Vaco y Vaca

Hi!

This week’s post is about “Vaco y Vaca,” a restaurant-cafeteria that undoubtedly will leave you wanting to frequently visit it.

Vaco y Vaca is a casual restaurant that differentiates itself from others by its home-style decoration. Of course, the ornaments and adornments are not the main reason to visit the place, but rather its food. The menu offers beef sirloin, pork chops, chicken breast, hamburgers, desserts, sandwiches, coffees, cold drinks, and alcoholic drinks. All meats come served with menestra, french fries, salad, or altogether.

The menu is very varied and offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, that afternoon coffee-with-pastry, or the casual drink with your loved ones, friends, or coworkers. So, because of this, the restaurant gets crowded and it may take you a while to get a table. But don’t worry, because it’s worth to wait. Besides, because of its varied menu, there is an option for every budget, ranging from $3 to $7 on most items. Oh! And don’t forget to order the house special very sweet ice tea. It’s not like the sweet iced tea known in the United States, but it’s rather similar to Nestle’s ice tea, with a twist! Definitely recommended.

The restaurant has 3 locations:

• El Bosque Mall Center, Paseo la Ronda (my favorite location)
• El Bosque Mall Center, food court
• Quicentro Sur Shopping Mall, food court 2nd floor.

The operating hours are from 10:00am to 8:00pm Monday through Saturday, Sunday until 7:00pm. This particular restaurant is not the best dinner option for those who enjoy a late and prolonged meal due to its operating hours.

Vaco y Vaca is a unique restaurant-cafeteria, featuring exquisite dishes at affordable prices. A great variety of meats, sandwiches, desserts, and hot and cold drinks highlight the restaurant’s brand and image, which focuses on a menu for all tastes. Definitely one of the best options for breakfast, and lunch, but not recommended for dinner because they close at 8:00pm on most days. Nevertheless, after 30 years of business Vaco y Vaca has built a strong customer base and loyalty because its food and service stand out. So, if you want to enjoy great cuisine I highly recommend Vaco y Vaca. I promise, you will be delighted! And remember, what is life for anyways? if not to enjoy it well!

Quito Notas.

Vaco y Vaca website: http://www.vacoyvaca.com/

The Turtle’s Head

Hi!

This week’s post written by Javier Amores, a guest contributor, is about an english styled pub called “The Turtle’s Head,” which specializes in home brewery, cocktails, appetizers and entrees.

Would you like to enjoy a night playing table soccer with your friends while waiting for a drink? How about billiards or an exciting dart match with your coworkers? Or maybe you’d like to measure your skills playing Jenga, but be careful, you wouldn’t want the pieces to fall all over your food. Well, all that and more awaits you at The Turtle’s Head; an english styled pub located in La Mariscal.

If you’d rather skip the games, then perhaps you want to enjoy a night in the company of a temping blonde, an smoking brunette, or an extraordinary redhead. At this point you’re probably wondering if this is more than a pub. Well, is not, The Turtle’s Head is one of the few places in Quito that can brag about having its own micro-brewery, which produces 3 types of artisan beers: pale ale, stout, and amber ale, which are served in pints, medium, and large size jars. Each pint costs about $5 and it’s worth every penny because, well, where else can you taste such good artisan beer in Quito?

Their own micro-brewery is a good enough excuse to check out The Turtle’s Head with your friends. But, if what interests you is good food don’t worry because the menu includes a variety of entrees, which are around $10 each. They have everything: hamburgers, sandwiches, BBQ wings, nachos, meats, and my personal favorite, fish n’ chips. Besides, their selection of national and imported drinks and cocktails is very varied, and appeals to every palate, even the picky ones.

The Turtle’s Head has two locations. The first one is located at la Mariscal, in La Niña St. #626 between Juan León Mera St. y Amazonas Ave. The second one is situated in Cumbaya’s central park. So if you want to eat and drink well, enjoy a good table game, or simply have a pleasant conversation with your friends, boyfriend, or girlfriend while having good service from their waitresses, The Turtle’s Head is the place to be. And remember, what is life for anyways?, if not to enjoy it well!

Hope you liked this review, and don’t forget to come back often to check out other reviews from places you may want to visit.

Thanks to Javier for his contribution.

Quito Notas.

Coffee Tree

Hi!

This week’s post is about the “Coffee Tree,” a restaurant specialized in coffee, beers, cocktails, drinks, deserts, appetizers and entrees. It has four locations:

• Coffee Tree Foch: Foch N24-150 and Reina Victoria.
• Coffee Tree Amazonas: Jorge Washington N20-80 and Amazonas.
• Coffee Tree Calama: Calama E7-28 and Diego de Almagro.
• Coffee Tree Orellana/Yuyu: Reina Victoria 368 and La Niña.

What differentiates Coffee Tree from other restaurants in the zone, is its ambient, service, and prices. From the moment you enter the restaurant, at any location, you are friendly welcomed. But since this is a very concurred place, especially around 5pm to 12am, it may take a while for you to get what you ordered. If that happens don’t worry and be patient… because their drinks and food are worth the wait.

Something I really love about the Coffee Tree is that from Monday through Friday they have a 2×1 promotion in cocktails like mojito, cuba libre, gin & tonic, padrino (whiskey + amaretto), and martini. The promotion depends on the day, so it is a great excuse to check out the place with your friends, co-workers or your couple on a Monday night enjoying 2×1 mojitos! Not to mention their exquisite appetizers and entrees.

Their food prices range from about $5 to $10 and their alcoholic drinks go from $3. But if you’re worried about overspending, be calm, because the menu is very varied and there is something for every budget. I recommend ordering appetizers, cocktails, coffee, and pastries. One excellent choice is a cup of coffee (cappuccino, mocha, black, etc.) and a slice of cake (1,000 leafs, cheesecake, selva negra, etc.) for just $2.99.

My favorite location is Coffee Tree Orellana/Yuyu located at Reina Victoria 368 and La Niña. This particular place benefits from a fresher and calmer ambient from the one situated at Plaza Foch, but both are open-air restaurants. So, it’s not my favorite option when it rains. They have covered areas, however, they are not so big. And because this is a concurred place, the tables that are inside the covered areas may have been already taken.

Coffee Tree is one of the best restaurants in Quito; its vibe is different and fresh. It may not be the best option when it’s raining, however, don’t let that stop you because you’ll find a place where you can escape from the daily routine and enjoy the pleasures of eating and drinking with friends and your loved ones.

And remember, what’s life for anyways?… If not to enjoy it well!

Quito Notas.

Coffee Tree Website http://coffeetree.com.ec/

Welcome!

Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to the beautiful city of Quito. Here I’ll write my experiences at different places such as restaurants, bars, hangouts, touristic sites, malls, etc. with the purpose to inform  the good, the bad, and what needs to be improved

So if you wish to visit a place but don’t know how does it look like, how expensive it is, whether the area is safe or not, or if you are just simply curious to know about it, I offer you my experiences written on this blog as a touristic guide.

Oh! by the way don’t forget to come often, who knows… maybe information about than one place you want to visit will be here.

Quito Notas.