Definitely the best Ecuadorian food restaurant in Chicago... buen encebollado ,caldo de bolas ,

Even though the place is too small, the service was excellent on point The food, I have to admit, was very good. I had the ceviche mix with rice Will come again for sure read more

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Ordered the driest appetizer that was like a potato and dried plantains. Gross. The worst part was when I asked to change the dish because it was gross they said they don't do that. Good luck By the way don't order the seco de Chivo. Taste like goat still. Gross. read more

Great service , . Food was excellent ,i got the Bandera plate it was a lot of food in the plate with great taste. They had a great ambiance thru all the time I was in there. read more

Ecuador Restaurant - It's called Bolon Mixto , it's green plantain with cheese and pork belly. Yummi . - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The place was packed to the gills!! We did not have to wait too long. They were out of the sweet maduros so I had the stuffed potato which was good. I order the Llapingaucho which was very very good. Would come back just to have that dish again. Overall a nice experience. read more

Ecuador Restaurant - a plate of food on a table - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I search on Yelp turned up Restaurant Ecuador and its (uncommon to me) Quaker beverage $2.50 (home made oatmeal with passion fruit), but I was unable to convince my two travel companions to agree to have our final lunch here. It didn't help that I was hyped to try their seafood, and one of the gals was not a seafood enthusiast. So after brunch, I stopped by here for a Quaker to go. During our wait, I noticed that there were a number of men enjoying their meal. The drink was milky sweet, but passion fruit isn't my preference, and so I wasn't crazy about it. read more

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My friend and I came in 5 minutes before closing and they didn't kick us out. So already I was hopeful. The menu was easy to read with the names in Spanish and then description in English. They had so many yummy options. It was really good food! Also be aware that the portion sizes are big. You get a lot for what pay and you can get one entree and split it. Service was good too even though they were getting ready to close. The waitress still filled our water and checked in with us. It's worth a trip! read more

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Just moved nearby and saw this place so had to try it. Very friendly staff, customers who seemed like happy regulars, awesome smells from varied and new (to me) dishes; instantly a fan. We had seafood rice entree, sweet plantains, cheese and corn tamales, and breaded chicken with fries. All was delicious. Also tried the passion fruit oatmeal drink which as a nice change up and new flavor. Prices were very reasonable and had plenty of leftovers. Will definitely be back for more! read more

So glad we got to go to this restaurant. Been to Ecuador a couple of times and I've always enjoyed their food. We ordered the cheese empanadas, Caldo de pata, ecuadorian bistec and the llapachingos. I think this is how you spell it. Will definitely come back and highly recommended. read more

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Dann Carlton Restaurant, We ordered from the Dann Carlton Hotel Restaurant take out because of the crisis we all are living. The food was terrible and overpriced. I won't recommend the restaurant menu to anybody who has a good taste for what is a good meal. I think Mac Donald's fries left on a table overnight tastes better. read more

Awesome!!! This was my first time trying Ecuadorian food and it was great! The staff here are very friendly, and you'll be greeted as soon as you enter. I tried the "Salchipapas" (fries and sausages) "Bolon de verde" (pork skin/chicharrones & plaintain") and the "Llapingacho" for the main course. The portion sizes are huge and I could only finish half of the main course! I will definitely be back read more

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Definitely come through for solid Ecuadorian food. Don't expect gourmet, fancy plating. Straight-out-your-mom's-kitchen kinda vibe for sure. My husband and I got morocho, choclo con queso, the arroz con lentejas y carne, and arroz con camaron. Again, pretty solid. I would say there are better Ecuadorian restaurants in the area but this one wasn't bad at all. If this is your first time getting Ecuadorian, my recommendation would be a seafood dish or a soup. Those are classics. Encebollado de pescado (kind of like a fish stew) and caldo de bola (savory soup with meat and plantains) are very common and reveal a lot about Ecuadorian ingredients. But overall you can't go wrong with any of it! read more

I have nothing but great things to say about this place. It was a chilly night and my friend who was feeling sick was craving some seafood soup. We turned to Yelp and found this hidden gem a short walks from our place. The establishment itself is pretty discrete in my opinion, you could easily walk past and not notice if you weren't really paying attention. Upon entering, it was a nice cozy atmosphere with a bar area. We were starving when we sat down so we quickly browsed through the menu and decided. We ordered their fried plantains, Caldo de Mariscos and a llmapingacho. Upon ordering, we were advised that the soup would take longer to make and bring out. It was nice that she told us otherwise we would've been wondering what was taking it so long. I would estimate that the soup itself took at least 20 minutes to be prepared. You really can't go wrong with friend plantains, they were brought out first as our appetizer and we're light and crunchy. What really made them tasty was the salsa they provide, it was a chunky and somewhat. It tasted really well with the plantains. The Llampingacho, my dish, then came out and I dug right in. This dish is basically composed of two potato pancakes, topped with steak, two fried eggs and then doused with a sweet and savory peanut butter sauce on a bed of shredded lettuce. I enjoyed it very much, but for those who do not enjoy peanut butter, I suggest against giving it a try. The Caldo de Mariscos then came out and boy was that worth waiting for. First and foremost, the bowl itself was huge and it was packed full of different seafood. The broth itself was so amazing. It was very clear by the strong taste of seafood that the soup was cooked for a very long time. While we were eating, the table in front of us was brought a seafood rice dish... the plate of rice was huge.. and when I say huge.. I mean one family of 4 could probably share the whole thing. It looked so good that I made a note to return and order that next time. I returned not too long after and ordered it and was very impressed. Big mounds of seafood rich rice, kind of like paella. I had leftovers for days. All in all excellent meal. Do give this place a try if you're craving some Ecuadorian food or just some seafoody goodness. Be prepared to eat though cause the portions are HUGE or have leftovers for the next day. read more

Ecuador Restaurant - Seafood soup! - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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A group of friends decided to try this restaurant out since we are experts in busting down Ecuadorian cuisine. (Living there two years sure did the trick!) If you are into ambiance and superficiality this place ain't for you; stick to the downtown area. However, if you are crazy about warm patacones, large, affordable- platos fuertes, friendly staff (and customers) and BYOB, then this is where you need to be when you are craving Ecuadorian food. My caldo de bolas was amazing! My only regret was not ordering Inca Kola :D So go enjoy the food, interact with the people and who knows? A dance party may break out! ¡Buen provecho! read more

Had I not been to Ecuador Restaurant for a party, I probably would have walked right past it. That would have been a HUGE mistake! When we arrived the staff was so nice and friendly. It's BYOB and they brought out glasses right away and got drinks for those non-alcoholics in the group. First up, appetizers. Like I said, I was there with a party. We each ordered a different appetizer. I had the Bolon De Verde (plantain with pork skin). It was basically mashed plantains formed into a log with bits of crispy thick cut pork rinds in it. If it had a sauce, a mojo, salsa, something, it would have been wonderful but alone, it was too dry! The highlight of appetizers were the Papa Rellena (stuffed potato with meat) and the Ayacas ( tamale with chicken). Both were amazingly flavorful and so good that I could have ordered two as my main dish and been satisfied. For dinner We did the same thing. I ordered the Seco de chivo (Goat Stew). OMG! It was amazing. Flavorful sauce that coated this tender goat served on the bone. I just wanted to pick it up and suck on it. The plantains were nicely cooked and the yellow rice a perfect combo. I brought half of it home and had it for breakfast the next day. I couldn't even wait for lunchtime to have it! Some other highlights were the Llapingacho which is a weird combination of steak, a fried egg and a peanut sauce that surprisingly work well together. A few people ordered it and loved it. The Arroz con Mariscos was stuffed to the brim with Sea Food! Usually when something is described to have shrimp and muscles and crab and scallops and everything else under the sea in it, you get maybe two of everything. Not with this dish. There was tons of seafood. The Pescado Frito was amazing as well. I'm a sucker for a whole fried fish, but this one came with these picked onions on top and those along with the crispy plantains was so tasty. The fish itself was moist and flaky. Hmmm... This makes me want to go back right now. If you haven't been, Good! Stay away! It's mine! read more

Ecuador Restaurant - Goat Stew - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you're craving authentic Ecuadorian food combined with its splendid hospitality as well as culture, this is the place to go! As described in the prior post by my companera, Theresa, our group of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Ecuador, '07-'09) were craving some serious Ecuadorian food. The restaurant exceeded all of our expectations, which you can imagine would be high, living- and integrating in Ecuadorian culture for 2 years. The menu catered to all regions of Ecuador (e.g., Costa, Sierra, Oriente), serving Ecuadorian food which typically is a rarity to find in the U.S., such as choclo, guatita, humitas, llapingachos, patacones, among others. The serving portion was identical to what you find in the local eateries of Ecuador - bastante. What added more to the experience, was the ambiance of the restaurant and hospitality of the owner, workers, as well as gente eating at the restaurant. As per typical Peace Corps mentality, our group quickly began to chat with others at the restaurant, sharing our experiences as well as better understanding those of our hosts. All of these converstaions was with an eclectic blend of latin music in the background, setting the stage for a post-dinner dance party in the restaurant. Our group, along with others in the restaurant danced to classical Ecuadorian songs, such as "Mi lindo Ecuador" and "Caraguay". Needless to say, this was a memorable night for all of us who cherished our Ecuadorian experience as Peace Corps Volunteers. Thanks again, Ecuador Restaurant! Fabulous food, people, and culture! read more

We went here on a whim. It was incidentally down the street from an appointment. We were not disappointed. It was unbusy. Unfortunately, at the time, they didn't take credit cards. But we were loyal to the moment, went to an ATM and came back. And we weren't disappointed. We were served by the "mom", the owner, and her son and family was seated a couple tables away. He helped us choose typical Ecuadorian fare (which we chose over the standard stuff one could get at a Mexican restaurant). It was pretty great! I was recommended llapengachos and my fiancé had the chicken, which I preferred. The servings were generous (enough for two people, easily) and with the apps it was definitely a great meal. Under $40 with tip. They're BYO as well! read more

This is a low key little restaurant but don't let its humble presentation fool you. I am a native Ecuadorian and had dinner here with my husband who is American. We both truly enjoyed our dining experience, nice customer service and super flavorful food. I'm coming back! read more

Last month was my fourth time eating here and Ecuador Restaurant never disappoints. The lunch specials are inexpensive, $6.99, large portions and great way for a Greek American foodie to explore Ecuadorian cuisine. Cozy, casual atmosphere, friendly,helpful staff and delicious food! This is what I've discovered about Ecuador Restaurant: Ayacas, always take a couple home for the next day. They are my 11 year old son's favorite. This is all he wants and he is happy. We have even just stoppedin to pick up Ayacas to go just for him, so technically, I have been here more than four times. Every day of the week is a different special. On Mondays there is a lunch beef/steak special, sorry don't remember the name, but it starts with a soup called Sancocho de carne and it is delicious! I know the soup name, because I asked the waitress to type it for me on my facebook post. She also explained to me in Ecuador, you always start a meal with soup and then the rice. My daughter always orders the Llapingacho (very peanut buttery taste), a Quaker drink (oatmeal with passion fruit) and seldom varies, though she will sample from others plates, but this is her favorite. Oh, did I mention large portion sizes, you can share or take home for another meal or two. Always a plus... The place has an authentic feel. I'm not talking about decoration because I really don't know anything about Ecuadorian decor. I mean the customers appear to be Ecuadorian or at least everyone around me is always speaking Spanish and the TV is on the Ecuadorian network/station. To me this usually is a good indicator of more authentic type of food and I use it as a gauge. I highly recommend you give Ecuador restaurant a try, especially at lunch, because of the specials. Great way to start your Ecuadorian cuisine adventure!! read more

Great small place.. great specials for lunch... $8.30 for 2 daily specials.. include traditional Ecuadorian soup,, and rice top with special meet stew....BOB.. read more

I usually frequent Zacatecas across the street, but I decided to try this place instead, since I pretty much know the 'Zac menu by heart. Food was really, really good. The empanada had perhaps the best crust/breading I have ever tasted, their potato ball "Kapa Rellena" was amazing as well. Our entrees were fantastic; I had the Ecudadorian Steak, GF had some steak w peanut sauce, two over easy eggs, and potato cakes. The portions were quite large, and the food was really good. They DO now take credit cards (prior review said they didn't have that option), and it's BYOB (booya). We were, sadly, the only people in the restaurant, but I guess that was OK; there was a 30-45 second lapse bt me finishing my glass of water and the guy filling it up again. It had, overall, a very family feel to it. Highly recommended if you enjoy Latin American fare, and are looking for something other than typical Mexican options. read more

First visit. Byob. Clean. Friendly waitress and also helpful. Shared a tamale - delicious. Shared thus entrée that was steak, peppers, onions and white rice ( was okay but nothing wonderful - was a large portion). Shared an order of the green fried plantains (bland and dry). Food was good just wasn't impressed. Affordable - three items was around 19$. read more

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I've been wanting to go to this place for a few months now to get an authentic ecuadorian meal like the ones I remember growing up. And all I have to say is this place lives up to my memories. Absolutely delicious. I would have given it 5 stars but the service was a bit slow. read more

Ecuador Restaurant - Fritada! - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The food is so good. Ive gone here twice already. I've been to Ecuador before and the food here is just like what I had there. The plantains are so good, both green fried and the sweet. The arroz con camaron is delicious and they gave huge portions. We also tried seco de chivo o gallina, which is rice with chicken or goat stew, and it was amazing and so tasty. Very reasonable prices. Definitely going back. read more

Ecuador Restaurant - Green fried plantains - Latin American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I don't go here often because there really aren't any cheap options on the menu (UPDATE 6/11/08: They now have weekday lunch specials). But the food, down to the rice, bread, and fresh raspberry juice, is nearly perfect. One of my favorites is the churrasco- steak and peppers served with fries and an overeasy egg on top. If you want to be a bit more healthy, the grilled chicken breast is outstanding, lightly charred and flavorful. Be sure to ask for their homemade hot sauce, whatever you get. I also had one dish which involved eggs and peanut butter- I'd recommend other customers not be so adventurous. This place is not usually too busy, and service is laid back and extremely friendly. read more

First time trying Ecuadorian cuisine. Loved the Aroz con Mariscos, tamales, and passion fruit juice. Wonderful service and atmosphere.

This will be my first and last visit to this restaurant. There was no customer service, we got 2 napkins for 4 people, 2 glasses of water again for 4 people, and Silverware for two people. Our drinks were given to us after we finished eating. read more

Small and quaint with friendly service and delicious food. Had the Caldo de bola and it was delicious. Also BYOB. We'll be back!

Omg!! I am from Ecuador and live in California now but I grew up I Ecuador for 12 years. There are a couple of Ecuadorian restaurant in California and only one that I've visited was good, but it didn't not have all the amazing plates this place has. I felt like I was back in Ecuador. If you want authentic and delicious Ecuadorian food you must visit this place. It's small place but it has great service and food. read more

I'm heading to Quito in a month and have never had Ecuadorian food so I stopped in for lunch today. Really hearty, and (to my untrained palate) food and atmosphere seemed very authentic. The server was friendly (good but not perfect English, which is fair enough) I was the only one in the place to start with (11:20am), but there was a steady stream of working men coming in for the lunch special--some eat-in at the counter, some carrying out. From their camaraderie with staff, I assume they were Ecuadorians. The lunch special was a large bowl of soup with potato, cabbage, cilantro, corn, and beans...outstanding! That alone would have been enough for my lunch appetite, but for $7.50 it also came with a full plate piled high with thin, seasoned, grilled steak (I'm assuming skirt steak: tasty, but we're not talking US-type T-bone steak); very nicely seasoned lentils, lettuce and a huge portion of rice. It also came with a cup of Ecuadorian "salsa" that had its own distinct flavor...definitely different from typical Mexican style salsa (it had a small amount of what seemed like finely chopped pickled veggies in there), and slightly hotter than average. I scooped some of that on the white rice and it made for a nice combo with the steak. I also had a Quaker beverage (I was told that was typical Ecuadorian) which was a sweet blend of oatmeal, passion fruit, water and cinnamon. It was different, fun and I think it's something my kids would like (definitely a lot healthier than a Sprite or Coke)...normally I don't drink sweet drinks with my meal but it also served as a bit of a dessert. Will definitely come back with the family before heading. Overall, thumbs up. read more

Delicious!! This place was amazing. They had large portions. My brother in law and Fiance and I went and grubbed out. I highly recommend this place read more

This was my first time eating Ecuadorian food. When you first walk in it looks like your run of the mill hole in the wall which is just the right atmosphere for surprisingly delicious food! After going through the menu, I ordered the tamale and goat stew to go. The tamale is not like your traditional Mexican tamale, it is wrapped and cooked in a banana leaf and the filling had a variety of different ingredients (chicken, olives, dried fruit, etc). The tamale was a bit dry but tasted pretty good especially with the hot sauce they provided. The goat stew was delicious, piled on top of a mound of yellow rice and came with sweet plantains. The goat was tender and the sauce of the stew mixed with the rice was addicting! Overall I was definitely satisfied with my meal. The food was delicious, reasonably priced and also unique! I would definitely recommend giving this place a try and I am definitely coming back in the near future. read more

This was far one of the best Ecuadorian foods I had. I went last night with my husband and a friend, and we were very satisfy. For appetizers we order, the patacones and one humita. They were all good, but the patacones needed a bit salt. The humita was super delicious and full of cheese which I loved. For entrees we had the fritada, churrasco y el japingacho with Ecuadorian sodas. We finished it all, the rice was super delicious and fluffy and the portions are huge. You must have the quacker juice it's just too delicious to pass by, we had two orders one to drink there and one to go to drink later. The place is very small it's a hiding gem, it's very clean and the decorations are on point. The play list is very nice i was jamming while I was eating. We order a lot of food and the total was $60 for about 7 orders of food. If you want authentic Ecuadorian food you must come to this place. You won't be disappointed, this was also my friend's first time trying Ecuadorian food, and she loved it a lot. read more

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Great food and service as always. We come here for family events and holidays. The bistec or llapingacho are my personal favs and paired with every appetizer on the menu, if company permits. If not a humita or two will set you in the right direction. read more

Excellent Food, Tasty, Healthy, Excellent Service, Great Prices ($7.00-$13.00 for a full meal), Great Lunch Specials that come with soup, Very authentically Ecuadorian Food and Culture. I will definitely return.... Above was the first review I wrote, but it was hidden by Yelp due to some filter policy that I did not understand; maybe they thought it was Spam because all my friends from a party also gave very excellent reviews. All the other hidden reviews from October 2012 (6 reviews) from my group from the Peace Corps are authentic and genuine like mine, and so are the other posted reviews. Since, my last visit and review, I have returned to the restaurant many times, and it continues to provide excellent food and great service. The lunch specials are fantastic with soup and a hearty plate of food, and definitely at a good rate. read more

Generous portions, good price, flavorful and welcoming staff: 4 stars Ordered: Bistec Ecuatoriano, pollo a la plancha, and Guatitta read more

The humitas are huge and delicious. El seco de chivo will bring you memories. The seafood dishes reminds of the food from la costa. I recommend changing the music to Ecuadorian music or vallenatos. I listened to Aventura's ensename a olvidar like 20 times, it was on repeat. But the food, good! read more

Very friendly service and absolutely deeeeelicious food (I live for llapengachos). Between the coziness of the room, the personableness of the owners/staff, and the dual flat-screen TVs constantly broadcasting either the Ecuador Network (which I didn't know existed) or Bears games, it sort of feels like having dinner in someone's living room - but in a good way. :) read more

I went here after not gettinig seved at Zacatecas accross the street. There was only one other party in there and a very nice (presumably) owner who seated us quickly and was very helpful through the process. It was BYOB so we picked drinks up at the liquor store down the street. It was a Wednesday so some items on the menu were not available but the tghe food was a lot and pretty good. The Empanadas were very good and we had to put in a second order. Overall a decent experience. They saved our night! read more

Small place. Very hospitable. Great food (for Ecuadorian standards). Very reasonable. If you're into trying different cuisines, definitely go check it out. read more