Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Pizza
Indian
International
Juice bar
Offers set lunch which includes rice, salad, juice, and main course. An extensive menu of other options include Italian food, pizza, Asian food. Confirmed closed, Sep 2021.
29 Reviews
First Review by Claude
nathlena
Points +86
Buena comida, super económico - Edit
La comida en Govindas es súper rica, las porciones son grandes y barato. El lunch usualmente tiene una sopa, arroz, ensalada y guiso y el jugo por menos de 4 dólares, lo único malo es que si no llegas temprano puede que la comida ya esté agotada y tengas que pedir a la carta.
Read morePros: Buenas opciones veganas, Barato , Buen servicio
Guest
frederickiv
Points +358
Great vegan lunch option! - Edit
For 3.25 you get a big plate of veggies, rice, and lentils, as well as soup and a drink (juice or soy milk). Pretty basic, but filling and a good value. Staff was great. Definitely a solid option for an inexpensive lunch between museums and exploring downtown.
Read morePros: Avocado dressing was fabulous , Price , Location
Cons: A little basic, maybe some more exciting options
Guest
Tesla22
Points +42
Needs improvement - Edit
If I could rate them 0-1 stars, I would.
Read moreThe rice on the lunch buffet was either old/dry, or undercooked. They serve the buffet for you, so the amount of food you get for buffet price is not on par with other places around town. It was quite bland as well.
My partner got a sandwich and fries to go - upon opening it, the sandwich literally looked like it was thrown into the box. We opened the box immediately after exiting the restaurant. It was all over the place, sauce, pieces of tofu, veggies & bread. The fries had hairs/fibres all over them. Gross.
I didn’t see any representation of Hare Krishna when visiting the restaurant (like most Govinda’s)
Pros: Vegan lunch buffet (during our visit, 100%), Has vegan options on menu
Cons: Not a great value, Not much effort for customer service, etc
Guest
ClaudiaKollin
Points +142
Fantastic cheap yummy vegan lunch - Edit
Great option for lunch in Cuenca, also offers a la carte, but the set menu is so good and cheap that most people go for this
Read moreGuest
OnnaM
Points +70
Good food - Edit
The menu del dia can be made vegan for 3,25$. It includes soup, main (of your choice) and juice/tea. The schedule is Monday to Saturday from 12:00-16:00. They don't offer menu del dia on Saturdays, but you can choose from the manu other dishes.
Read morePros: Price, location, taste
Guest
pranalover
Points +38
Great tasty and vegan almuerzo! - Edit
Tasty. I’d go back.
Read moreGuest
LauraWoodhead
Points +193
Decent set menu - Edit
Cheap set menu with soup, seconds and a drink. Food was good, just nothing special.
Read moreGuest
berlin.nomads
Points +56
Great lunch menu - Edit
Very great tasting lunch menu. Kind staff and nice little place close to downtown.
Read moreGuest
NatalieBernadette
Points +98
Cheap set menu - Edit
Grabbed the set menu, all of it was vegan today. Was ok tasting but fairly bland. Pretty cheap though and filling
Read morePros: Cheap, Lots of food
Cons: Bland
Guest
RachelAHavekost
Points +58
AMAZING - Edit
The food here is so good. We ordered off the menu because we were too late for the buffet almuerzo. Portions are large, fresh, and so flavorful. The vegan paella is amazing!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options , Amazing flavor, A la Carte or buffet
Guest
EdwardJohnAllen
Points +236
Nice food, freindly service. - Edit
I enjoyed my vegetable curry and rice at Govinda's , although the curry was super runny (in fact it was "soup-er" runny!) Perhaps this was a one off but it did spoil thing a bit.
Read moreAnother detail is that it seems odd that Vegetarian / Vegan place does not have say Almond milk or Soy milk, only cows milk.
Worth a visit though.
Pros: Good location, Good value, freindly staff
Cons: Only cow's milk (July 2019), short opening hours during day
Guest
lheeman
Points +227
Good food - Edit
Note: opening hours are daily 12:00-16:00, closed Sunday’s.
Read moreSuper friendly staff, the Govinda lentil burger was very nice, the fries a little too oily for my taste. All in all good value, so will be back!
Guest
Mahinda
Points +960
Superb Pizza, Nice Location - Edit
Location right in downtown, ample seating space, I visited on Saturday when no set lunch is provided only a la carte. I ordered Govindas Pizza and Govindas Papas. Pizza was super delicious - so much so that I ordered another one to-go! Govindas Papas were OK - huge portion including salad and fries were Indianized with spicy curry sauce but taste wasn't quite there yet.
Read moreI would definitely visit here when in Cuenca.
Pros: Vegetarian, Superb Tasty
Cons: Little too expensive
Guest
AlejandroOrmazaVera
Points +35
Opening times are wrong - Edit
Only open untill 16.00 from monday to saturday
Read moreGuest
DouglasMcCaffrey
Points +866
Amazing almuerzos - Edit
We loved this traditional Indian food at a super reasonable prices. They have a full menu but we just got the almuerzos (which is like a set lunch menu) and I would highly recommend it.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options , Really affordable
Guest
VivianaKayap
Points +18
Exelente comida vegana - Edit
Muy buen restaurante, su personal muy amable y la comida muy deliciosa.
Read morePros: Muchas opciones veganas
Guest
emzie1983
Points +678
Tasty and cheap! - Edit
We had a good set lunch at Govindas for $3.25.
Read moreFlavoursome soup (veg and bean) to start, then main of quinoa or rice, with a veg curry, 3 types of salad (1 wasn't vegan), and toasted corn, with a choice of 3 juices
Nice little restaurant! Also has a large menu with clearly labelled vegan options
Good choice and variety of vegetarian and vegan food for very reasonable prices
Pros: Good value, Wide selection, Central location
Guest
EarthlingRae
Points +39
Very tasty - Edit
Get the almuerzo. Sooo good! Changes daily, 3.50 for soup, juice, and a plate with 4 different sides.
Read morePros: cheap, delicious , healthy
Guest
LucasIbarra
Points +15
Deliciosa opción Vegetariana en Cuenca - Edit
Muy bonito sitio. Acogedor. Buen ambiente. Música. Y delicioso almuerzo por $3,25. Genial. Muy rico todo. También comida vegana.
Read moreGuest
jollyjade
Points +106
good value set lunch - Edit
Lunch is great value, lentil soup & option of white or integral rice served with salad & main. Three choice of drinks, I went for the mango lassi....
Read morePros: good value
Cons: limited options
Guest
Dianebg
Points +580
Good place for lunch - Edit
Menu of the day was vegan - soup, brown rice, bean stew, fried plantains and salads (and a fruit juice) - and quite cheap $3.25.
Read moreSimple and good and no soy meat used which is rare in Ecuador.
Pros: Menu of the day was vegan , cosy interiors
Guest
Teodora
Points +20
Amazing food! - Edit
The food is excellent, it tastes amazing, it is reasonably priced and the portions are quite generous. Sufficient vegan options to choose from. The restaurant was almost full so I guess it is a very popular place among both locals and tourists. (Unfortunately that means it is very noisy as well). I highly recommend it!
Read morePros: great food, large portions for a fair price
Cons: crowded
Guest
ManGaveNames
Points +162
Such good food and amazing value! - Edit
I especially like that they label what is vegan or vegan optional on the menu. The burger was so good and the people were friendly. If they were open more often, I would've eaten here more times on my short trip.
Read moreGuest
Mellifluoust
Points +807
Reasonable vege choice - Edit
Govinda's is a couple of blocks from the main plaza and is large and pleasant. The food was standard almuerzo-style: for $3, I got a soup, plate of salad, rice, chickpeas and plantain, and a tea. Nothing special, but fine.
Read moreGuest
onlyrealfood
Points +32
Good cheap almuerzos - Edit
Good set menu for lunch but get there at 12 when they first dishing out or food will be cold. Reasonably priced menu for orders too. Nice atmosphere and always packed which is a good sign. Sporadicly open, don't believe their opening times!
Read morePros: Vegan, Healthy, Cheap
Cons: Cold, Often shut
Guest
blsrsuz
Points +213
lunch - Edit
The menu del dia is $3.00. It includes soup, rice (and they actually have brown rice, hard to find in Ecuador), lentils, and salad with a juice. There is an upstairs and the atmosphere is very pleasant. We were happy to have brown rice and lentils and the soup was better than most. Do ask for the aji as others have suggested for a condiment to spice it up a bit.
Read morePros: decent food
Guest
yukkoj
Points +49
Dirty and canned veg in salad!!! - Edit
This place is on Lonely planet and thus probably get traffic and maybe they have slacked.
Read moreI went with a friend here, we both got juice and a main plate. We wanted to get the set menu but they told us they were already out. So we looked at the menu and I tried to order the curry.
They told us that they only have pizza, sandwich, and salads.
So, my friend got the salad and I got the lentil veggie burger.
The lentil patty was dry and curry taste. Nothing special, rather bland. It came with a piece of iceburg lettuce and tomato... and fries.
My friends salad had one piece of HAIR in it!!!!! Super gross.
But also, it had canned peas and carrots... it was a sad sad salad. Unacceptable for a veg place to serve this kind of food.
I think it is ok for the lunch special. Steer clear of the salad and the burger!
Updated from previous review on Monday April 15, 2013
Cons: dirty, canned veggies!!!
Guest
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