Quito Old Town Food Walking Tour: Mercado Central, Hornado & Helados de Paila
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Quito, Ecuador
Quito
1N (Participation Duration)
Car,Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Quito's Old Town is the largest and least altered colonial center in the Americas, and its central market is where locals have been eating for a century. At two thousand eight hundred and fifty meters, it's also high enough that you will feel it.
We begin at Mercado Central. Hornado — a whole pig roasted overnight and carved to order, served with llapingachos, griddled potato patties stuffed with cheese, alongside mote hominy corn, avocado, and spicy ají. Caldo de 31, an offal soup that Quiteños swear by. Fresh juice from a wall of fruit, most of which you probably won't recognize: naranjilla, tomate de árbol, taxo, guanábana.
Then a leisurely walk through the Old Town: humitas and quimbolitos, parcels of corn and cornmeal steamed in leaves, enjoyed with hot chocolate at a café that has been open since 1950; empanadas de viento, fried, sugar-dusted puffed cheese empanadas; and canelazo, a hot spiced cane alcohol drink with cinnamon and naranjilla that the altitude makes completely sensible.
We finish with helados de paila, sorbet hand-churned in copper bowls resting in ice and salt, at a shop that has been making it the exact same way since 1858.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
We begin at Mercado Central. Hornado — a whole pig roasted overnight and carved to order, served with llapingachos, griddled potato patties stuffed with cheese, alongside mote hominy corn, avocado, and spicy ají. Caldo de 31, an offal soup that Quiteños swear by. Fresh juice from a wall of fruit, most of which you probably won't recognize: naranjilla, tomate de árbol, taxo, guanábana.
Then a leisurely walk through the Old Town: humitas and quimbolitos, parcels of corn and cornmeal steamed in leaves, enjoyed with hot chocolate at a café that has been open since 1950; empanadas de viento, fried, sugar-dusted puffed cheese empanadas; and canelazo, a hot spiced cane alcohol drink with cinnamon and naranjilla that the altitude makes completely sensible.
We finish with helados de paila, sorbet hand-churned in copper bowls resting in ice and salt, at a shop that has been making it the exact same way since 1858.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
Meeting point:
View on map
Mercado Central, Avenida Pichincha, Centro Historico, Quito
We meet at the main entrance to the Mercado Central on Avenida Pichincha. Your guide will have a small sign with your name. Hotel pick-up in the old town or La Mariscal is included.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Mercado Central: The city's central market, with your guide on Andean tubers, a dozen potato varieties, herbs and the fruit wall.
Stop 2 - Hornado and llapingachos: Whole roast pork carved to order with crackling, cheese-stuffed potato cakes, mote hominy, avocado and ají.
Stop 3 - Fruit juice row: Naranjilla, tomate de arbol, taxo, guanabana and mora, pressed to order, with your guide naming each one.
Stop 4 - Humitas and quimbolitos: Fresh corn and cornflour parcels steamed in leaves, sweet and savoury, with hot chocolate at a cafe open since 1950.
Stop 5 - Old town walk: Plaza Grande, La Compañia and the colonial streets, at a deliberately slow altitude-friendly pace.
Stop 6 - Empanadas de viento and canelazo: Puffed cheese empanadas dusted with sugar, and the hot sugarcane spirit with cinnamon and naranjilla that Quito drinks in the cold.
Stop 7 - Helados de paila: Sorbet churned by hand in a copper bowl set over ice and salt, at a shop doing it the same way since 1858.
Stop 2 - Hornado and llapingachos: Whole roast pork carved to order with crackling, cheese-stuffed potato cakes, mote hominy, avocado and ají.
Stop 3 - Fruit juice row: Naranjilla, tomate de arbol, taxo, guanabana and mora, pressed to order, with your guide naming each one.
Stop 4 - Humitas and quimbolitos: Fresh corn and cornflour parcels steamed in leaves, sweet and savoury, with hot chocolate at a cafe open since 1950.
Stop 5 - Old town walk: Plaza Grande, La Compañia and the colonial streets, at a deliberately slow altitude-friendly pace.
Stop 6 - Empanadas de viento and canelazo: Puffed cheese empanadas dusted with sugar, and the hot sugarcane spirit with cinnamon and naranjilla that Quito drinks in the cold.
Stop 7 - Helados de paila: Sorbet churned by hand in a copper bowl set over ice and salt, at a shop doing it the same way since 1858.
Tour price includes
• Local English-speaking food guide for a small group (max 8 guests)
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• A serving of canelazo or hot chocolate
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off in the Old Town or La Mariscal
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the tour
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• A serving of canelazo or hot chocolate
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off in the Old Town or La Mariscal
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the tour
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pickup and drop-off unless otherwise stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. The tour operates rain or shine.
Other notes
Daily departures at 09:30.
Altitude: Quito sits at an elevation of 2,850 meters. We deliberately keep a slow pace, the Old Town is quite hilly, and we recommend not booking this tour within your first few hours of arriving in the country. Alcohol hits harder at this altitude, which is also why canelazo is served in small portions. If you have heart or lung conditions, or are pregnant, consult your doctor before traveling to high altitudes.
Safety: Ecuador is classified as Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and the country has experienced a nationwide state of emergency, so you will see police and military checkpoints. Coastal provinces have much higher warning levels than Quito. Pickpocketing and bag snatching in the Old Town are real risks, which is why we run this tour during daylight hours, keep the group together, and include hotel transfers rather than having you walk back alone after dark. Please check your government's travel advisory.
Currency: Ecuador uses the US dollar. Please bring small bills; the market is cash-only.
Water: Tap water is not potable. We provide bottled water and only visit high-turnover juice stalls that use purified water.
Rain: The rainy season runs roughly from September to May with heavy afternoon downpours. Most of this route is covered.
Dietary requirements: Please inform us at least 48 hours in advance. Vegetarian options are easily accommodated with llapingachos, humitas, empanadas, and fresh fruit.
Approximately 2 km of walking on steep colonial cobblestone streets at high altitude.
Altitude: Quito sits at an elevation of 2,850 meters. We deliberately keep a slow pace, the Old Town is quite hilly, and we recommend not booking this tour within your first few hours of arriving in the country. Alcohol hits harder at this altitude, which is also why canelazo is served in small portions. If you have heart or lung conditions, or are pregnant, consult your doctor before traveling to high altitudes.
Safety: Ecuador is classified as Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and the country has experienced a nationwide state of emergency, so you will see police and military checkpoints. Coastal provinces have much higher warning levels than Quito. Pickpocketing and bag snatching in the Old Town are real risks, which is why we run this tour during daylight hours, keep the group together, and include hotel transfers rather than having you walk back alone after dark. Please check your government's travel advisory.
Currency: Ecuador uses the US dollar. Please bring small bills; the market is cash-only.
Water: Tap water is not potable. We provide bottled water and only visit high-turnover juice stalls that use purified water.
Rain: The rainy season runs roughly from September to May with heavy afternoon downpours. Most of this route is covered.
Dietary requirements: Please inform us at least 48 hours in advance. Vegetarian options are easily accommodated with llapingachos, humitas, empanadas, and fresh fruit.
Approximately 2 km of walking on steep colonial cobblestone streets at high altitude.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $49 |
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