendly. I even got to ask about their dog, which lived upstairs, and was very excited to see us when we came in. Bonus points for the adorable dog!

He told us that we could go into the kitchen and see how the food was prepared, if we wanted. All four of us walked in awkwardly — we didn’t want to intrude, after all. However, we were welcomed with a smile, and given a pretty thorough explanation about the food and ingredients. We got served nuts and dried berries as an appetizer while we waited.

The wait was long, but it was worth it. Everything was cooked perfectly and had a comforting, homemade taste. I got to have a satisfying vegetarian dinner after all. And when we headed home, like the other reviews had mentioned, we were given hugs. We were dumbfounded in the best way possible.

It felt like we had been adopted by a grandma for an evening. We were welcomed in for dinner as if we were family friends in an otherwise dangerous, confusing city.

If you want to get a real taste of...

We went based on the amount of positive reviews from other people and we were not disappointed. This spot is probably the only restaurant on this entire street that is not a tourist trap. The food is very reasonably priced with most authentic Ecuadorian dishes in the $5-$15 dollar range. We did drink and entire bottle of wine for $17 which brought our bill up more than the average visit (total $50 for 2 plates, bottle of wine and 6 empanadas for appetizers) but it was absolutely fantastic Chilean wine and we couldn’t resist. We were the only people in the restaurant on a Thursday night but the woman, Victoria, who runs it was so incredibly gracious, sweet and caring. She is the hostess, the owner, and the chef and while you might imagine that could spell disaster in most restaurant situations, she actually pulled off one of the most impressive and delicious meals we have had in Ecuador in a reasonable time frame and with grace and passion. The chicken and pork dishes we ordered were the first meat we had in the last week that were not well done/ over cooked and were juicy and succulent. We left full, satisfied and excited enough to share the experience with the community because If you’re in Quito this place is not to be missed and she deserves much more business both from locals and tourists alike. Looking forward to the next visit to this place and to watch it grow with...