What more can one ask for at Somos? It’s a place to have an incredible time, filled with vibrant ambiance, one of the best restaurants in the country, boasting a first-class store with Ecuadorian products, adorned with art on the walls, and offering complete traceability of each ingredient. They have a carefully curated music playlist, cocktails that are simply enchanting, and to top it all off, a profound mission to elevate Ecuadorian cuisine to the highest global level.
Chef, founder, and mentor Alejandra Espinoza embodies the concept of “we are one”: a group of people who believe in the gastronomy of this country. Undoubtedly, the path to culinary stardom can be filled with injustices, false idols, and disappointments. However, it is impossible to “conquer the world” if we do not row in the same direction and believe in the recognition we deserve as a country where food is not just good, but outstandingly exceptional.
Today, with Güitig, at our Extraordinary Table, we are going to discover how everything you see—and later taste—at Somos exemplifies this conviction: Ecuadorian gastronomy does not ask for favors from anyone and is undoubtedly one of the best on the planet.
Ecuadorian Umami
In Apitatán’s universe, the most representative urban artist in the capital (whose murals fill both the interior and exterior of the restaurant with identity), the “Ecuador of Somos” is a place of deep tones, primary colors, and intense faces. It serves as the perfect backdrop for an electrifying menu that explodes with flavors.
Empanadas with a twist—filled with maqueño, salprieta, coconut, seco, or chivo; raw catch of the day with various sauces blending ají peppers and endemic fruits like babaco, creamy avocado; eccentric Ecuadorian ingredients making their way into globally renowned recipes, such as cuy dumplings or tortellini with maqueño and queso manaba; desserts that awaken the palate with the exquisite aroma of “Somos” chocolate; umami—the ineffable taste that connects all emotions—Ecuador has it too. We may not have given it a name, but Somos is proof that it exists.
The Somos Experience
Everything is meant to be shared, please! That was our guiding principle. You don’t want to miss any of the extraordinary combinations that Somos’ cuisine offers. With playlists featuring the best national music, curated by musician and music enthusiast Danilo Arroyo, and decorative motifs and materials including toquilla straw, chonta wood, and bamboo, the flavors from different regions of the country converge in this cosmopolitan capital. Somos truly is a place where taste buds unite.
Inspired by the world, born in Ecuador: this motto captures the true essence of the pursuit of this excellent restaurant that will linger on your palate for days after your visit.
The integration of our ingredients and flavors into the culinary world is a milestone that glimpses what the future of Ecuadorian gastronomy could be. With a Güitig in hand, representing the country with the freshness of a volcano.
Ecuador for the World
One of the takeaways from Somos is precisely that. One realizes that there is no reason why Ecuadorian cuisine shouldn’t play a leading role in the global culinary universe. It is a cuisine full of unique traditions that easily adapts to different methods and techniques, firmly rooted in its incredible variety of ingredients—a country where EVERYTHING is cultivated. Furthermore, it possesses the potential to…
Ecuadorian gastronomy deserves it. Alejandra Espinoza is a living example of this. She is not only a great chef but also deeply understands the passion and delight of “eating Ecuadorian.” She knows that the premise of eating Ecuadorian is a fabulous canvas for any culinary artist, with its diversity, the flavors of its ingredients, the textures, the cooking methods, and the versatility. If there is one place in Quito that embodies all of this, it is SOMOS.
Photos: Carlos Puga / Juan Fernando Ricaurte
