NUEMA

During a recent trip through several Central and South American countries, I had the privilege of dining at numerous restaurants that appeared in “Top 50” or “Top 100” and this was BY FAR the best experience I had. Each dish was thoughtful and I described more than one to a friend as ‘life changing’. The service was attentive without being overbearing. The way they describe the ingredients that constitute each dish is enlightening. I do wish the wine list was more comprehensive. But otherwise, an absolutely fantastic experience. I was here for lunch and did the shorter option.

UPDATE AUGUST 2025, 4 months from last post. Foodies travel for food…. And Oh what a difference 4 months make: 🫤🫤🫤🫤🫤 DOWNGRADING FROM 5 to 1 stars. THIS RE-VISIT IS AN UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT. 👎👎👎 They have made wine pairing very complicated. There’s a long list of wines and pairing combinations on offer from AN UNWIELDY LIST FROM AN iPAD…. The list is very poorly presented 🤬🤬🤬. If one has to choose, PRINT OUT THE LIST instead of just one iPAD for a very busy service….DO NOT RUSH THE DINER. Given that it is a tasting menu, this is a major Faux Pas!!! Tasting menu is a Chef’s invitation to a diner to enter the Chef’s creative mind…. To enjoy it…. SO WHY NOT STICK WITH SOMMELIER CHOICE FOR THE TASTING MENU!!!! Is there even a Sommelier here????? 😖😖😖😖😖 Then there’s the UNCHANGED MENU from 4 months ago! WHAT HAPPENED TO CREATING??? Has the chef gone blank? For a “100-ranked” restaurant NEW CREATIONS ARE EXPECTED. —- one of waitstaff said the menu change ONCE EVERY 8 MONTHS?!?? PLEASE NOTE: many other excellent restaurants WITH CREATIVE CHEFS change menus regularly… We know we travel…. In fact, we re-visited a nearby SMALLER “50-Discovery” restaurant with a VERY CREATIVE CHEF WHO CONTINUES TO CHANGE HIS MENU. They deserve to keep the 5 stars. BUT NOT NUEMA, one wonders why it is among the “100-ranked”. 🫤🫤🫤🫤🫤 AS A FOODIE, IT IS BORING dinner of the same expensive PASSE TASTING MENU. Having high expectations, there was no burst of enthusiasm of flavors … In fact, one their trademark food, the LAMB DONUT TASTED BITTER with a starchy dough and very hard sticks of tomato garnish…. BIG BIG BIG ERROR. 🤬🤬🤬🤬 On top of it all, the INVOICE BILL DID NOT DETAIL CHARGES other than the food!!! It is sheer INCOMPETENCE to not detail everything that is being charged! ****** ORIGINAL REVIEW Foodies travel for food… This TOP 100-RANKED BEST RESTAURANTS IN THE WORLD in Quito is A FOODIE’S SPLENDIDLY FULFILLING DINING 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩. THIS IS CERTAINLY A MATTER OF PRIDE FOR ECUADOR 👏👏👏 *** The Menu Course is INTELLIGENTLY CREATED AND STIMULATING TO THE PALATE. 🤩🤩🤩TIPS FOR THE PROSPECTIVE DINER: Lift the plate close to nose, and just breathe in the aromas… Then, Take small piece (teaspoon-size) at a time, let the taste buds and palate be stimulated. Have a sip of the wine pairing AND/OR plain water to cleanse the palate ready for the next course. This is true fine dining, which is enjoyed by really paying attention to the wait staff during each course. THE MENU SIMPLY LISTS THE MAIN INGREDIENTS (no dish names) SO LET YOUR TASTE BUDS DO THE NAMING🤩🤩🤩. We enjoyed every dish👍👍👍. The ones we’ll remember most for their uniqueness: 🤩 Sourdough Foam ::: this is not the French bread but a lovely fruit base that wakes up the palate 🤩 Stonecrab Mousse ::: chunky creamy with all the flavor of crab 🤩 Ceviche of Tuna::: it looks deceptively like a dessert BUT boy! the contrasting flavors of ceviche plus the fresh tuna plus the Aji-gingery fragrance of a native leaf… it is wonderful 🤩 Salprietta::: most delightful mix of granules of native peanuts 🤩 Consommé of Lamb::: instead of a cut of meat, it’s the MOST SURPRISING consommé of a meat, both visually and palatably!!! 🤩 Huayalpe::: a heavenly crudo of an Ecuadorian fish 🤩 Paiche ::: having had many a pleasure of this priced Amazonian fish, this the MOST CREATIVE PRESENTATION AND MOST SUBLIME Paiche dish. The broth marries all the ingredients together. 🤩 Cherimoya Tangerine Pastry:::: MOST FRAGRANT AND CREATIVE DESSERT. The dusting of tangerine peel is so pleasing visually, aromatically, and palatably!!! 🤩 Camomile Moringa Pastry :::: yet another very fragrant and very flavorful pastry. The aroma of Moringa is superb! 🍷🍷🥂🥂👍 The wine pairings are surprisingly complementary. The wines are a discovery for us😊😊😊… so kudos to whoever chose them. SERVICE IS OUTSTANDING. The restaurant has a minimalist design YET VERY PLEASING ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO DINING. CONGRATULATIONS to Quito for this gastronomic treasure👏👏👏👏👏.

I went here this week with my boyfriend after finding it on the 50 best discovery list. I LOVED the experience! I always look for some unique food experiences in other countries and I loved that the food was creative but also close to home as Ecuadorian ingredients and everything was well explained. Would definitely go back! Also I am gluten free and look for places that are still authentic but accommodating and they did an amazing job at making all of my dishes just like my partners.

Food presentation is very artistic. We tried full taste menue. I loved about half of the dishes. Some dishes the taste of sourness is too strong for me. The service is decent. One of the waiters has more enthusiasm than others

Couldn’t recommend more. World class tasting menu. We are both vegetarians and they were very accommodating.

This was a huge miss for me but the wife enjoyed it. Although her stomach was upset for half the day the following day. Coincidence, probably. Customer service was pretty top notch. They did a good job explaining the dishes. However. All the seafood dishes had a disgusting and funky smell like old seafood. Ruined the mood for me. The Cocktails for my wife were all excellent. Only 2 national beers CLUB and Pilsener which is sad as for a high end establishment choosing to serve the poorest quality beer. They need to consult with a Cerveza Artesenal Brewery locally and create their on perfect light crisp easy drinker to go with the menu. Overall for $95 for 12 course pretty decently solid deal if the seafood items were fresh. I did not like any of the Pastry/Desserts. Bland and boring. Although she one Pastry chef of the year it did not show in this seating. But please visit her bakery and coffee shop next door called PIA. The aesthetics and decor are modern and trendy. The vibe is chill. Would I go back. No. Hopefully if you go they will use fresher seafood items.

The restaurant occupies a former embassy and residence (mid century modern architecture) with an interior garden and a small art gallery on the second floor. The atmosphere is quiet and casual and the kitchen is in full view. The service is quite good, however the menu was unclear and the explanations of each course served seemed rushed. The food is an interesting take on local cuisine and includes regionally sourced ingredients. Unfortunately some of the dishes were so salty they left a lingering burn on the palate. For the price (easily 2 to 3 times the cost of similarly ranked restaurants in Quito) we expected better.

I like to try new foods, especially local cuisine when I travel. We had the seven-course tasting. Overall, I was not a fan of most of the servings. The flavors were odd or sour (not a preferred taste). The fish was cevichè (not a fan), and even my cooked fish was very fishy (my daughter's was not). My daughter, however, enjoyed most of the dishes and even ate mine, except for the really fishy tasting one. If you like the experience of trying unusual flavors and new foods, try it. It's pricey, but an interesting experience.