It’s Time to Revisit Longstanding Los Galapagos
Plus, Viva replaces Nada in the Arena District, and Biscuit Boss says goodbye.
Exploring the “Adicional Menu” at Los Galapagos
By Andy Dehus
Information on Los Galapagos’ opening is scant, but Bethia and I first visited the West Side restaurant in 2010. Safe to say they’ve been around for a while, quietly serving Ecuadorean and other Latin American dishes from a quaint converted home tucked away on a workaday Lincoln Village lane.
Restaurants of this nature don’t often change much in the if-it-isn’t-broke-don’t-fix-it sense, but our last visit left us convinced that Los Galapagos is the exception that proves the rule.
In every menu there’s now an insert, headlined “Adicional Menu, Sopas y Mas” and featuring a range of Ecuadorean specialties unlike anything we’ve seen in the city. With well over a dozen additional items whose origins span the three major regions of the country, it reads like a tantalizing recommitment to Ecuador’s culinary culture—introduced without the slightest hint of concern for mainstream American appeal.
Time to dig in!
In photos, the corviche looks like a spin on a lobster roll. Upon realizing that the bread roll has been replaced with a fried green plantain and peanut butter fritter—and the lobster filling replaced with fish, shrimp, diced veggies and spices—that resemblance gets murkier. And tastier. Corviche is a street food that is common in the Manabi and Esmeraldas coastal provinces, and it features a satisfying range of unexpectedly complementary flavors that hit curiously meaty notes more than any other seafood dish I can think of. We ordered one, I wish we had ordered two.
When it comes to South American ceviche (not to be confused with corviche), Peru generally dominates the conversation. Neighboring Ecuador, meanwhile, has boldly forged its own distinct tradition. Instead of Peru’s raw, spicy and spare renditions, its northwestern neighbor opts for cooked, mild and soupy. As in, soupy to the point that my server wondered why I wasn’t eating it with a spoon.
Los Galapagos offers ceviche with shrimp, fish concha negra (mangrove cockles), or all three together, and the trio offered a vaguely gazpacholike cold broth loaded with seafood, sliced onions and avocado. The cooked shrimp and fish were pleasant enough, and the concha negra were a true curiosity, featuring all of the chew of a clam but a much brinier flavor tinged with a distinct iodine tang.
From the specials board, we ordered bolas de verde, sometimes also referred to as caldo de bolas. The bolas (balls) are large-and-fluffy green plantain dumplings stuffed with beef, and the caldo (soup) in which they soak is a rich and hearty beef-based broth studded with corn and yuca. It amounted to a mild and savory comfort food win, perfect on a chilly February day.
Los Galapagos’ bandera has been a staple of its regular menu and one of the best ways to sample a broader range of the country’s cuisine on one plate. On it, shrimp ceviche and llapingachos (potato pancakes) are joined by rice, stewed beans, guatita (tripe stew) and hornado (slow roasted pork). The guatita deserves a special mention for being one of the most enjoyable tripe preparations in memory, with tripe cooked down to the point where its texture was comparable to al dente pasta noodles. However, the star of this plate was the hornado. Juicy, porky and topped with crispy shards of skin, Los Galapagos’ hornado sits alongside Don Chava’s carnitas as one of the top pork preparations in the city.
You can also now order hornado by itself anytime—they’ve moved it from the weekend specials to the main menu. That move, to my mind, only makes the dish more destination-worthy.
Should you be moved by that idea, you’ll find a tight and tidy dining room shared by a small assortment of South American grocery staples. Service has been pleasant, accommodating and efficient, with English, Spanish and sign language all used and understood. On that last point, one server wore a shirt printed with text noting his deafness and asking for patience. If he drops off a small container of sauce at the beginning of your meal like it’s an amuse, he will be amused if you try it. It’s spicy!
Find It:
378 S. Grener Ave., West Side
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.; closed Tues.; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wed.-Sun.
News & Happenings
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
The popular food truck Biscuit Boss is shutting down after six years. In an announcement on Instagram, founder Casey Stevens wrote: “We are incredibly proud of what we’ve built over the last six years. This business has been an absolute grind—and an absolute gift. But as many of you know, I’m also a mom. At this stage of life, I’m not willing to gamble more time away from my family in hopes the economy cooperates. The realities of today’s business climate—rising costs, increasing operational demands, and shifting industry traffic—ultimately led us here.”
The hot dog joint Dad’s Coneys and Wraps has closed permanently at 128 Graceland Blvd. in the Graceland Shopping Center. It’s set to be replaced by Pine Coast, a halal burger and sandwich shop with locations in Hilliard and Dearborn, Michigan.
Viva Mexican Kitchen opened Sunday in the Arena District, replacing Nada at 220 W. Nationwide Blvd. According to Columbus Business First, the family behind the Mexican dessert chain Dulce Vida is behind the new restaurant and bar concept.
Gallo’s on High (4215 N. High St.) is now under new ownership, and the Clintonville restaurant will be getting a new name. According to Gallo’s announcement on Facebook, “the new ownership will carry on with a similar concept under a new brand.”