Best Burgers in Guayaquil: Urdesa to Samborondón

The best burgers in Guayaquil are found in Urdesa, whose main avenue, Víctor Emilio Estrada, is one of the city’s busiest restaurant streets, and in the malls and plazas of Samborondón, across the Daule river. Kennedy and the streets near the Malecón 2000 complete the map.

Guayaquil is Ecuador’s main port, and its cooking is coastal: green plantain, shrimp, and encebollado, the tuna and cassava soup locals eat in the morning. On this coast, patacones (twice-fried green plantain) and maduro (sweet ripe plantain) are as familiar a side as chips. The heat is constant all year, so many guayaquileños go out to eat once the evening cools down.

Burgers in Guayaquil: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Urdesa, Samborondón, Kennedy, the Malecón 2000 and the hillside quarter of Las Peñas.
• Coastal sides: patacones and maduro, the two faces of plantain on Ecuador’s coast.
• Local specialty: the bolón de verde, a ball of mashed green plantain with cheese or pork crackling, eaten at breakfast.
• Currency: US dollar (USD), in use across Ecuador since 2000.
• Getting around: the Metrovía rapid bus serves the centre and main corridors; Samborondón lies across the river.
• What our guides check: opening status, a full street address, a dated menu price in dollars and the burger each place is known for.

Every guide we publish on Guayaquil is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For the rest of the map, see our burger restaurant guides by city.