Las Fronteras Restaurant – 2300 Finch Ave W, North York, ON M9M 2C6
Country: Ecuador
Seating: Casual indoor seating and takeout available. 
Must-try dish: Encebollado Mixto 
The high: The atmosphere in the restaurant took us straight to Quito with all the patrons speaking Spanish and showing a knowledge of the local cuisine. 
The low: Ecuador’s national dish, the Guatita – a tripe stew with potatoes, was not available

Walking into Las Fronteras Restaurant immediately made us feel like we were at a local hotspot in Ecuador. People kept coming in for takeout, or sitting at tables to get the lunch special and only speaking in Spanish. Mandrea Bike’s limited Spanish forced them to converse in English, despite their best efforts. 

This no-nonsense Ecuadorian restaurant has a top reputation with expatriates living in Toronto, and therefore, it topped our list as the spot to taste this South American country’s fare. After some research on the cuisine, we had a good idea of the national dishes and those most beloved with the country’s people. One such dish is the Guatita – a stew with a tripe and potato base. Unfortunately, that dish wasn’t available on our visit but we’ll definitely be going back to have a taste! 

As for the meal, we took recommendations from the owner herself and this is what our order looked like:

• Empanada de Queso: Picture melted cheese stuffed into a pasty. It’s basically a grilled cheese type vibe inside a warm pocket. It’s amazing, especially with small amounts of the homemade hot sauce. But proceed with caution as this sauce gets spicy real fast. 
• Empanada de Verde de Carne: This pocket is stuffed with seasoned minced meat, the exterior composed of fried plantain. As a result, it’s sweet and savoury all at once. 
• Encebollado Mixto: This fragrant soup is filled with seafood, meat and potatoes with spices and herbs. It’s a traditional dish in Ecuador that comes either with only seafood and fish, or the mixto version also has chicken pieces in it. Even on a hot day, this soup is worth ordering and eating the entire bowl. It’s a variation of a seafood chowder made instead with a tomato base and not cream. 
• Arroz con Menestra: This was recommended to us by our server as being a typical dish enjoyed in Ecuador. It’s a generous portion of grilled beef, fluffy rice, fried plantains and spiced beans. Although this seems to be a popular dish in much of Latin America, there is a bit of a unique flair to this one and it’s worth ordering. 

There are also Ecuadorian soft drinks available in apple and fruit punch. They’re sweet, but go nicely with the meal to add a little sweetness. 

On Mandrea Bike’s next visit to Las Fronteras Restaurant, new dishes will be on order since there are numerous items that piqued our interest. 

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)