Café Eucalyptus
Tastes You Won't Find in Cuenca

Café Eucalyptus has become a famous landmark of Cuenca, a place popular with both expats and Cuencanos. Whether it's for the dishes that you won't find elsewhere in Cuenca, or the live music on some nights, you're sure to enjoy yourself.

The Decor

You'll find Café Eucalyptus inside a restored colonial home.

The main floor holds the main bar (with stools), the kitchen, seating in the courtyard area, a large working fireplace, and the stage for the live bands.

Upstairs, there's seating in the balcony that surrounds the courtyard on three sides.

There's more seating in a large room overlooking the street, and a smaller bar up there, for when things really get hopping.

It's a dark place, with its dark red walls and dark wood, but it works. The darkness gives Café Eucalyptus an English pub feel, but with lots more room.

You'll find some odd decorations as well, including license plates from various states and provinces in North America, posters from all the Olympic Games for the past 50 years or so, and a large mural of a bull killing a matador (see the photo above). Not your typical Cuencan artwork!

The Menu

The menu is large and varied. Many of them are what you'd call tapas, or small dishes with several items on them. Others are more traditional foods.

Soups and Appetizers

You'll find French onion soup, made with beef broth, and a chicken tortilla soup, a popular item here in Cuenca.

Or enjoy a plate of marinated black olives, or guacamole or hummus.

Salads include a mixed salad with a honey mustard or roasted garlic dressing, and a caesar, with or without chicken breast meat.

French fries, potato skins and papas bravas (deep fried potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce) are all available as appetizers.

Other items such as chicken wings and a cheese and fruit plate are also available.

Pasta and Sandwiches

Pasta primavera is available, with a garlic white wine cream sauce.

Enjoy the Eucalyptus Hamburger, which is just over a half pound of ground sirloin topped with sliced tomato and onion.

Or have a grilled Cuban sandwich, with ham, pork, cheese and pickles, with mustard and mayonnaise. If you're looking for something more Mexican, have the tortilla wrap, with black beans, rice, cheese and peppers, with a sweet and sour hot sauce.

Seafood

Enjoy fried calamari with a lime, orange and tomato sauce.

There's also a fish and shrimp ceviche. Or enjoy garlic shrimp. They're sauteed in garlic, wine, onions and cream.

Meat and Chicken

Enjoy pad thai or chicken satay, or a Thai green curry.

Try a 200 gram (just under a half pound) steak, or a mixed grill of steak, pork, chicken and sausage, served with fries.

Or indulge in the Full English, and watch your cholesterol level go up.

If you're going in a group, they offer chef platters for 4, 8 or 12 people. Depending on the number of people, you may have chicken satay, calamari, breaded shrimp, chicken wings, fries and papas bravas, guacamole, tortilla wraps and quesadillas on your platter.

There's also a kid's menu for children up to 10 years old. But you have to ask for it.

Desserts

You can enjoy Bananas Foster, which are sauteed bananas in a caramelized rum sauce, served with ice cream.

Or have a brownie, a slice of lime pie, or ice cream.

Of course, you could try Jeff's favorite, the Eucalyptus Torta de Chocolate.

This flourless dessert is closer to a mousse than it is to a cake, although it comes as a slice served on a plate (see the photo on the right).

This dessert is so good that it's included on our online Cuenca Chocolate Tour.

Beverages

Café Eucalyptus has a fully stocked bar (not many in Cuenca have Johnny Walker Blue), and serves many different types of beer and many, many different wines.

You can have a regular coffee or one of the selection from the cappuccino machine. Regular and herbal teas are also available.

Sodas, bottled water and juices are also available. They serve the best limonada in all of Cuenca (perhaps all of Ecuador). Do yourself a favor and try one.

Prices

The prices at Café Eucalyptus are definitely oriented more towards expats than they are to Cuencanos.

It's unlikely that you'll leave without paying at least $10 per person, and that's without drinks.

Add in drinks, and dinner for two could easily reach $30, especially since the menu prices do not include the 12% tax or a tip.

Your bill will include the tax, but no service charge is added to it. (The few times we've been there, the service has been poor, and we weren't inclined to leave much of a tip.)

The Cuenca Chocolate Tour's chocolate cake and a limonada will cost you about $6.60 per person (plus tip).

Location and Hours

Café Eucalyptus is located at Gran Colombia 9-41 at Benigno Malo. For reservations, call 07-2849157, or 09-1001740 (cell phone).

The hours change day by day:

• Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m.
• Wednesday, for Ladies Night, from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. Women receive three free drinks between 6 and 10. There's live music as well.
• Thursday, from 5 p.m. until 1 a.m., with live music.
• Friday and Saturday, from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. On Friday, there's tropical music so that you can salsa the night away. On Saturday, they have special events and live music.

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