To follow up on my recent post about the low cost of living here, I’ll share a bit about eating on the cheap in Ecuador. Truly, it can be hard to spend more than $10 on a meal – or $5, for that matter. But if you want to drop some dough, you definitely can at some of Quito’s fancier joints like the upscale sushi spot I visited today where prices were on par with anywhere in the US.

Ecuador is filled with tiny mom-and-pop shops (some might call them holes-in-the-wall) that serve cheap meals, like a plate of chicken or steak for a few bucks. But the real jackpot is the almuerzos, set lunches that cost between $1-2. These lunches come with a drink (soda or fresh juice), soup, salad, rice, and typically chicken (although you can also have steak). And these are no puny lunches either – they can definitely fill you up.

$1.50 Almuerzo - soup, chicken, fresh juice

Last night we went to a vegetarian restaurant and I had homemade veggie lasagna, salad, and potatoes for a grand total of $2.80. The other day I went to a corner stand that sells hot dogs and hamburgers for 75 cents each, including a small cup of soda.

You can find fresh juices and smoothies for less than a dollar – and watch as they toss in slices of pineapple, bananas, and papayas. Yesterday I drank guava juice that was so fresh I almost couldn’t figure out what fruit it was.

Chicken, fried rice, and a tub of lemonade: $3

We haven’t tried one of the local specialties yet, cuy, perhaps better known as guinea pig. But we did see some guinea pigs roasting on a spit last weekend, their teeth jutting out and looking every bit the delicious rodent. We’re counting down the days until we get our paws on some cuy, and when we do, you’re sure to hear about it!