Dessert of tasting menu at Cafe Libre in Cuenca
BBQ Cauliflower at Cafe Libre in Cuenca
Buddha bowl, Andean style. at Cafe Libre in Cuenca
Vegan
International
Macrobiotic
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Bakery
Fusion

A plant-based restaurant and bake shop. Conscious gastronomic experience. Accepts reservations. Relocated from Calle Larga 5-14. Reported open, Jun 2021. Open Wed-Sat 5:00pm-10:00pm.

Venue map for Cafe Libre
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21 Reviews

First Review by Giselle88

Avatar unruly_traveller

unruly_traveller

Points +406

Vegan
26 Jan 2023

Very cute and cozy place!

Cute, 100% vegan place. The bread with the vegan cheese was on point. There was no smoothie on the menu, but I asked for one and it was great! The cookie was ok, but we took a chocolate dessert to-go and it was awesome.

Avatar LisaSpykers

LisaSpykers

Points +7337

Vegan
25 Jan 2021

Delicious, beautifully-presented food

Cafe Libre has teamed up with Savia and recently reopened in a new location (Jan 21). We had the pleasure of going there the first week. The food is on the gourmet side of things but without any pretentiousness. We had delicious baked focaccia with 3 dips ('pan y amigos'), banana and cheese croquettes, and the four seasons ('cuatro tiempos') which was like a tasting menu including 'sea' falafels, salad, and a moussaka type dish with quinoa. Dessert was a coconut and lemongrass foam, passionfruit and banana gelato, and raw chocolate nut ball of various ingredients.

The service is excellent and the chefs come out to talk to you. The restaurant itself is very modern and stylish with great music to set the ambiance. It's located in a quiet neighborhood on the fringe of the city (next to the university). Highly recommend.

Jan '21 menu at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Coconut lemongrass foam, passionfruit banana gelato, and raw chocolate and nut ball. at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Sea falafels , pickle, and tomato skin flower filled with garlic chips. at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Fresh salad with a tasty fruit dressing. at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

A moussaka-type dish served on quinoa with a delicious gravy. at Cafe Libre in Cuenca +4

Avatar AngusL

AngusL

Points +22

Vegan
14 Nov 2020

Great quality food

The food is delicious and very well presented. We had the taster menu, which is 5 desperate dishes and dessert. All of the courses served were great, by far and away the best vegan food I've eaten so far in Cuenca. The price isn't super cheap, but for the quality of the food totally fine. The setting is also very modern and comfortable.

Pros: Excellent food, Great presentation, Modern atmosphere

Cons: Nothing really

Avatar Stepoutandexplore

Stepoutandexplore

Points +34

Vegan
04 Sep 2019

The best vegan food in our lives!

To truly experience the genius of Paúl and his team, we recommend you to try the tasting menu - we had dinner. The food based on local cuisine doesn't only taste good, it looks like from a Michelin star restaurant.

Pros: taste, looks, originality

Cons: can't find any!

Avatar PaolaVega

PaolaVega

Points +21

Vegetarian
16 Aug 2019

Really amazing food!

Food was stupendous! I ordered the lunch tasting menu and it was really tasty: one appetizer, one main, a dessert and a drink, all of that for a decent value.
Definitely coming back to taste more delicious plat-based dishes!
Great service too, and conveniently located

Pros: All plant- based, Beautiful presentation, Affordable gourmet meals

Dessert of tasting menu at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Avatar EdwardJohnAllen

EdwardJohnAllen

Points +236

Vegan
14 Jul 2019

Not quite got it together!

I enjoyed my meal at Cafe Libre but honestly it all lacked a little something: the place was a bit dark and unwelcoming; the service was ok but not particularly attentive; food quality was good overall but didn't feel like good value compared to other Vegan / Veggie places in Cuenca.

I won't rush back...

Pros: good location

Cons: Ambiance, service, pricing

Avatar tkhe

tkhe

Points +178

Vegan
22 Jun 2019

Brilliant vegan food, very nice service, cute little locale.

Brilliant vegan food, good variety for a cute small locale. Try the daily infusion - it’s full of fresh fruit and herbs!

Pros: Great vegan food, Excellent daily tea/infusion

Avatar ThomasMedinaMora

ThomasMedinaMora

Points +18

Vegan
14 Mar 2019

Delicious 😋 delicioso 😋

La mejor comida que comí en Cuenca vegana que tiene una conciencia superior en lo que es calidad para sus clientes muchas opciones deliciosas locales
The best food I ate in Cuenca Vegan that has a higher awareness in what is quality for its customers many delicious 😋 local options

Pros: Lots of vegan options

Cons: Expensive but worth it

Avatar Melania

Melania

Points +30

Vegan
06 Mar 2019

Not that great

Quite disappointed, they took 1 hour to serve two dishes and one of them had a rotten potato. The food is not as good as expected, wouldn't recommend it.

Pros: Variety of options

Cons: Takes too long to serve, Food is not that good

Avatar

PaúlFlores

09 Mar 2019

We're so sorry. thank you! We're learning and getting better! Good vibes! :)

Avatar DouglasMcCaffrey

DouglasMcCaffrey

Points +862

Vegan
05 Mar 2019

The best vegan food of my life

We visited this place twice during our stay and I wished we could have gone more, both times were fantastic great atmosphere even when quiet lovely staff and the food was just incredible. Everything was so fresh and the flavours were balanced to perfection. It’s a must go for any trip to Cuenca if your veggie or not.

Pros: Totally vegan , Incredible food, Friendly staff

Hidden away. Took me ages to find the first time so here’s what to look out for at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Avatar MargauxC

MargauxC

Points +53

Vegan
06 Feb 2019

Incredible hidden place

As a vegan always struggling to find great plant based food, Cafe libre was amazing!!
This is not a very cheap place, but it's not expansive considering the quality of the product, the creative efforts in the menu, and the delicious results in the plate. It's a really good place to eat and treat yourself in Cuenca! You have to go there!

Buddha bowl, Andean style. at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Avatar Jess1221

Jess1221

Points +161

Vegan
01 Jan 2019

Amazing little vegan cafe

Small little all vegan cafe on one of the main streets in central Cuenca. The food was absolutely delicious, the menu was exciting with innovative dishes such as BBQ pulled jackfruit and buffalo cauliflower! My friend and I had a hard time deciding what to order because everything looked great.
The service was great, we even got served a free small appetiser while we waited for our mains to be cooked.
Prices were higher than a typical local eatery but well worth it for the amazing taste.

Pros: Full vegan menu , Exciting, delicious flavours

Cons: Limited seating

Pulled bbq jackfruit (usually on bao) at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

BBQ Cauliflower at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Avatar ShaunK

ShaunK

Points +67

Vegan
02 Dec 2018

Delicious food and wonderful staff

Great food. Great staff. Great atmosphere. Pricing is really good. What more can I say?! Highly recommend!

Avatar Rutgervdl

Rutgervdl

Points +85

Vegan
08 Sep 2018

incredible food

All dishes are prepared with extreme care, and taste just as delicious as they look. Contender for best food in Ecuador and very reasonably priced.

Pros: Delicious, all vegan, customizable

Avatar EsmePiechoczek

EsmePiechoczek

Points +23

Vegetarian
02 Sep 2018

Tasty, healthy, perfect!

Went here last night after a long journey and everything was perfect. Lovely staff, the food was delicious and felt very healthy and wholesome. I had a chickpea bowl and a piña colada smoothie, both lovely. Would go back for sure!!

Avatar AsherBowen-Saunders

AsherBowen-Saunders

Points +82

Vegan
24 Aug 2018

high quality

Divine food at great prices. So much care and effort goes into these well balanced flavour experiences

Avatar NadineSchmid

NadineSchmid

Points +42

Vegan
21 Jul 2018

Very tasty lunch!

We had a wonderful lunch there. We‘ve ate the burger and it was so tasty! Love it!

Pros: Good and tasty food, Very friendly people, Shortly prepared

Cons: Its quite small, maybe you have to wait for table

Burger at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Gruss von der Küche at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Avatar LNA

LNA

Points +43

Vegan
23 Jun 2018

THANK YOU!

Amazing food, good music, quiet place and nice service! Just perfect :)

Avatar emzie1983

emzie1983

Points +678

Vegan
10 Mar 2018

Super tasty sandwiches!!

We had lunch here and is was really delicious!!!
Rich and flavoursome, with several components to the dish - sandwiches with tasty filling, great crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside chips, and good salad full of flavour. There were also a good mix of salsas to accompany. The vegan mayonnaise was an unexpected surprise, although the passion fruit salsa was probably my favourite!
They also have almond milk, so I had a nicely spiced chai latte!
Not the cheapest of places (approx $7 for large sandwich with fries), but worth the money for extremely tasty food in good sized portions.

Pros: Good selection, Extremely tasty

Cons: Not very cheap for the area

Veg sandwich at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Jackfruit in Jack Daniels BBQ sauce at Cafe Libre in Cuenca

Avatar EarthlingRae

EarthlingRae

Points +39

Vegan
24 Feb 2018

Just lovely

Delicious food, beautiful space and delightful staff. Will be back for sure.

Avatar Giselle88

Giselle88

Points +15

Vegetarian
10 Jan 2018

Cute and tasty

Tiny little restaurant with only 4 tables. It's not entirely vegan but lots of vegan options and non vegan items had vegan alternatives. I had the fungi burger and a fresh mango juice, very tasty and well presented.

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