The capital's coolest hotel also happens to house its coolest café-bistro. From breakfast to dinner (which tends to be early—as is common in Ecuador, the kitchen here closes at 9:30 p.m.), the jeunesse dorée, the migrant students of Spanish, and the great and good of Quito drop in—for the scene as much as for the excellent food. Once the French Cultural Centre, the turn-of-the-century mansion was restored by owner László Károlyi with due respect for its Anglophilic patrician lines: Peruse a guidebook over an aperitif in the wood-paneled library, or take a snifter in a leather armchair before a crackling log fire after dinner. The dining room is candlelit and cozy, with ocher rag-rolled walls and a Renaissance-style angel mural; by day great arched windows allow views of pretty wraparound gardens and the resident peacock. Unpretentious food (ceviche, curried chicken with rice) is accompanied by house-baked breads and pastries, homemade jams, and fresh-squeezed juices by day, and a good wine list by night.

The sister property of the gorgeous Hacíenda Cusín, Las Palmeras sits just up the hill from the stalls of the Otavalo market and is big with shoppers in search of a restorative lunch. Three-course menus of Ecuadoran staples—which always include soup, since this country has as many words for soup as Eskimos do for snow—are served by smiling waitresses in embroidered blouses, either outside in the garden or in a beamed dining room with carved wooden chairs. It's slightly hokey, but it hits the spot, especially given the freshness; most produce is grown right here in the organic garden. If you're moving on, drop in to order a picnic for the road.

The disconcerting "red" in the restaurant's name refers not to rice or fish but to the place that houses it, the Red Mangrove Adventure Inn just outside Puerto Ayora on this central Galápagos Island. With its pink-tented roof supported by tree-trunk pillars and views through the wild mangroves to the ocean, the setting could hardly be more romantic. The dinner menu has all the familiar sushi-house staples: maki, sashimi, and sushi, plus yakitori, udon, and soba-noodle dishes. All are beautifully fresh. Lunch is possible, too, but must be requested at least two days in advance.