Few places in La Mariscal, the center for Quito’s gringos, draw me in as does Uncle Ho’s. It goes beyond the food or the cocktails, rather it comes down to the personality behind the bar. Meet Kevin Sheehy: a five foot ten Irishman with a distinctive braided goatee dangling down below his chin who can be found most nights serving up martinis, cracking jokes with the local clientele, and checking the baseball play-by-plays on his laptop. Popular with Quito’s English teacher crowd and local gringo business owner alike, Ho’s intimate bar provides a great place to catch the game and have a chat. Kev’s a typical Irishman with a riotous sense of humor; he quickly friendlies up to anyone coming in. With over 3 years experience living and traveling in Ecuador, Kev’s got a wealth of knowledge for any traveler or potential ex-pat.
Kevin founded Uncle Ho’s 2.5 years ago with Patrick Madden, his half Irish American/ Vietnamese partner, fusing traditional Vietnamese recipes with 20 years of bartending experience. Start with the Spring Rolls, thin rice rolls stuffed with shrimp or tofu, carrots, lettuce, and mint leaves and served with a peanut sauce. At $3 these refresh the mouth and wet the appetite. For mains, the Coconut Curry Chicken comes wafting toward you with sensations of coconut milk and Lemongrass in the air. Also popular and distinctively Vietnamese, The Pho a traditional soup comes with slices of beef in the mix of broth flavored with anise and ginger. Trust me, the Pho fights off the bitter nip of these Quito nights. Two of the most popular , the Curry and Pho come nicely priced at $7 each. Finally, the long anticipated dessert —sizzling fried bananas stuffed with nutella and flambeed in almond sauce delights the tounge at $3.50.
Ho’s Martinis highlight the cocktail menu. Taking on names from Vietnam war movie titles like Good Morning Vietnam( Vodka, Apple Schnapps, Lime Juice); Duvallian quotes from Apocalypse Now like Napalm in the Morning(Vodka, Chocolate Liquor, Cream, Cream de Menthe); and a few vulgar ones like Me Love You Long Time (vodka, Peach schnapps, and passion fruit juice) for their stunning visuality and flavor they come reasonably priced at $5 each. Come early for the 2-1 happy hour to sample an assortment at a bargain rate.
It’s Monday night and a few locals and tourists have packed it in for a screening of Monty Python’s, Life of Brian. Projecting onto a big screen which hangs over a mural of Ho himself, the crowd cracks up to all those memorized jokes(“He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy.”) It’s also Monday Mash, a sign that the Irish has had a bit of influence on the menu. Lomo fino with gravy, mashed potatoes, and veges warms us up for $7. I look around–Ho’s takes on the cheery feel of an Irish pub—with a communistic red tint. Asian Fusion? Irish boozin’? Ecuadorian confusion? I’m certainly feeling confused for my 6th beer($1 each on Monday movie night!), but I feel right at home with a gathering of friends here at Hos.
Address: Jose Calama, between 6 de Deciembre and Diego de Almago, La Mariscal, Quito
Check out the entire menu at www.unclehos.com
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[...] locals. Here you can meet a lot of local gringos living in Quito. Go check out Finn McCool’s, Uncle Ho’s, The English Book Shop or Bungalow 6—all gringo run and all popular with gringos. Talk to folks [...]