Restaurants in Loja

Loja is a midsize city with plenty of restaurants, although most cater to the local crowd, and very few stand out. The local specialty is the tamal lojano, a large tamal of fresh ground corn filled with a mix of shredded pork or chicken and other goodies, which include hard-boiled eggs, beans, carrots, and onions -- all of which is wrapped in the local achira plant leaf.

Loja has its share of international restaurants. The best of these include A Lo Mero Mero (no phone), on Sucre 06-22 near Colón, for traditional Mexican fare; Pizzería Forno di Fango (tel. 07/2582-905), on Bolívar 10-98 near Azuay, for brick-oven pizzas, pastas, and Italian cuisine; and Mar y Cuba (tel. 07/2585-154), on Rocafuerte 09-00 and 24 de Mayo, for Cuban cooking and fresh seafood. Vegetarians should head to El Paraíso Vegetariano (tel. 07/2576-977), on Calle Quito between Sucre and Bolívar, which has a good menu of meat-free entrees and snacks.