bjamie

Hello! We are traveling to Peru in late June and have noticed that our guide book seems to lack good restaurant recommendations in Cusco. We will be there for 5 nights, and are generally pretty low-budget though we don't mind splurging a night or two. We are staying at Ninos Hotel 2 and nearby restaurants would be great. We are also in Puno for 2 nights and Lima for one if there are any must-go places there as well. Thanks!

crellston

The restaurants in Cusco are almost wall to wall. The problem I found was, that with a few exceptions, the menus and prices we very similar. For western food in large portions Jacks Cafe in San Blas is very popular (i.e. queues) as is Chez Maggy for pizza. The cheapest and best meals we had were in and around the stalls of the main market. The ceviche was absolutely fantastic!

I cant recall any of the restarants in Puno but there are loads to choose from around the main square. For one night in Lima, for safety's sake, I would suggest you stick close to your hotel

eenusa

We enjoyed simple, good food at Yaku Mama's Grill and Paddy's (Plaza de Armas). For a bit of a splurge, would recommend A Mi Manera (http://www.amimaneraperu.com/en/) and Cicciolina (http://www.cicciolinacusco.com/) (we did tapas at the latter).

In Puno, we stayed at the Casa Andina Private Collection and took our meals there ... great food; a bit pricey.

In Lima, if you're staying in Miraflores, you'll find many restaurants at the Larco Mar Mall - we really enjoyed dining al fresco at Vivaldino. We went to Huaca Pucllana for lunch after we toured the ruins by the same name. Both of these might fall into the pricey range.

(When I say pricey - I mean by Peru standards ... we found most of the places to be reasonable, but then we live in the Washington DC area.)

mlgb

In Cusco I ate at a very good local roasted chicken place (the dish is called pollo a la bras ), sorry I don't have the name of the restaurant but it was s/e of the Qorikancha, maybe on Ave del Sol or a street parallel, on a corner with green/white checkered tablecloth.

In Lima be sure to try some ceviche, delicious. I ate at a local place not far from some of the embassies, but it probably won't be near your hotel. Cevice is typically served for lunch (which runs pretty late).

And definitely try some of the unusual flavored ice creams.

I do recommend getting the Hepatitis A and B shots and a Cipro prescription.

SmileyKrn

Hi! I cannot wait to return to Cusco. I am a teacher and have returned to Cusco the last 2 summers and will again in July.

First, agree with above post. Go to a chicken and fries restaurant in Cusco (locals flock to them). The food is tasty and very reasonable. The one near Ave del Sol/Qera is probably the best - I think maybe it is called Tops. It does have the green/white table clothes. It was 9 sols for the whole meal.

For a nice meal I recommend Bacos on Ruinas. A sister restaurant to Cicciolina. Excellent food. My family still craves their food. Prices range from 20sols - 50sols. A nice night out.

There is also a good Vegetarian restaurant on Santa Cantalina called Encuentros that serves preset lunches for 6 sols. They tend to have a mix of Peruvian/Tourist crowd.

In San Blas there is a sandwich shop called Juanitos (Carmen Alto 227). Very yummy sanwiches. Prices range 6-14 sols.

Jack's Cafe (mentioned above) has good pub food. If you miss home, go there. Breafast was in the 10- 20 sols range. Touristy.

The best cuy (guinea pig) that I have had was at Kusikuy (Suecia - off of Plaza de Armas). Touristy restaurant but they serve lots of Peruvian dishes. Prices are more comparable to Bacos and but less then most on Plaza de Armas. I thought they were a lot better than Pachapapa in San Blas.

Chinese - Chiefa is quite good in Peru. The one on Qera is very popular with locals. I have found that wonton soup is all I really want on the first day to adjust to altitude.

Cusco has a variety of restaurants. Of course, the further you go from San Blas and Plaza de Armas the cheaper the food prices. The ones I suggested are on the "main drag" where you may be located.

Ninos 2 is located ever-so-slightly off the tourist path (very slight). You will not be disappointed with Ninos Hotel. Actually I am staying at Ninos 1 for the first week of July, so maybe I will see you there. Enjoy!

jahlie

Greens, right off the main square has delicious, light, organic food. The pumpkin soup and any salad are fabulous. It isn't expensive, very clean and just the best.

Map Cafe in the PreColumbian Museum for a delightful dinner. $35 for a pre-fixe gourmet dinner in a beautiful setting. Ambience, superb service, gourmet food at a great price. I had the Alpaca - yum. Loved it.

yestravel

I agree with jahlie -- we had a very good meal at Greens and a fabulous meal at MAP. They didn't have a price fix menu when we were there. Also the lounge in the Hotel Monasterio has nice snacks which can easily be a meal in a lovely atmosphere.

yestravel

saramiller -- did your dad and bro get sick from the food being too spicy or eating someting that may have been contaminated? The food in Peru is very different than Mexican food. It's not particuarly spicy. However, just as in Mexico, I am always careful to drink bottled water and eat veggies and fruits that can only be peeled. That said, restaurants such as MAP use filtered water and we ate there a couple times and ate anything without any problem. Also off your list, we ate at Greens and Pacha Papa..did not get sick

mlgb

In Cusco near the Plaza de Armas the restaurant Pucara on Plateros, I though the food was very bland. I think the tourist restaurants probably do use less seasoning. You can always ask/request "no aji" pronounced ah-HEE.

Although I agree with yestravel, it was probably hygiene that got your dad & brother, not the spices.

If you are passing thru Ollantaytambo the restaurant inside the El Albergue hotel (at the train station) uses purified water so it's also a safe place.