Vista Hermosa (Centro Histórico) — Restaurant in Centro Histórico

Excellent ambiance - food - beverage experience. Substandard service (more to be expressed about service-level later).

The setting is a downtown 3-story building wherein one rides an elevator to access the main dining room located on the 2nd floor. The view -- like many establishments in Quito -- was great because it possesses an elevated (multi-storied) window-line overlooking the rolling urban landscape that very much is the Quito vista.

The physical decor -- dining room furnishings -- looked authentic with historic memorabilia adorning the walls.

The piped-in music was terrific -- recognizable tunes all set to whispered lyrics and a Brazilian jazzy vibe.

I ordered the Fillet Mignon dinner wherein the entre was wrapped in bacon & drizzled with a savory beef reduction...in a word: Succulent. The baked potato was well-cooked (flakey) yet moist. My accompanying mojito was, large, flavorful, & liberally dosed with rum.

Every point noted above is intended to reflect urban dining excellence.

The singular downfall for this establishment was the service. We had a server who was seemingly more interested in rose petals table placement for Mother's Day prep (the following day), than she was in attending to our party of 5 and to accommodating any special dining request.

It is for the quality of inattentive service that Vista Hermosa gets dinged 1 star. Otherwise, this establishment was a particularly noteworthy metropolitan dining...

First the good things: The view is nice but I think there are better places. The music was good, at least we enjoyed that. So why did I rate it so low? The service is really poor. We were a group of seven. Everyone asked for main dishes, because we know that it takes time to prepare them, we also asked for two entries and some drinks. We though that they will bring at least the entries (nothing difficult only nachos) and the drinks. After waiting lot of time, we told one of the waiters that we have been waiting lot of time and nobody has bring us at least the drinks and her answer was: "We serve the entire order, and the waiting time is between one and one and a half hour". She was really mean. And what she told was not true. The tables around us already got their drinks and they arrive later than us. I don´t understand her attitude. We know it takes time to prepare an order but the way she answered was not appropriate. This is not the first time we have got answers like this in this place. Last time, we asked if it was possible to have a "canelazo" without alcohol and the answer of one of the waiters was "We prepared this drink the same way for all the clients, do you want to order it?". I understand now, you don´t make special offers but the way you say the things change everything. But the way, a smile cost nothing...

Ate lunch there, truly awful experience. The worst meal I have ever had in Latin America let alone Ecuador. I order the "filet", got an uneatable slop of table scraps.

I Began eating the first serving on the right and realized they slapped two lesser cuts of beef on top of each other with the bottom of the top and top of the bottom cut being completely uncooked! Major health hazard and I normally eat steak rare.

After sending it back, I got the cut on the left, definitely a lesser cut of beef which was well done and dry on one side with parts that were rare. It's tough, flavorless and just awful. I was starving at this point after being in the restaurant for over an hour and a half at this point so suffered through.

There was plenty of staff who were helpful enough and the venue is actually kind of cool. Might be worth going if you just want a drink in old Town. But the food was absolutely horrible and unsafe. Please do not go...