1. Cosas Finas de la Florida

In a guide dedicated to Ecuador’s fine dining, it feels only right to turn our gaze toward the huecas. The word evokes neighborhood haunts where a country’s soul simmers in pots and pans. These are the places that serve the food of and for the people, flavors that end up inspiring the great chefs and sustaining a nation’s culinary memory.

In this first edition of SUMMUM Ecuador, the award for Best Hueca goes to Cosas Finas de la Florida, a Quito institution that has crossed generations without ever losing its essence.

Officially founded over 60 years ago by Galo Pillalaza and Irma Pintado, its story stretches further back. In 1875, Pillalaza’s great grandfather was already dishing up hornado and fritada in Quito, planting the roots of a tradition that endures to this day.
To speak of Cosas Finas de la Florida is to speak of Quito itself. Time here is measured not by clocks but by the slow rendering of pork, by the aromas drifting from kitchen windows to fill an entire barrio. The hornado is cooked low and slow, with patience, for hours—days, really—before being paired with achiote stained llapingachos, crisp and golden, a plate that feeds hundreds every day.

The fritada carries a depth of flavor born of respect for the product, the cut, the history. The chicharrón, shatteringly tantalizing, is both indulgence and addiction. And every seasonal dish, from the colada morada of November to the Easter fanesca, tells a story of family, culinary ritual, and shared identity.

Five generations have kept this legacy alive with care and devotion, transforming what began as a family table into one of the most beloved huecas in the country. Even in times when many classics faltered during the pandemic, Cosas Finas de la Florida stood firm, a reminder that Ecuador’s popular cuisine is resilient and capable of carrying the nation’s food culture through any crisis.

Today, this award recognizes more than just a restaurant: it honors a tradition that has fed the soul of a neighborhood, a city, and an entire country.