Cat Cafes in Ecuador

Quito, Pichincha

Maneki ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​⁠Gato Café is a cat cafe, cat shop and rescue centre on Calle Inglaterra at Avenida de la República, near Parque La Carolina in northern Quito. It was founded by cat rescuer Sofía Jaramillo, who opened the current cafe in November 2021 to fund her rescue work. Rescued cats go through quarantine before moving into the gatera, a separate cat room beside the dining area, where visitors can go in and interact with them under a set of rules or watch them through the glass while they eat. More than 30 cats can live there at a time, and all are available for adoption after a careful screening process; the cafe has rehomed several hundred cats, including cats with disabilities. The menu covers coffee, smoothies, breakfasts, pancakes, sandwiches and desserts with cat motifs. There is also a shop with cat products, and the team runs workshops and themed events.

• Adoptable cats

Quito, Pichincha

Gatorium ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​⁠is a cat cafe, pizzeria and cultural space on Calle Lugo at Barcelona in La Floresta, Quito. Opened in February 2020, it presents itself as Quito's first cat cafe and began as a volunteer project to help street cats; a small team now runs it, and its income pays for the cats' food, sterilisation, veterinary care and rescue. Around ten rescued cats, all available for adoption, live in a separate cat area that guests enter without shoes after ringing the bell at the door. Visitors can add cat time to an order from the cafe or pay a fee to visit the cats only. The short menu centres on pizza, coffee, cocktails and beer, and there is a terrace. Gatorium also hosts film nights, drawing and origami sessions, cat yoga, acoustic concerts and fairs. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

• Adoptable cats

Quito, Pichincha

Lulumi ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​⁠is a pet-themed Asian restaurant with a cat room at Whymper and Avenida La Coruña, in the La Paz area east of La Mariscal in northern Quito. The menu mixes Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai dishes such as ramen, summer rolls, mochi and Korean fried chicken, with dishes for dogs and cats as well. The restaurant is pet friendly, with separate areas for guests who bring their own dog or cat. Its own cats live in a separate room that diners can enter for a limited time with a minimum spend; around nine resident cats include Bengals, Persians, a Sphynx and Ecuadorian mixed-breed cats. The venue also has a pet shop and a pet spa for dogs and cats.

Manta, Manabi

Catfé ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌⁠Nómada calls itself the first cat-themed cafe in Manta, on Ecuador's Pacific coast. It is on the Vía a Barbasquillo, next to the fire station and opposite the Barbasquillo housing estate. The cats live in a room of their own, separate from the tables where food is served, and visitors go in to spend time with them. The cafe also has board games, books and canvases to paint, and its menu runs from breakfasts and tigrillo to sandwiches, cakes, milkshakes and coffee. Its first posts and reviews date from April and May 2026. It opens from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays in two shifts, morning and evening, and is closed on Mondays.

Ibarra, Imbabura

HonGato ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌⁠calls itself the first cat cafe in Ibarra, in Ecuador's northern highlands, and is on Calle Miguel Sánchez in the Caranqui district in the south of the city. It combines coffee, sweets and art with resident cats that walk freely among the tables, so visitors can stroke them while they eat. Guests can paint ceramics or canvases, and the menu runs from coffee and desserts to a burger called the hamburgato. It opens only in the evening from Thursday to Saturday.

La Libertad, Santa Elena

Lolita ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠Catfé describes itself as the first cat cafe on the Santa Elena peninsula and has been running since about 2022 in La Libertad, the commercial town next to Salinas on Ecuador's coast. Its resident cats, together with a few dogs, are the hosts: the house rules welcome guests to the cat cafe and ask them to enjoy and look after the cats, and customers may bring their own pets as well. The kitchen serves sandwiches, empanadas, pizza, desserts and a range of drinks. A video in 2025 placed it a minute from the town's shopping centre, diagonally across from the Morocho petrol station. Booking is advised for large groups. It opens in the late afternoon and evening and is closed on Fridays.