The restaurant at Cabanas La Tortuga is the only true restaurant in Ayampe, as far as I know. It is well-made food, but fairly expensive for the type. For fried fish and a large portion of patacones (fried mashed plantain slices) and a Coke, I paid $6. Another night I had calamari stir-fried with rice for $4. The portions were extremely generous, but I would have preferred less food for less money.

However, I knew that if I wanted to eat seafood—and since I was on the coast, how could I not—I'd have to pay a bit more than inland anyway. Ceviche will always cost a little more. Shrimp will cost a little more. The cheapest deal available is fried fish.

Ten minutes out of Ayampe, past the Rio Ayampe bridge, is a small collection of restaurants (or possibly tiny village?) called La Cabana.

Comedor La Cabana, right along the bridge, is the biggest and most convenient spot. Two dollars got me a large plate of fried fish and patacones and a drink, plus some lime-marinated veggies. This was the best deal for eating closer to Ayampe, but for me, it was only practical for lunch because of the walk along the dark road.

In Puerto Lopez, I could eat ceviche to my heart's content. There is more competition here, as EVERY restaurant along the coastal road serves ceviche, so I paid a little less than at La Tortuga. At a restaurant called Sol, Mar y Arena, I paid $5 for shrimp ceviche with a generous portion of patacones AND fresh mango shake. Another restaurant charged $5 for calamari ceviche and plantain chips. The food was good but I preferred the first restaurant, since I love the fresh shakes and prefer patacones to chips.

Puerto Lopez's seaside street is packed with juice stalls. Fresh juice or a juice mixed with milk should be $1. Very few stands are takeaway, though; the juice is generally served in a glass to finish there.

Another local specialty along the coast is corviche caliente. It's like a fish corn dog; I don't know a better way to describe it. It has a fried mashed plantain outside stuffed with salty fish, and it is highly recommended. The easiest place to get it? On any coastal bus, people will climb on at stops with coolers full of the little parcels. Corviche caliente shouldn't cost more than $1.

Cabanas Cuatro Estrellas may have a restaurant by now. I was lucky to be invited to dinner. Marian is a very good cook, making the same seaside specialties of fried fish and patacones, but she also makes excellent cheese empanadas. It would be worth checking the place out if they do build a restaurant—I know the family thought La Tortuga was too expensive, so they would probably have more reasonable prices.

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