Best Restaurants in Cusco, Peru

Nicki Post

Available for hire

Here is a list of the absolute best places to eat in Cusco, Peru.

Read less

Updated ago

CUSCO, PERU: 15 Foods You Need to TRY - Nicki Posts Travel Stuff

nickipoststravelstuff.com

15 UNIQUE FOODS YOU NEED TO TRY IN CUSCO, PERU | Street Food to Top Notch Restaurants

Watch on YouTube

Cappuccino Cusco Cafe

@nicki

This cafe sits right in the center of the main square of Cusco. It has three small balconies, and if you’re lucky enough to arrive to find one empty, you can enjoy your cappuccino while the sun shines on your face as you look out over the Plaza de Armas and listen to the raging sounds of traffic jams and horns honking. Personally, I find this place to be a bit overrated. The ambience and location get an A+, but the food and drinks are standard cafe options, but overpriced. I had a piece of the apple pie and a cappuccino, since that is the name after all. I would describe them as ‘fine.’

Add to

Details

Morena Peruvian Kitchen

@nicki

This was by far the best food I’ve had in Peru. Hands down. I ate it as slowly as possible to enjoy every single second. Even after I was full, I kept going slowly and surely. I didn’t want to leave anything behind. I ordered the lomo saltado, which came on a bed of yellow quinoa, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and edible flowers. Everything cooked to perfection. Just before the main course came out, they brought over a small starter of two round potatoes served with chimichurri and aji verde sauce. Along with the meal, came a dish of three sauces- a yellow garlic, more aji verde, and a spicy rocoto (red pepper). The sauces of Peru are a wonder of their own. The guys next to me ordered cocktails, and a waiter brought over a cart and created a masterpiece right at the table. Yes, this is on the more pricey side for Peru, yet a meal this good for less than $20 by US standards is an absolute must. Go ahead and treat yourself one day. Lomo Saltado dish (as described above), and water sin gas: 64 soles ($17.16 usd).

Add to

Details

KUSYKAY peruvian fusion food

@nicki

This restaurant is in the center, but sits at the top of a hill with an amazing view of the city, including the cathedral in the Plaza de Armas. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to get the table next to the window upstairs and look out at the view during your whole meal. Unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky but I still enjoyed the atmosphere. It was very quiet and peaceful (until a family came in and set next to me, and the young boy played video games on his phone with the volume up and nobody told him to turn it down). All the food is fresh and prepared in house. The wait staff is extremely attentive, and I mean extremely. Like it’s just too much. I barely took two bites before they came back again to ask how it all was. To the point of annoyance. I don’t need to be checked on twice while I’m just enjoying my cappuccino. That’s after a dozen other check-ins during my meal. The food was good, but it was hard to focus on, since the waiters started to put me in a bad/annoyed mood. They serve you a mint tea at the end. Lomo alpaca, Limonada, cappuccino: 66 soles ($17.69 usd)

Add to

Details

Green Point Restaurants

@nicki

This beautiful restaurant is in the San Blas neighborhood, at the end of a long outdoor hallway filled with succulents and cacti. Once you enter the main part of the restaurant, you are welcomed into what feels like a secret garden. Full of plants, flowers, and beautiful hanging lights. The ambience is special. Both in the smell and feel. This is a fully vegan restaurant, and the attentive wait stuff make sure to explain each detail of everything you are served. I ordered the lentil burger, which came with possibly the best homemade fries I’ve ever had. In addition, they brought out several sauces- a homemade mayo, a spicy mustard (it wasn’t that spicy), and an incredible ketchup de la casa. Lentil burger & lemonade: 46 soles ($12.33 usd).

Add to

Details

"La Cusqueñita"

@nicki

We came here very specifically to eat cuy, or guinea pig. Apparently it is a traditional Incan Food tradition that Peruvians still celebrate. As my friend Art said, it’s more like a “gimmick pig.” We ordered the Cuy Chaqtado, which is a deep fried version of the pig. The rich flavoring of the marinated skin seeps down in to the small bits of meat you can find, and really does not take like chicken as one might expect. Guinea pig is to try once in your life, but I guarantee you will never crave it again. There isn’t much meat to be found, which I suppose is not much of a surprise considering it is a rodent after all. I was able to find about 5-6 solid bites of meat (maybe), before I was left digging through ribs and organs like a starving person, searching for something I could eat. Fortunately the dish came with potatoes and a rocoto relleno, which I desperately needed since the cuy did not provide much sustenance. The cuy was 60 soles ($16 usd).

Add to

Details

San Pedro Market

@nicki

This massive market in the center of Cusco has everything. Clothes. Incense. Bags. Gloves. Juice. Food. If you’re looking for an inexpensive meal, this is the place to come. While the majority of the market is full of stands with embroidered goods, there are two rows for juice, and on the far side, a food section. The juices range in price depending on what you want mixed together, but you can choose more than a dozen different flavors. Then you can sit down and enjoy your juice right there, as it is served in a glass mug, which I appreciate for environmental purposes. One massive orange and carrot juice cost me 6 soles ($1.57 usd). When you’re ready for lunch, head on over to the food portion, where you can find adobo, ceviche, and fresh chicken noodle soup. I opted for the soup, though there were two versions: The sopa de pollo (smaller version, 7 soles – $1.83 usd), and the caldo de pollo (13 soles – $3.39 usd, comes with chicken feet). I opted for the smaller bowl sans chicken feet.

Add to

Details

* * *

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicki Post

Available for hire

I have been traveling the world for 20 years, and I want to help you do the same. I am originally from Colorado, though I took off as soon as I graduated from university. Since then I have lived in ten countries and traveled through dozens more. I have learned languages, tried several new foods, walked across Spain, trained across Russia, worked on farms, and in pubs, taught English, and anything else that allowed me to keep going. My life motto is to be fearless and I try to live up to that every day. I’m currently traveling around Tunisia. I spent an entire year traveling around Argentina so I know it quite well. I want to help you discover what makes this country incredible as well! Shop my Argentina travel guides: https://share.thatch.co/Cijz I offer travel consultations too! Book here: https://nickipoststravelstuff.com/contact/ “Wow. Nicki is super knowledgeable about Argentina and actually travel in general. We discussed everything from general safety to the cost of renting an apartment long-term. My biggest takeaway was her ideas for using social media as a resource for learning about the people from the people. Great idea. Real nice gal too.” -Ray “Nicki’s consultation was amazing. She is extremely knowledgeable and answered all my questions and concerns with ease and intelligence. She’s definitely someone to talk to before you visit or relocate to Buenos Aires or other locations in Argentina.” -Paul “My family and I are about to embark on a 3 month trip through Argentina, we had been binge watching youtube videos from Nicki so we scheduled a call to dive deeper. Nicki helped give feedback to our itinerary and gave great local perspective from cell phones to don’t miss desserts. It was super beneficial to get the added insight.“ -Andi

Read less

Send A Tip

Support Nicki Post’s work.

Select your tip amount

$10

$20

$50

Or type in other amount

Explore related destinations

Cusco, Peru