Santa Marianita is home to great activity thanks to the kitesurfing movement spurned by David Hidalgo, but little did most people know that equally enticing is the second-floor restaurant at his kitesurfing school, run by a truly top-notch cook in her own right: his mom. XXX is a Chone-born experienced traditional food chef who used to run a famed kiosk of typical local dishes on Playa Murciélago in Manta and has retired to Santa Marianita, where her cooking is even better. She says she has more time and space to concentrate. In any case, the menu is simple: ceviches, bolones, the like… but there are true to-die-for gems: octopus al ajillo and a champion ‘viche’ soup that go well with the colorful view of the kites floating over the ocean.
Gnomo Restaurante
Second floor of Ocean Freaks
North Santa Marianita, Manta, Manabí
