Santa Cristobal Island
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BUYING FOOD IN SAN CRISTOBAL
Although you can find an average variety of food in San Cristobal, you can’t always find exactly what you are looking for and shopping trips sometimes end in a feeling of frustration. Essentials such as milk, sugar and bread are relatively easy to find although two days ago, I had to trawl the local food shops in search of eggs. Predominantly rice eaters, of which is a food that’s always available in abundance there are only ever a handful of bakeries and these mainly sell sweet breads and cakes. Cheese variety is very limited and is mainly sold in round pats for $2.50. It’s white and salty but very tasty, although some may not agree.
Milk comes in UHT packs with added vitamins. The most common brand is La Lechera by nestle and costs roughly $1.20. Fresh meat and fish are available from certain stores and it’s worth asking the locals where is best to buy.
Dos Hermanos is one of bigger stores and fresh meat is sold here. There is also a small butchers on Juan Jose Flores. Vegetarians are able to get a good source of protein through a variety of beans and pulses. Lentils, quinoa, kidney beans, chick peas and other pulses can be found in various shops around town.
The best time to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables are very early mornings on Wednesdays and Saturdays when new supplies are delivered to the Island. These are sold at the El Mercado Municipal de San Cristobal (The Municipal Market) on Juan Jose Flores. It’s best to go between 6.30am and 7.30am to get the best quality.
Situated at the end of Juan Jose Flores, Alamarket is a brand new supermarket with neat aisles and looks a lot more modern than most places. It sells a selection of cheeses including mozzarella, Kraft slices and a selection of brand name Gonzalez cheeses including cheddar and Holandes (Dutch) cheese. It also stocks brown rice. Although it looks good, there’s not much of a selection here but certain items are cheaper than other stores so it’s certainly worth a look in.
For meat eaters, there’s a great variety of cheap almuerzos and meriendas available in small restaurants. These are usually $2 and include a soup, a main (meat or fish with rice) and fresh juice.
These are excellent value for money but being an Island of fried food lovers, the nutritional content is sometimes questionable. In saying that though, they often serve chunky vegetable soups and if you find the right place, vegetarians can manage to order salad and rice as a second course. I would recommend eating at Tropic Bird (Av. Quito), Pikeos (Alsacio Northia) or Rokas & Kactus (Juan Jose Flores).
Food stalls at night sell fried chicken and French fries for $2, which tend to be very greasy but again are popular here. At The Cart, which is located on Avenida Alsacio Northia, opposite La Concha.
For $3.50, you can order a huge piece of freshly barbecued chicken with beans and rice, with a piece of fried banana. The portions here are so big that they have provided me with two whole meals. Eating out here is often a lot cheaper than eating in although if you have a place to cook it’s nutritionally better to cook at home. Food is generally a bit more expensive than on the mainland but it is still possible to eat cheaply.
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