Santa Cristobal Island
Visitor Sites - Accommodation - Bar-Restaurants - Activities
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BARS AND RESTAURANTS
LA PLAYA RESTAURANT
Situated on Av. De la Armada, opposite Playa de los Marionos, this beach side restaurant is a great place to relax and enjoy fantastic seafood, whilst appreciating the news of the whole bay. As you tuck into a succulent lobster, you can catch young sealions rolling in the waves and pelicans divebombing for fish. At night this place is always packed and it’s nice to sip a beer in the cod sea air and listen to the sounds of the swishing water. In this themed restaurant, fishing nets and shells hang down from the ceiling, whilst buoys and ropes swing in the breeze. Perhaps it’s the well dressed waiters or the five presentation of the food, either way, you’ll find yourself not minding that this place is more expensive that most. The men offers a large range of fish dishes and “ceviches” from $6.00 to $9.00 and grilled house specials’ are also served as well as sandwiches ($1.50-$3.50) and starters. You can order a huge chaulafan with park, bacon, shrimp and egg for $8.50, which can easily be shared between two. This restaurant has a bar where you can sit on stools and listen to the good mix of music that pours from the speakers. Beers are $1.6 and there are ranges of cocktails available for $3.6 or $4.00. Here you can hire snorkeling equipment, wetsuits and kayaks ($5 on hour, single, $8 on hour, double). Well worth a drop in even.
MUANA COFFEE BAR
Situated directly opposite the main pier, Muana Coffee bar is an open airy café that attracts new arrivals and locals alike. Located underneath Casa Blanca bed and breakfast, this place enjoys a good friendly atmosphere where people meet regularly to chat over coffees and snacks. Three low lying white walls sit round it's edges, painted with bright and colourful wildlife and neat green bushes protrude upwards giving this place and nice down to earth feeling. Each of it's dark wooden tables is painted with a unique and beautiful green and gold design and sit welcomingly surrounded by arty chairs with ladder backs. Chinese style paper lanterns hang down from the sloping straw roof that displays a range of multi-coloured sarongs with turtle and dolphin designs. To the left is a curved counter selling chocolate snacks and speciality teas. Food and drinks are served up in cute pottery and everything seems fresh and clean. The menu offers mainly snacks such as toasted sandwiches and humitas, and also has a small but delicious choice of desserts and ice cream. Prices range from $1.50 -$3.00. There is a great selection of teas and coffees and the usual type of alcoholic beverage is also available. You can buy huge glasses of natural juice for only $2 and these come highly recommended, as do the special teas. Inside the coffee bar is a small boutique selling clothes and other tourist items. There are cabins to make international calls and there is also a Western Union booth, as is a mailbox to post your letters home. This place definitely comes recommended.
ROSITA’S RESTAURANT
Situated on a corner street of Ignacio de Hernandez, with its tatty straw roof covering front veranda, Rosita’s Restaurant has the immediate appearance of a large beach hut. A small jungle of plants stand welcomingly in terracotta on the pots on the cement floor and like a thousand faded flags from across the world hang down from its wrought railing. Outside are four largo cloth covered tables that comfortably sit six to eight people. Photographs of large waves adorn the back white wail and broken surfboards are suspended over two slated windows. A small scruffy shelf holds old leaflets with information about San Cristobal and a faded stand up board welcomes you to the Galapagos and offers various tours by “Rosita service”. In contrast to its appearance, its menus are crispy clean and stale that it’s a pleasure to offer you their typical meal. Complete breakfasts cost $3.50, as do “almuerzos” (set lunches of soup, rice with meat and salad and juice) and “meriendas” (set dinners). Different types ceviches are on offer from $5.00 - 8.00 and other fish dishes, meats and soups range in price from $2.25 - $8.00. The usual alcoholic and not-alcoholic drink are available and this place claims that it is also a bar. Although I didn’t cat there, I was told by several locals that the food is good and worth a try.