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Restaurace Ekvador

  • TÅ™. Kapt. Jarose 7
    Brno, Czech Republic
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Great Value Lunches in Brno

  • fizzytom from Newcastle upon Tyne
  • December 16, 2025
Travellers on a budget should cross Brno’s inner ring road and head to Ekvador. Here you can choose from five daily hot lunches with a drink and a bowl of soup for just a couple of Euro. Having travelled down from Prague by train we were ravenous and, unable to check in to our hotel for another hour, we decided to chance the first place we found. A decrepit old car adorned with an Ekvador sign pointed the way through a courtyard behind the grand buildings on Tr. Kapt. Jarose and we entered the premises through a tall gate. The lights in the corridor were very dim but we followed our noses and the aroma of hearty home-cooked food led us to the dining room.

There were no staff visible but about three quarters of the tables were occupied, mainly by working men or elderly diners. Our arrival must have been noticed, however, because within a minute a very friendly lady brought two bowls of mushroom soup and a list of the week’s meals. Each day there’s a different meat free soup, and a choice of five mains; in theory that means a choice of twenty five different mains though, in reality, some things such as schnitzel are repeated, but with a different side dish. One of the daily mains is always a vegetarian option.

The menu is in Czech only of course; it’s not in the tourist district so only those tourists that venture off the beaten track are likely to end up in Ecvador. As Czech is so close to Slovene we were able to make an educated guess and end up with two dishes that we fancied; if you have a knowledge of Polish, similarly, you might be able to get by. As it happened, a second member of staff on duty was able to speak English and we could have called upon his help if that had been necessary. For unfussy diners it probably doesn’t matter at all because there’s nothing particularly unusual on the menu; pork is dominant and you’ll find lots of dishes of the kind you’ll see on the menus of restaurants in Germany, Poland or Austria. There are chops and schnitzel, chicken dishes and a few pasta plates thrown in too. Accompaniments include rice, salad or potatoes in various forms – mashed, boiled, fried and so on.

I had a pork schnitzel which was served with a cold Russian salad (or something quite similar) of peas, potato, and diced carrot in a thick mayonnaise. The schnitzel was a generous size and well cooked with a lovely crispy coating; while not the best schnitzel I’ve ever had, I can’t claim to have been disappointed. My partner had pork too but his piece was not battered, it was served naturally with a sauce and fried potatoes. He also enjoyed his meal, especially the potatoes.

A glass of sparkling water or an orange drink (rather watery but hey, you're paying next to nothing) is included in the price of your meal. The restaurant does serve beer (Policka or Poutnik) and has a bar so you could buy the drink of your choice if you prefer.

The lunchtime menu is available from 10:30 - 14:30 and costs around 60 Cezch Crowns. The restaurant is open until 23:00 however for other meals. It is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

It's easy to see why there was a steady stream of customers during the time we were there. Portions are generous and the food is tasty and filling. Ekvador's lunch menu offers great value and traveller's on limited means should definitely check it out.
From journal Brief Stop in Brno