Mercado 10 De Agosto, Cuenca

I absolutely love this place. Tons of vendors with excellent & cheap food options. Don't miss the $5 hornado plates. The coconut juice is also to die for 😍 Also an excellent place to stock up on fruit

A very organized and clean Mercado when I compare with the ones I saw in Antigua Guatemala, Leon Nicaragua and Leticia Colombia. I had limpia here upstairs, it was a different experience full of many herbal smells.

I Iove shopping at the mercados in Cuenca and the size and location of this one is perfect. Warning they can be gritty and very real, especially the meat sections. The fruits and veggies are usually fresher and more vibrant than what you'll find in the super tiendas and the vendors are friendly and helpful, for the most part. But always ask the price and quantity for a dollar first and look at the produce and wares of all the vendors. Many times there are better looking or fresher items on your shopping list just a few stalls down. I walk the mercado completely and return to the best looking produce. After a while you'll establish a relationship with certain vendors and they take care to give you their best produce. Also walk the sidewalks in front and on the side of the mercado, those vendors can have even better looking, fresher produce. Sometimes police shoo these street vendors away from the entrances but they are just across the street.

If you need it, they have it at the Mercado. Fresh ripe fruit and vegetables ready to be eaten. We asked for Avocados that can be eaten today, the lady picked them out and they were perfect. Sights, sounds and smells that you just wont get in Canada or the US, just an amazing assortment of products. You MUST try the Hornado (Roasted Pork) on the 2nd floor, every stand will give you a sample, choose one and get ready to enjoy some of the best Pork you've ever had. We chose Dona Elsita, she's been there for ages and it shows, MMMMMMM. If your in Cuenca or any city in Ecuador for a few days, grab some fruit to eat at the local mercado. Its cheap and fresh.

It's a nice local farmer's market with fresh vegetables and fruits, butcher section, dry food section, chocolate, a food court and juice section. It's close to the Cathedral so you can have lunch there, wandering to the cathedral and come back for more.