Cafe Libro sits on Leonidas Plaza in La Mariscal, a cafe bar that has long been a meeting point for Quito's students, artists and writers. It works as a cultural centre as much as a bar, with poetry, songs and live sets folded into the week.
Who would love it: people who want live jazz, blues or Andean music in a calm room with a drink in hand. Who would hate it: anyone after a dance floor or a loud late club, which this is not.
The room is simple and warm, set with wooden chairs and tables, each one carrying a candle under a plain cloth. The stage is small and close, so the music sits right in the room rather than behind a barrier. The feel is closer to a salon than a bar, which is why the crowd skews creative and regular.
Order a glass of wine, a local beer or a simple cocktail, and settle in for the set rather than ordering rounds. Prices stay moderate, in keeping with the student and artist crowd. The kitchen turns out light plates to go with the music, so it suits a long evening over a short one.
Best time to go is a Thursday or Friday evening, when the live music programme runs and the room fills with regulars. Music groups perform here through the week playing jazz, blues, Andean rhythms and other styles, so the bill is worth checking before a visit. The bar keeps evening hours and opens later on Saturdays.
It sits among the city's best live music bars and the wider best bars in Quito. Pair a calm set here with a louder night at Bungalow 6 nearby, an arts leaning drink at Dirty Sanchez, or the rest of the city's best cocktail bars.
