QUITU | Identidad Culinaria — Restaurant in Iñaquito

Foodies travel for food. We this one out in as it is cited as one of Quito’s “50 Discovery Restaurants”. BUT IT DIDN’T LIVE UP TO HYPE🫤🫤🫤.

• There’s creativity in the dishes, BUT MANY ARE UNDER-SEASONED AND/OR FAILS TO STIMULATE THE PALATE OR THE NOSE.

🫤 Pamba Mesa::: an updated version of the classic Ecuadorian shareable small plates, BUT ITS UNDERWHELMING

—- The Lapingacho is a visually lovely patty of purple potatoes BUT UNDERSEASONED.

—- The Flatbread is BORING, looks and tastes like an ordinary pizza dough.

—- The Corn squares are tasty mash BUT IT IS UNREMARKABLE, nothing special about it.

🫤🫤🫤 then there’s a tangerine-based cold dish, the name of which we forgot AS IT IS SIMPLY VERY UNREMARKABLE. The tangerine flavor is overwhelmingly.

Then there’s most surprising and LOVELY OYSTERS😊… BUT THE TOPPING KILLS THE NATURAL FLAVOR OF THE OYSTERS.

— the topping adds nothing👎👎👎

— the oyster should have been king🫤🫤🫤🫤🫤.

😊😊😊 Ceviche and Shrimp dishes pairing::: these two are complementary.

👍 the cold ceviche is very mildly tart. It wakes up the palate.

👍 the warm shrimp is deliciously put together.

😊😊😊 Artichoke::: it’s a delectable concoction, tender artichoke cup and a beautiful sauce, BUT where did the heart go? ? That’s the best part of an artichoke !

😊😊😊 Pork Roast::: a very lovely twist on the Chancho. The fat has been completely rendered. The pork with its charred skin is flavorful and textural.

😊😊😊 Cacao Toast::: a most creative rendition of a toast made from 100% cacao.

🤩🤩🤩 Lamb dish ::: this is EXCEPTIONAL, perfect mid-rare lamb and highly complimentary potato/veggie garnishes and sauce

😑😑😑 Chocolate Crème::: very pleasing taste and texture BUT SO BORING VISUALLY.

Service is very good.

The restaurant has an excellent ambience, the painting decors (one Guayasamin) liven the dining rooms. It’s inside a large compound with simple but...

I was traveling in Ecuador and based on the good reviews, I came here for dinner. Food was kind of hit or miss. Some were good, and some were overcooked, like there was a duck plate where I couldn’t chew through the meat so I had to secretly spit it out as to not offend the chef, you know what I mean?

But the main reason I am writing this review is not for the food but for the fact I was overcharged by $70. They only have tasting menus, and this is directly copied from their website:

$55 for 8 course tasting menu $80 for 13 course tasting menu Wine pairing $40 for 5 glasses Wine pairing $60 for 8 glasses

I was the first guest to arrive for dinner. I got the 8 course option with 5 glasses wine pairing, so the total was $95. I was pretty buzzed at the end of the meal, and since the food wasn’t á la carte, I didn’t bother checking the total as I signed for the check. Luckily I said yes to getting a copy of the receipt and after getting back to the hotel I happened to look at the receipt, that’s when I realized I was overcharged by $70. I was able to get a refund when I went back to dispute the bill.

What I really want to say is, I don’t see how they could accidentally overcharge me because even if they had thought I got the 13 course meal with 8 glasses wine pairing it still doesn’t add up to $165.

As a female solo traveler, this seemed very shady and I honestly felt taken advantaged of....

We wandered into Quitu on a recommendation from a friend. It's unassumingly placed in the middle of a quiet block in Quito but once inside it lives up to the meaning of it's name, "Center of the World."

We came without reservations and the Chef told us not to worry about it and invited us to take a seat at the bar. There he explained the concept of the restaurant. No many many guests had arrived and that days menus hadn't made it from the printer in English, so the chef walked us through the menu, explaining the pairing of fruit, vegetables and proteins. It was all organic and farm or jungle to table.

As they offered us traditional hot drinks, two varieties of house made corn breads and a stone covered with two types of butter mixes, the chef explained how a previously endangered species of fish from the Amazon had been brought back to good levels.

We made our selections and every dish that came out was unique, plated beautifully and delicious. We had a squash soup plated on a flat plate with medallions of veal and other sumptuous concoctions of vegetables. Of of the soups featured thin wafers of fried quinoa. We had a delicious Lama steak and the chef sent out 3 tiny flowerless chocolate squares of a plate sprinkled with spices.

It was the best meal I had in long time and the atmosphere and presentation of the menu and food...