Riobamba is a working Andean city rather than a culinary destination, but it eats well in its own way. The most memorable meal you'll have here is at the Saturday market, where women cook hornado (whole roast pork, slow-cooked overnight) and llapingachos (fried potato patties filled with cheese) at open-air stalls — a plate costs next to nothing and tastes better than it has any right to.
The city centre has plenty of cheap lunch spots (almuerzos) offering a set menu of soup, rice, protein, and juice for a dollar or two. Caldo de pata — a thick soup made from cow's foot — is the local Sunday hangover cure and turns up at market stalls. For something different, ceviche de chochos (made with lupini beans rather than seafood) is a distinctly Andean version of the coastal dish.
Pizzeria D'Baggio — Av. Daniel León Borja 33-24 y Miguel A. León, two blocks from the train station toward the bus terminal. A longstanding local favourite that takes its pizza seriously — thin-crust, wood-fired, absurdly cheap. Often recommended by travellers for a break from the set-menu circuit.
Café del Tren — near the train station, around Parque Maldonado. A pleasant spot for breakfast or coffee before an early departure; set-menu lunches draw a mix of office workers and passing travellers.