“I Love Ho’s” was the sticker I got with my check at the end of my meal at Uncle Ho’s in Quito, Ecuador’s Mariscal recently. I first heard about the restaurant from Tripadvisor where it was ranked in the Top 5 of about 150 of all restaurants in Quito. People were raving about it. Quito’s La Mariscal district is a major hangout for expats in South America, many of them taking advantage of cheap Spanish schools or volunteering at the many non-profits based there. The food, for the most part, caters to this crowd. There’s lots of backpacker friendly restaurants serving international food such as Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese, Mongolian, and Israeli. Ho’s is one of those. While a cartoonish Ho Chi Minh is the logo of the small restaurant, it isn’t a strict Vietnamese restaurant by any means. There’s a little bit of everything from Southeast Asia: Pho, Avocado Soup, Chicken Curry, Lemongrass Beef, and Glazed Spare Ribs. There’s a few Ecuadorian dishes like empanadas and llapingachos, though there are better options for those elsewhere in Quito. Lunch specials, $5, offer soup, meat skewers, a desert (fried banana with ice cream), and a drink. It’s not exactly the first place I would go or recommend while in Quito, but for a break from the typical it’s not bad.
Uncle Ho’s
166-E (29 Jose Calama and Diego de Almagro
La Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador
Tel: 593260348954
www.unclehos.com
Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.
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