We've been there two Saturdays in a row; once for their fabulous fried chicken (best in Cuenca) and for an Italian pasta meal that was excellent. Check out their weekly menu.

A unique restaurant in that they serve Saturday dinner at 4 pm. Arrive early for drinks and socializing. Set menu, all you can eat. Food and service were great.More

Took a new friend to Joe’s this past Saturday night. Didn’t know what to expect as I had never had his country fried steak before, but as usual, it did not disappoint me!!! Certainly you wouldn’t want to make a habit of eating country fried...steak, mashed potatoes with country peppered gravy and fried cabbage on to banana bread pudding...omg, I want some right now!!! Honestly, nice owners and always wonderful food! I can vouch for the fried chicken too. Born and bred a country girl, so I know. 😉More

Joe’s Secret Garden is a private home with a beautiful garden in the back yard. They serve dinner for up to 100 people and they’re known for their Southern fried chicken which they serve monthly. Except for special holidays, they usually only serve dinners on...Saturday evenings and it’s a warm and gracious place for new people to meet fellow expats, although their clientele isn’t exclusively geared to expats. Ken and KP, the current owners, prepared Osso Buco for the main course tonight along with a sweet and sour beet, avocado and red onion salad, fresh bread still warm from the oven, mashed potatoes with gravy and a key lime pie for dessert. The Osso Buco was perfectly prepared and everyone at our table commented on the overall quality of the meal. The meat was fall off the bone tender and the gravy was very well seasoned. It was a a delicious meal. I go to Joe’s Secret Garden regularly. It’s not often that I miss a week. The food is consistently good and the atmosphere is warm and congenial. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Cuenca or anyone living here that hasn’t tried Joe’s before.More

Great meal. Big pieces of tender meat in a delicious gravy. Warm bread, and a tasty beet salad. Ken made my wife and I a special dairy free desert we had requested when we made our reservations. The place to dine on Saturday night if...you want a taste of home, and meet new expats.More

Surprised birthday dinner arranged by my wife on March 3rd 2018.Great evening with friends.Surprise Happy birthday song by the singing sensation Lyn Nadeu and friends. Menu was Joe's Famous Fried chicken with all the trimmings! BYOB with a cork fee. They won the awards for...Best Fried Chicken 2017 and 2018!More

We were in a party of eight for dinner. There was a mixer from 5:00 until 6:30 when dinner was served. Unfortunately, it was raining so the outdoor garden area was not available. The first course for dinner was a bowl of chili which proved...to be too spicy for several members of our party. This was followed by a fixed menu dinner served family style. It consisted of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes and cooked cabbage. The steak had been pounded into a cutlet, breaded and deep fried. It was quite dry and tough. Although the menu was fixed, two members of our party had special orders. The vegetarian was served an eggplant dish. The gluten-intolerant person was served a half of a chicken. Unfortunately, the kitchen does not seem to understand gluten-free cuisine because chicken was served with a gravy containing flour so the individual was forced to be careful when selecting the parts to eat. Desert was a banana foster with caramel sauce. Everyone agreed that it was far too sweet and so most of the deserts were uneaten. In general the service was good and unobtrusive. The portions were large and we were offered seconds of all the dishes. The meal was very expensive by Cuenca standards and the quality of the food did not measure up. We won't be back.More

We made reservations for the four of us at least a week or two in advance and we were impressed with the service,food ambiance and the entertainment. The singer for the evening was Lynne and she was fabulous. She sang songs that really got us...on our feet and everyone had a great time. The owners talked to us and added to a beautiful evening.More

My cousin and his wife booked this restaurant for their New Years Eve celebration. It is a small restaurant and apparently you can usually linger in the garden but it was a cool night so everyone was inside. They handed out appetizers and had a...cash bar. They had live entertainment with a small dance area. The food was very good and we enjoyed meeting a lot of interesting people at the table we were seated at. All in all, a fun experience.More

A 3.5 in my No Fives Allowed world, and that's because we weren't there for Joes' inner-circle favorite, Fried Chicken. This casual and relaxing hide-away is a house with a garden. The twice weekly affair is a sit-down, 3-course dinner atmosphere; informal, at best, and...there is no telling whose company you might be enjoying at your assigned seat six-person table. Another pleasant South American surprise for these two Texans, and an automatic dining selection when we return.More

I've been living in Ecuador for about 6 years now, while I have Ecuadorian heritage, I was born and raised in Queens, New York. It was first time where I visited a predominately expat atmosphere here in the country. A friend who works there suggested...I should come by to try the fried chicken; the overall experience was very good with a very minor inconvenience. The pre-dinner social hour was interesting, and the folklore dance presentation was excellent and a nice touch. The food itself, was delicious for the most part. The fried chicken was tender, batted consistently and nicely seasoned. The mash potatoes were thick and buttery along great tasting gravy. The cold slaw was ok, I had to use a bit of salt and pepper, because it was too sweet for me from the fruit they put in. Biscuits were good, nothing to complain there. The dessert (chocolate pudding cake) at the end was just way too sweet. My girlfriend who accompanied me that night loves sweets, but she said it too sweet even for her! The atmosphere while a bit noisy, but at the same time; quite welcoming! It has been a very long time since I have heard so many people speaking the English language all in one place. A bit of a down side was that my girlfriend and I were among the youngest there (Both in our mid-twenties). The bill took nearly 35 minutes to come due to the system going down. It was an inconvenience since I had more planned that night. In the end, it was a great experience, the food was on point for the most part. The atmosphere, was lively and entertaining. Apart from a lack of younger expats like myself, and the long bill delivery. I would recommend this place, and encourage younger expats to stop by.More

It was delish! Not veal or lamb, but the most tender beef here, ever. The sauce and polenta, with spring carrots was delightful. It is just nice to meet new people, and, saying howdy to friends.More