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Cusco's dining scene is surprisingly vast. Gone are the days when visitors had only touristy restaurants to choose from. You'll encounter everything from Andean grills to Middle Eastern kebab shops. Restaurant employees on Cusco's Plaza de Armas and Plateros and Procuradores streets—any of these could be renamed Restaurant Row—stand in their doorways, touting their establishments, menus in hand, to entice you. Browsing many menus, you will come across the Andean specialties of cuy and alpaca. The former is guinea pig and is usually served roasted (sometimes with peppers stuffed charmingly in its mouth). The latter is the furry llama-like creature you'll see wandering the Cusco streets with its indigenous owner for photo ops. In addition to the wider variety of cuisines, there are also far higher-quality restaurants than there once were. You may not find Cusco to be as cheap a place to eat as before, but what you will pay for a gourmet meal at a place like MAP Café is far less than you would pay at its equivalent in New York or Los Angeles and is just as good.
Everyone seems to know everyone at this second-floor eatery, part lively tapas bar, part sit-down, candlelit restaurant. The tapas are delicious and varied, while the main dishes offer fabulous Mediterranean cuisine with twists from the Andes. You can order off the restaurant menu in the tapas bar, but not the other way around.
Reservations are very strongly encouraged.
More a wine bar than a restaurant, La Cantina has walls lined with Italian vintages that are poured by a friendly and attentive staff, creating a setting that invites both sampling and lingering. For your meal, there are delicious pizzas with wafer-thin crusts and high-quality ingredients, plus meats and cheeses from the Old Country and a killer tiramisu for dessert. If the location in the center is full, there's another in the Magisterio neighborhood.
Start with a drink made from one of the many house-made pisco infusions, and then move on to the Peruvian fusion that is Batata's specialty, in particular, mouthwatering alpaca steaks. With a rooftop terrace and a cozy interior dining room, the vibe here is in the sweet spot between upscale-but-friendly and romantic. The wine list is continuously improving, and you may be able to get in a wine or pisco tasting if you ask ahead of time.
The restaurant also offers cooking classes that include a trip to the local market for the freshest ingredients.
The menu at this restaurant, which is modeled after a typical open-air quinta, with wooden tables scattered around a large patio, gets its influences from all over Peru, and the waiters are happy to explain what makes each traditional dish special. For a special treat, go for the underground-oven-baked pachamanca, in which different types of meats are slow roasted together with potatoes and aromatic herbs. This dish, as well as the cuy, has to be ordered 24 hours in advance, so plan ahead.
Pouring some of the best coffee in the city from a special house blend, this café is a Cusco icon; Martin Chambi photos help anchor it in Peru, but the jazz and bohemian atmosphere make it feel more cosmopolitan. It's great for a quick bite, as well as for picking up fliers on current cultural offerings. Try the passion-fruit cheesecake or tiramisu with your cappuccino, and head next door to the Cusco School of Fine Arts to see what's on display.
Come for the kitschy, fun, over-the-top decor: take your pick of seating from a brass daybed, a heart-shaped couch, or leopard- and cheetah-print stools, and dine off bathtubs that double as fish tanks covered with glass tops, watched over all the while by baroque angels, flying pigs, and disco balls in all sizes. The steak-driven menu, just like the decoration, is absolutely fabulous, darling. A massive angel sculpture presides over the courtyard, whose walls are painted to look like a sky full of clouds. This was one of Francisco Pizarro's houses, and it's doubtful that he envisioned anything so avant-garde. The decor encourages you to indulge, and you won't want to pass up a sinful dessert. There are plenty of tables, but if your heart is set on dinner here, make a reservation. Fallen Angel rents out similarly decorated, uniquely luxurious rooms upstairs starting at around US$200 per night.
Although there are plenty of vegetarian options elsewhere, here vegetarians and vegans can order anything with a clear, animal-loving conscience. You can even have your coffee with nut milk. The menu of the day (S/22), which includes salad, soup, main course, dessert, and a drink, is one of the best deals in town and one many nonvegans flock to as well. You can also pick up some of that nondairy goodness to go, as well as a variety of fresh breads.
Stylish contemporary design in an Andean setting has made this large, upscale restaurant near the Plaza de Armas a hit with those looking for a classy night out. It dishes up Mediterranean-Andean fusion cuisine, meaning that traditional Italian favorites are given a twist thanks to the use of Peruvian ingredients and flavors. Wander down the back to the open kitchen, and don't forget to have a look at the original Inca wall on the way.
Scrumptious breakfasts can be had all day at this bright, busy, American-style café with Aussie roots, where you can order granola and yogurt, large fluffy pancakes, or a grand "brekkie" with bacon and eggs. Also on the menu are gourmet sandwiches, fresh salads, and a variety of other satisfying dishes. Everything is prepared in-house, including the delicious breads, and the coffee and hot chocolate are excellent. If you come during high season, you may have to line up to get a table; this jumping spot stays open well into the night.
Pizza is the only thing on the menu here, and drinks are limited, but if it's pizza and wine you're craving, this is one of the best places to get them. The atmosphere is relaxed—starting from the moment you enter the courtyard—but the colonial building is cozy, with only a few tables, so get here early.
If you're craving Japanese food, you can get the real deal at Kintaro. Amid a quietly elegant atmosphere, you can order miso soup, udon, teriyaki dishes, tempura, a wide variety of fresh and authentic sushi, and hot or cold sake.
Given the popularity of curries in England, it should come as no surprise that the best Indian food in town is served by a native Brit. You'll find a good assortment of spiciness here, from mild to mouth-on-fire; you'll also find vegetarian options.
The wide selection of pizzas, pastas, soups, and salads here, as well as a few great desserts, ensure that you will leave feeling satisfied. In particular, the unique blue cheese, bacon, and sauco (elderberry) pizza can't be beat. Be sure to accompany it with one of their reasonably priced wines or a selection from the extensive list of craft beers.
For a quick bite, it's hard to go wrong with real French crepes; with both savory and sweet to choose from, they're the perfect meal or pick-me-up any time of day. The prix-fixe lunch is a delicious deal and there's a great tea selection for an afternoon break.
This is a great spot to regroup, caffeinate, and make use of the Wi-Fi after a hard morning's sightseeing. The coffee is quality, there's a huge range of mouthwatering cakes, and you can also grab breakfast, sandwiches, and slices.
Walking through this shop off the busy Cuesta San Blas, part art gallery, part café, and more hip than ever, you may think you took a wrong turn and ended up in New York City. The menu features healthy standards such as soups and salads, as well as some splurges such as bacon-wrapped alpaca. Also a great spot for desserts or a glass of wine. There are just eight small tables, so make reservations, especially for dinner. Come for the food, but be sure to check out the contemporary artwork for sale, rare for this history-focused city.
Museum eateries don't routinely warrant a mention, but this small, glass-enclosed, elegant café inside the courtyard of the Museo de Arte Precolombino is actually one of the city's top restaurants. It has top prices to boot, but it's still a bargain compared with what this quality meal would cost in New York or Los Angeles. Of its novel and exciting twists on traditional Peruvian cuisine, try the chicken estofado (stew) with goat cheese and raisins or the pork adobo on a bed of sweet potato mousseline à l'orange. The dessert presentation is so clever that you may not want to ruin it by eating it—but you'll be glad you did.
The menu is prix-fixe after 6 (S/225), and you can choose one each from any of the appetizers, main dishes, and desserts; between 3 and 6, only dessert and coffee are served.
The brainchild of Gastón Acurio, Peru's most famous chef, Papachos is the place to go for a fresh take on the burger. With a sports bar atmosphere, the restaurant has a huge menu with plenty of other choices, but it's the burgers you come here for. There's every variety you can think of, along with plenty you probably wouldn't have (fried egg and banana), and every topping can be put on a veggie burger if that's your preference.
You could easily just feast on tasty appetizers at this upscale, minimalist-design spot, but you'd be missing out on the real highlight—an entrée cooked at your table on a heated volcanic stone. Choice, fresh selections of beef, alpaca, fish, chicken, and shrimp, are brought to your table seared on the outside, allowing you to complete cooking them to your personal preference. Unlike other table-side cooking techniques, there's no smoke or strong odor to follow you home.
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