13 Best Restaurants in The Southern Coast, Peru

Almost completely hidden in a small B&B down a dusty side street between Ica and Huacachina, this criollo restaurant still manages to draw a stream of customers. On the phenomenal menu, all the Peruvian national classics are present, but even better are the hard-to-find Southern Coast favorites like carapulcra with sopa seca (nutty pork-and-potato stew with green pasta), fish with pecan sauce, and beef with butter-bean tacu tacu. The attached guesthouse is so lovely that many diners end up staying the night. You won't find better eats anywhere in southern Peru.

Restaurantes populares—dining halls for ordinary folks—offer some of Peru's best eats, and no place better epitomizes this than this wildly popular seafood joint occupying a tiny stall on Paracas's boardwalk. Jhosselyn, the chef, dishes up dangerously fresh jaleas (fried seafood with pickled onions), scallops, and rice plates, with a creamy leche de tigre (cebiche broth) that's out of this world. Particularly impressive are the chupe de pescado and chupe de cangrejo (fish and crab soups, respectively). Visitors to Paracas frequently end up eating every meal here: it's that good.

This Pisco institution hosts pool parties and dancing on weekends, but it's the seafood specialties like whole fried chita (rockfish) and sudado de choros (shellfish stew) that keep the crowds coming. Roast goat, grilled meats, and sopa seca (noodles in basil sauce) round out the extensive menu. On any given afternoon, the place is packed with jovial Peruvian families celebrating together.

This pleasant garden café beside Hostería Suiza has a vegetarian-friendly vibe, with lots of quinoa and salads on offer. Dishes on the eclectic menu are all made from scratch by the British owner, and range from Thai curries and falafel to pastas and crepes. There are even peanut-butter-and-banana milk shakes.

A range of Peruvian classics is on offer at this well-loved local hangout. The chicharrones are a perennial winner, and there are also pastas, sandwiches, and excellent meats from the grill. The menú lunches are filling and a steal at S/25.

Locals recommend this restaurant on the outskirts of town as the best around; judging from the lunchtime crowds, they don't seem to be wrong. The three brothers who run the kitchen cook up modern regional Peruvian cuisine such as sole fillets rolled with bacon and served with passion-fruit dipping sauce or fish stuffed with spinach and sautéed in a pisco-and-pecan broth. Portions are enormous, so order a few dishes to share.

In a resort where mediocre tourist fare is the norm, this Peruvian eatery stands out. Here, after a long day on the dunes, you can replenish your system with a host of seafood options, as well as chicharrones and a few local specialties like seco de res con pallares (beef stew with butter beans). Prices are a bit high, but worth it.

This funky-cozy eatery is a mash-up between an art studio and a kitchen; owner Sansón Velásquez is equally adept with paintbrush and whisk. He'll whip up any dish that suits your fancy, from Ica-style beef stew to river-shrimp soup, discoursing all the while on the abstract and Indigenous elements in his colorful canvases. The cooking is fresh and delicious, and you may find yourself taking one of the paintings home.

What the cooks at this tiny eatery do, they do very well. Sure, the menu is a bit limited, but it does feature local favorites like carapulcra with sopa seca along with vegetarian plates like mango cebiche and a great quinoa salad. The pizzas, too, are solid. It's a good option for those craving something a bit finer than the normal backpacker grub.

This restaurante marino is a cut above other Cerro Azul establishments, with excellent chaufa de mariscos (seafood fried rice) and pulpo a la parrilla (grilled octopus). Try the tacu tacu a lo macho, a heap of pan-fried rice and beans topped with shellfish in a spicy sauce.

If you need a break from seafood (which the chefs here also do very well), this little huarique (hole-in-the-wall) prepares lip-smacking meat dishes, soups, and pastas. You can choose what sauce you want on your pasta or opt for one of several vegan options. This being Paracas, however, the seafood causas or conchas a la parmesana (scallops au gratin) are well-nigh irresistible, so go ahead and load up. Bonus: the cheap menú lunches here are the best in town.

With food that's as modern as the stylish interior, this is the best spot in town to try Peruvian fusion cuisine. The pollo a lo oporto (chicken in a port wine sauce) is a standout, as is the cocktail list, including the tricolor Machu Picchu pisco cocktail. For a good view, head upstairs for a spot on the balcony overlooking the street.