El Caldo de la Plaza

Weekend-only, standing room on the cobblestone plaza. One of the most satisfying breakfasts you'll eat in Ecuador.

Every Saturday and Sunday morning, Eduardo sets up a folding table and a two-burner stove on the north side of the central plaza and sells encebollado until he runs out. He's been doing this for eleven years. He uses albacore from a supplier on the coast who he calls every Thursday to reserve the week's fish. The broth is seasoned with a spice blend he declines to identify. There are no seats — you stand or sit on the plaza wall. The bowl costs $2. You will eat it standing on a cobblestone plaza at 7:30 in the morning with the Andes above you and the valley stretching out below, and you will understand why people choose to live here.