Classic Restaurant

When Quito hungers for timeless elegance, it finds its answer at El Rincón de Francia. Founded in 1977 by Azucena Aragón and her French husband, Chef Gilles Blain, at a time when international cuisine was scarce, this restaurant became a revelation. Decades later, where countless others have faded, it remains unshaken, untouched by trends, unbowed by crises, even the pandemic wasn’t able to bring it down.

Azucena, with her warm presence, still moves among the tables, greeting guests by name, preserving a spirit of hospitality that feels personal and rare. Under her care and with her husband’s original vision, the menu has remained steadfast, yet never stale, rooted in French sophistication while echoing other international influences. In that perseverance lies the restaurant’s true genius: it is not only about the food, but about cultivating trust and belonging. Rincón de Francia is Quito royalty.

Today, nearly five decades later, the restaurant continues under the stewardship of their son, chef Mario Aragón, who quietly carries forward the traditions his parents built. He honors the classics, the pâté de campagne, escargots, corvina with almonds, lamb with herbs, while ensuring that quality never wavers. These are dishes that have nourished presidents, artists, expatriates, and generations of Quiteños, each plate a reminder that excellence doesn’t need reinvention to remain relevant.

Stepping into the dining room today is like entering a living archive of Quito’s culinary memory. The white tablecloths, the attentive service, the hushed conversations over a bottle of wine from one of the city’s most carefully kept cellars, each detail carries the weight of decades. And yet nothing feels stagnant. Rather, the restaurant breathes with the quiet confidence of something refined by time.

For these reasons, El Rincón de Francia receives our Classic Restaurant Award. It is not merely for surviving, it is for thriving with dignity, shaping the way Quito eats, and proving that authenticity and discipline can outlast the fiercest storms. In a city where the new often overshadows the old, El Rincón de Francia reminds us that some classics are not meant to fade, but to endure.