Sabores del Mar

Puerto López · Manabí

Since 1987, Sabores del Mar has held the same terrace facing the Pacific. Three generations have passed through its tables, the recipes have not changed, and that is precisely why one returns.

The cuisine of Manabí is among Ecuador's richest: it rests upon verde (green plantain), roasted peanuts, freshly pressed coconut and the catch of the day. Here, the sancocho de pescado — fish soup with cassava and plantain — is a monument. The bolón de verde stuffed with seafood is served hot, crispy outside, soft inside.

Sabores del Mar is unmissable not because it is perfect, but because it is right — a fair expression of a regional cuisine that has nothing to prove. Puerto López deserves the detour for this address alone.