Hubby and I decided to try this place after finding our favorite Korean place across the street was closed for good, R.I.P. San Chae Dol Sot, you will be missed! We walked into the empty restaurant expecting to be warmly welcomed instead we found 2 workers sitting with their back to the door watching t.v., after standing there awkwardly for a minute they slowly stood up and went behind the counter, not really acknowledging us besides glancing at us oddly. Our waiter slowly got 2 menus for us and slowly walked over to us, I felt like apologizing for interrupting their TV time, that is how unenthusiastic they were to see us. He then mumbled, where did we want to sit. We picked a table and sat down, he gave us our menus and walked away, returning shortly with 2 glasses of water. Let me say this place has a very odd decor, some classy touches such as a couple fresh carnations in a nice tall vase on the table are nice. The tables are roomy and the place was clean. Other than that there is an odd mish mosh of things that don't really go together or make sense. We had a hard time deciding what to eat since half the menu is sushi and the other half is Ecuadorian food and it is hard to wrap your mind around this flavor combination. We were very wary of the sushi side because with no customers, there was a good chance the fish was not terribly fresh. So we were left with the Ecuadorian side, after 10 minutes our waiter came back and we asked the waiter what he recommended. Apparently he didn't speak English so he had to get the cook to come take our order. I then asked the cook what he recommended, he pointed out the 2 most expensive items on the menu and mentioned a Lobster dish that wasn't even on the menu,,,,hmmm...I am noticing a pattern here. Hubby asked about the Broiled Chicken breast, he said he wouldn't recommend it but that he could get the grilled chicken...also not on the menu....ok. At this point we were ready to leave so I told him we needed more time. He walked away and went to the back and we decided to just leave, as we got up we signaled to him that we were going to go and he smiled and said ok. I think he was relieved, I don't really know what to say but the water was great!
(1)
Marta C.
6 of us for dinner on one of the snowiest, coldest nights of the year. The place was almost empty when we came in for dinner as the weather was horrible, but we were greeted with a warm smile. I am now a huge fan of Ecuadorian food after our meal last night. Some of the dishes we tried: Fish(tilapia) with a coconut milk/tomato sauce, chicken fried rice, a fish stew, combo (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp) fried rice, a cooked vegetable plate with an amazing sauce and a beef stew with vegetables and tripe. We also had the plantain and cheese appetizer and the fries and franks appetizer (french fries and a grilled frank). Both were fine. Complimentary plantain chips with a nice salsa as well. Everything was great, our waiter was polite and always had a smile on his face. The place is very clean, the women's bathroom is very nice and clean. No complaints and we will for sure be back. BYOB.
(4)
Kennen M.
I was very happy about this place! The interior is clean and tidy and the service was just lovely. I ordered the tilapia with coconut sauce and it was outstanding. The fried plantain chips, empanadas and other appetizers were equally delicious. This is a place just waiting to get discovered. BYOB also!
(4)
Gabriela Xandra N.
The food here is AMAZING. My family and myself are all from Ecuador and I really appreciate this place is around to give us a little taste of home. We visit often. The food here is authentically home-made. Hence, this translates to waiting longer than you might expect but it's completely worth it!! I have recently ordered "Camarones a la plancha". So far, it's my favorite dish. If you love seafood, I recommend it. In general, if you love sea food and food prepared with great care, I recommend this place.
(5)
Keith A.
The food was great - my wife and I shared the Galapagos Maki, which was fantastic, not to mention very large. I also had the breaded fried chicken with fries and a basic lettuce salad, which was very tasty. My wife enjoyed her steamed vegetable plate. We had no problems with the service as some of the others seemed to have. Our waiter was attentive enough, kept our waters full and we received what we ordered. As some of the others mentioned, the interior decor is plain, but clean. I definitely would go back and recommend others to try the sushi - it is worth it, and is sold at a very reasonable price for such a large portion. It was of similar quality to the specialty Japanese sushi restaurants.
(4)
Barb L.
Like Rebekah, we walked in to an empty restaurant, which should have scared us off right then and there. How can you people say the food here is amazing? There are exactly four Ecuadorian dishes on the menu, and we decided to go with carne asada instead. Dry and chewy meat with a lump of rice, a lukewarm potato patty and bland beans arrived. The empanadas were nondescript with a strange sweet sauce. The spicy red sauce one reviewer raved about is simply Chinese red chili sauce. Won't go back!
(1)
Lady M.
I chose this restaurant to celebrate mothers day with my family after someone highly recommended it. Needless to say, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, the first impression was not very good. Waiter and waitress were slow and distracted. It also took a long time to get our food. And finally, the food was OK but not what I was expecting. The lobster didn't set well with my stomach to make matters worse. They are nice, but I also like getting good service when I go to a restaurant. It makes a big difference when wait staff knows how to talk to customers. This was not a language barrier issue, it was lack of training.
(3)
Pam D.
Our visit to the Galapagos Cafe was kind of odd. Several of the food items I tried to order were not available (not a good sign). I ended up with a meat and mashed potato appetizer, whose name escapes me and a bowl of chicken soup. The appetizer was pretty good, but the chicken soup sucked canal water. Christopher had the carne asada and his meal was very good and nicely presented. We also enjoyed the plantain chips, but they were rather skimpy on the sauce they served with it. The decor is very stark. It was clean, but could use some pizazz. The long wall on the east side was decorated by two sword fish models that looked like they were intended to decorate Barbie's Dream House rather than a human sized store. They really need to decorate a bit. As we didn't try any sushi, I can't give too detailed a review. We may come back sometime, but I can't imagine why.
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Rebekah H.
Hubby and I decided to try this place after finding our favorite Korean place across the street was closed for good, R.I.P. San Chae Dol Sot, you will be missed! We walked into the empty restaurant expecting to be warmly welcomed instead we found 2 workers sitting with their back to the door watching t.v., after standing there awkwardly for a minute they slowly stood up and went behind the counter, not really acknowledging us besides glancing at us oddly. Our waiter slowly got 2 menus for us and slowly walked over to us, I felt like apologizing for interrupting their TV time, that is how unenthusiastic they were to see us. He then mumbled, where did we want to sit. We picked a table and sat down, he gave us our menus and walked away, returning shortly with 2 glasses of water. Let me say this place has a very odd decor, some classy touches such as a couple fresh carnations in a nice tall vase on the table are nice. The tables are roomy and the place was clean. Other than that there is an odd mish mosh of things that don't really go together or make sense. We had a hard time deciding what to eat since half the menu is sushi and the other half is Ecuadorian food and it is hard to wrap your mind around this flavor combination. We were very wary of the sushi side because with no customers, there was a good chance the fish was not terribly fresh. So we were left with the Ecuadorian side, after 10 minutes our waiter came back and we asked the waiter what he recommended. Apparently he didn't speak English so he had to get the cook to come take our order. I then asked the cook what he recommended, he pointed out the 2 most expensive items on the menu and mentioned a Lobster dish that wasn't even on the menu,,,,hmmm...I am noticing a pattern here. Hubby asked about the Broiled Chicken breast, he said he wouldn't recommend it but that he could get the grilled chicken...also not on the menu....ok. At this point we were ready to leave so I told him we needed more time. He walked away and went to the back and we decided to just leave, as we got up we signaled to him that we were going to go and he smiled and said ok. I think he was relieved, I don't really know what to say but the water was great!
(1)Marta C.
6 of us for dinner on one of the snowiest, coldest nights of the year. The place was almost empty when we came in for dinner as the weather was horrible, but we were greeted with a warm smile. I am now a huge fan of Ecuadorian food after our meal last night. Some of the dishes we tried: Fish(tilapia) with a coconut milk/tomato sauce, chicken fried rice, a fish stew, combo (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp) fried rice, a cooked vegetable plate with an amazing sauce and a beef stew with vegetables and tripe. We also had the plantain and cheese appetizer and the fries and franks appetizer (french fries and a grilled frank). Both were fine. Complimentary plantain chips with a nice salsa as well. Everything was great, our waiter was polite and always had a smile on his face. The place is very clean, the women's bathroom is very nice and clean. No complaints and we will for sure be back. BYOB.
(4)Kennen M.
I was very happy about this place! The interior is clean and tidy and the service was just lovely. I ordered the tilapia with coconut sauce and it was outstanding. The fried plantain chips, empanadas and other appetizers were equally delicious. This is a place just waiting to get discovered. BYOB also!
(4)Gabriela Xandra N.
The food here is AMAZING. My family and myself are all from Ecuador and I really appreciate this place is around to give us a little taste of home. We visit often. The food here is authentically home-made. Hence, this translates to waiting longer than you might expect but it's completely worth it!! I have recently ordered "Camarones a la plancha". So far, it's my favorite dish. If you love seafood, I recommend it. In general, if you love sea food and food prepared with great care, I recommend this place.
(5)Keith A.
The food was great - my wife and I shared the Galapagos Maki, which was fantastic, not to mention very large. I also had the breaded fried chicken with fries and a basic lettuce salad, which was very tasty. My wife enjoyed her steamed vegetable plate. We had no problems with the service as some of the others seemed to have. Our waiter was attentive enough, kept our waters full and we received what we ordered. As some of the others mentioned, the interior decor is plain, but clean. I definitely would go back and recommend others to try the sushi - it is worth it, and is sold at a very reasonable price for such a large portion. It was of similar quality to the specialty Japanese sushi restaurants.
(4)Barb L.
Like Rebekah, we walked in to an empty restaurant, which should have scared us off right then and there. How can you people say the food here is amazing? There are exactly four Ecuadorian dishes on the menu, and we decided to go with carne asada instead. Dry and chewy meat with a lump of rice, a lukewarm potato patty and bland beans arrived. The empanadas were nondescript with a strange sweet sauce. The spicy red sauce one reviewer raved about is simply Chinese red chili sauce. Won't go back!
(1)Lady M.
I chose this restaurant to celebrate mothers day with my family after someone highly recommended it. Needless to say, I had high expectations. Unfortunately, the first impression was not very good. Waiter and waitress were slow and distracted. It also took a long time to get our food. And finally, the food was OK but not what I was expecting. The lobster didn't set well with my stomach to make matters worse. They are nice, but I also like getting good service when I go to a restaurant. It makes a big difference when wait staff knows how to talk to customers. This was not a language barrier issue, it was lack of training.
(3)Pam D.
Our visit to the Galapagos Cafe was kind of odd. Several of the food items I tried to order were not available (not a good sign). I ended up with a meat and mashed potato appetizer, whose name escapes me and a bowl of chicken soup. The appetizer was pretty good, but the chicken soup sucked canal water. Christopher had the carne asada and his meal was very good and nicely presented. We also enjoyed the plantain chips, but they were rather skimpy on the sauce they served with it. The decor is very stark. It was clean, but could use some pizazz. The long wall on the east side was decorated by two sword fish models that looked like they were intended to decorate Barbie's Dream House rather than a human sized store. They really need to decorate a bit. As we didn't try any sushi, I can't give too detailed a review. We may come back sometime, but I can't imagine why.
(2)