We had an amazing 2.5 weeks in Peru (not long enough, we will definitely be going back!) but one of the things that stood out the most was the amazing cuisine! If you're into delicious food, Peru is a culinary joy!
Not gonna lie though, you still have to be careful of what and where you eat (you can NOT drink the tap water (including ice for your drinks) or even brush your teeth with it for example)
Restaurants covered in this post:
(with my personal rating before each on a scale of one to five *'s)
Lima:
***** Restaurante La Rosa Náutica (Miraflores)
**** Panchita (Miraflores)
***** Awicha (Barranco)
**** La Bodega Verde (Barranco)
*** Mar de Grau (Santiago de Surco)
*** Japonesa & Co (Barranco)
*** Ayahuasca (Barranco)
*** Colonia & Co (Barranco)
**** LA73 (Barranco)
***** Alanya (Barranco)
**** El Muelle Cevicheria (Barranco)
**** Canta Rana (Barranco)
Urubamba:
***** Antojitos Urubamba
***** AMA Restaurant
***** El Huacatay
Ollantaytambo:
***** Chuncho
Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu):
*** Sami Restaurant
*** Tupana Wasi
Cuzco:
***** Organika
***** Bunnu Cafe
**** Inka Grill
***** Ceviche Seafood Kitchen
Paracas:
*** Restaurant Paracas
Huacachina:
**** Wild Olive Trattoria and Guest House
**** Bananas
Many of the restaurants we went to were specifically chosen because they could cater to food allergies and dietary restrictions (not quite vegetarian but close) - we had nut allergies and red meat/pork restrictions within our group. If you'd like to know how to tell someone about allergies see the very end of this post 😉
Also after all the restaurant pix I've also included some of our favorite wines from the trip, see the end of the post.
Our first day in Lima we spoiled ourselves, heading to a cute little restaurant at the end of a pier in Miraflores called:
Restaurante La Rosa Náutica
Espigón Miraflores, Lima 18, Cto. de Playas, Miraflores, Peru
Between three of us, we polished off:
The scallops (conchas)
The octopus (pulpo)
(appetizer size not main)
The fish ceviche
(there are 55 different types of corn grown in Peru, the ones pictured above are not your normal small kernel corn that you typically get at the grocery store, these kernels are almost the size of my thumbnail!)
The causa
(sort of similar to a sushi roll but instead of rice and seaweed had a mashed potato casing and a delicious sauce on top - omnomnoms)
The salmon
The mango (meringue? I've forgotten the name)
The crunchy chocolate mousse
Our next night we headed to a popular traditional Peruvian restaurant also located in Miraflores:
Panchita
C. 2 de Mayo 298, Miraflores 15074, Peru
Chicha Morada
A semi-sweet purple corn drink made with fruit, cinnamon, cloves and lime juice - a must try while in Peru!
Ensalada Perrillera
Tamalito Verde
Small corn tamale with green sauce, watch out for the red bits in the salad - they're spicy! (aka picante - pronounced 'pee-can-tay')
Papa a la Huancaína clásica
A boiled potato dish with a traditional Huancaína sauce (very subtle spice, not spicy by any means)
Sopa Aguadito
A type of chicken soup
Los Anticuchos - Corazon de res (beef hearts)
(I ordered this dish on the waiters recommendation -I was looking for something traditional but not very big as we'd had a bunch of appetizers already and I wasn't very hungry at that point, however I was not a fan of it - not sure if it was all in my head or if I just didn't like it. One of my travel companions was a fan though).
Tacu tacu saltado de lomo
(I think that's what she ordered anyway, it was one of our first nights there lol - she had also requested something small and this massive plateful came out!)
Queso Helado
(a traditional Arequipan dessert, it literally translates to "cheese ice cream" but there is no cheese, it's sort of like a condensed milk shaved ice type dessert with cinnamon on top but a bit closer to an ice cream, if you are a fan of condensed milk it's a must try!)
Next we headed to Urubamba:
Our first night here we stumbled across what appeared to be a small bakery from the front but has a large restaurant in behind the front counter area
Antojitos Urubamba
Jirón Mainique 211, Urubamba 08661, Peru
Sopa de dieta de pollo
(Forgot to take a photo of this as it was the last thing to come out - they made it fresh!)
Trucha Inka
Trout breaded with kiwicha and topped with elderberry sauce - fish was cooked perfectly and the elderberry sauce is divine!
Crepes al gratén, pollo, y vegetables
Crepes with cheese, chicken, and vegetables
Pisco Sour
This Pisco Sour was different than most of the others we tried as it came out blended, but it was creamy goodness
They also had some mouthwatering desserts, I decided to try
La Braza de Reina
(the Queen's arm I believe is the literal translation - it reminded me of the chocolate roll my gran used to make when I was a child)
The next day for brunch we decided to check out the adorable:
AMA restaurant
Av. Mariscal castilla 563 urubamba, Cuzco, Peru
Set in a gorgeous garden setting, and dog friendly 🐕 (We loved this restaurant so much we went back!)
Turkey on Fire Wood Wrap (with a purple corn tortilla)
With house salad or soup (we had one each)
Taboule Salad (with mango, avocado, quinoa etc)
AMA also had some fresh squeezed delicious juice options to choose from but I didn't get a picture of them
The following day we headed out on a day tour to Moray, Maras, and Ollantaytambo. Our guide for the day researched (due to the allergies) and found us a little restaurant called:
Chuncho
Plaza de Armas de Ollantaytambo, Ollantaytambo 08676, Peru
Kapchi de hongos Kallampa (I think)
A potato and mushroom "stew" of sorts, it was very good but a bit too much food since this was supposed to be the appetizer (also because our mains all came with the quinoa/corn fritters as well it was a bit too much of the one thing, but it was very tasty)
Meriendita
Stuffed pepper, quinoa/corn fritters, potatoes, fried corn (choklo frito), Lima bean salad (ensalada solterito)
Asado Mixto (mixed meat)
Two of us had to try the Cuy aka guinea pig (when in Rome 🤷♀️) and this was the perfect venue to try it, because it was a mixed plate there were only a couple mid sized chunks of each type (cuy and lamb) so we didn't have to commit to an entire dish of it, plus it came with fried corn (choklo frito), a Lima bean salad (ensalada solterito) , a stuffed pepper and quinoa/corn fritters
They also had quite the selection of Pisco's but those were gone before I remembered to take a photo 😉
El Huacatay
Arica 620, Urubamba 08661, Peru
Classic Chilcano (Pisco acholado, Ginger ale, lime juice, ginger)
Pisco Sour (classico)
Chupe de quinoa (Quinoa soup)
Spaghetti "Al Ajillo" (with trout)
Tuna Tataki in seed crust
Not only did it look gorgeous but the tuna was cooked perfectly
We were headed elsewhere and didn't have time for dessert, but the dessert menu also looked delish!
Machu Picchu 2D1N Inka trail hike with Alpaca Expeditions lunch
We had a delicious soup to start, followed by everything you see above: fried rice with ham with veggie omelette on the side, beef and potatoes with peppers and red onion, avocado topped with stuff and cheese, rainbow trout, choklo (corn) topped with cheese, and of course some Chicha Morada (purple corn drink)
(Keep in mind the porters have to hike up with all the food and everything to the lunch point, and they even made separate dishes without red meat or pork or nuts for part of our party, they did an AMAZING job!)
Agua Calientes (the town below Machu Picchu):
Sami Restaurant (dinner provided by Alpaca Expeditions minus drinks for our tour)
Av, Imperio de los Incas 610, Aguas Calientes 08681, Peru
Quinoa Soup
Soup
Papas Huancaína
Lomo Saltado
I'm not a huge fan of overly salty foods (so maybe shouldn't have ordered something with "saltado" in the name lol), it was good but too salty for my tastes.
We also had some issues with the water at this restaurant - they obviously refill the water bottles but if you ask for "sin gas" you should get still water not sparkling, and the waitress argued with me (because the bottle cap colour was the still colour) even though my water was very obviously bubbly, I ended up having to switch water with someone else at the table. Another couple at the end of our table had the same problem so wasn't a one-off thing.
Tupana Wasi
Puente Sinchi Roca, Aguas Calientes 08000, Peru
I think this was a Pisco Morada
Pisco Sour
Alpaca Anticucho
Chicken burger
Lomo tres de Mayo
Next stop: Cusco/Cuzco
We had been given the name of a small farm to table restaurant by some of our travel companions on the Machu Picchu trek, so our first stop was:
Organika
Ataud 154, Cusco 08000, Peru
And despite the fact that everything on the menu looked amazing and we wanted to try it all, all three of us were craving pizza so that's what we ordered (after appetizers). Woodfired heaven 🍕🤤
Mix Tapitas
Hard to share but we managed to do it (the bread was difficult to cut in half lol)
Tiradito de Trucha (sashimi style trout)
Delicious but too much for an appetizer unless you're sharing with at least a few people
Pizza de queso de cabra (goat cheese pizza)
That's an elderberry sauce on top of my goat cheese pizza, it's a new favorite of mine (first time trying elderberry anything was at that Urubamba restaurant Antojitos)
Pizza de queso azul (blue cheese pizza)
I'm not a fan of blue cheese but my travel partner loved it!
Pizza vegetariana (vegetarian pizza)
Bunnu Cafe
08000, Peru
Here I became addicted to Te Piteado (tea with Pisco, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, etc
Empanada pollo con curry (chicken curry empanada)
Panqueques Bunnu (oatmeal pancakes with strawberries and blueberries) accompanied by one of their freshly squeezed juices
Tres leches de cafe (3 milk coffee cake)
Inka Grill
Portal de Panes 115, Cusco 08002, Peru
Andean Causa
Trout, avocado, mashed potato
Humita Reventada
Corn tamale with cheese and mushroom sauce
Gnocchi, pesto and chicken Milanese
(Pesto sauce subbed out for the sage butter sauce)
Pepper steak
Ceviche Seafood Kitchen
Portal de Harinas 181, Cusco 08002, Peru
Pisco Sour de Chicha Morada
Guacamole ceviche
Pollo crocante
Breaded chicken, cauliflower mash, garden salad
Ensalada Caesar a la Parrilla
Chicken Caesar Salad
Mar y Tierra
Shrimp and meat with noodles
Pannacotta
Coconut pannacotta with mango and biscuit (subbed out the maracuyá aka passionfruit)
Back to Lima:
Awicha
Jirón Domeyer 296, Barranco 15063, Peru
Probably the best service we had at any restaurant in Lima, attentive and made sure the dietary restrictions were documented and discussed with the chef.
Pisco Sour
We ordered the calamari to start, but we were starving when it arrived and I didn't get a photo. It was mouth-watering 🤤
Pescado con zanahoria rostizada
Fish of the day (tuna) with carrots, a yogurt sauce, and garden salad
Magret de pato con gnocchis
Duck with gnocchi (was on the specials menu) - rich and delectable, highly recommend
Pulpo y tubérculos
Octopus with some type of root veg
La Bodega Verde
Jiron Mariscal Jose Antonio de Sucre 335A, Barranco 15063, Peru
Cute garden setting, a bit slow service but good food
Cappuccino
Poke spicy mango
Smoked salmon poke bowl with avocado, mango, rice, quinoa, black sesame seeds, and a side mango sauce (not spicy even though it says it in the name) - excellent healthy breakfast/brunch option with tons of flavour!
Mar de Grau
Av. Pedro Venturo 693, Santiago de Surco 15038, Peru
We came here on the recommendation of one of our taxi drivers. The food tasted delicious, but we did find not one but a couple small hairs in our food...
We had dinner plans so we weren't looking for anything too big but ended up ordering a causa each (about the circumference of a coffee saucer) - in hindsight we should have got the causa sampler (3 types of causa in smaller portions)
Causa de langostino
Shrimp causa (mashed potato, avocado, shrimp, sauce)
Causa de Pulpa de Cangrejo y Causa de Pulpo
Crab causa and octopus causa (split 50/50)
Japonesa & Co
Jirón Domeyer 296, Barranco 15063, Peru
TNT Conchas
Temaki Japonesa
Battered shrimp, crab, cream cheese and avocado
Bao Langostinos Jumbo
Battered Shrimp Bao Bun with avocado
La Tigresa en Maki
Sushi rolls with avocado, fish tartar, topped with crunchy calamari and "tigers milk" sauce
Tiradito Japonesa
(Partially eaten before I remembered to snap a photo 🤣)
Ayahuasca
Av. San Martín 130, Barranco 15063, Peru
We only came here for drinks and dessert so can't comment to their food besides the desserts, which were creamy goodness
Pisco Sour
Virgin Piña Colada
Cheesecake with strawberries
Brownie with ice cream
Paracas:
Restaurant Paracas
Av. Los Libertadores C10, Paracas 11550, Peru
Panco Ceviche
Panco breaded cooked fish with a lime ceviche style sauce on the side (not what we thought it was)
This was the lunch stop for the Peru Hop tour to Huacachina (lunch was not included but we pre-ordered it from the bus so it would be ready as we only had about 45 min-1 hr to eat and get back to the meeting point for the next stop - and since we all chose to sit in our own rows we didn't know what each other had ordered and all ended up ordering the same thing 🤣 based on the recommendation of the tour guide on the bus. In retrospect we probably would have eaten elsewhere and just told them we needed to be quick or at least ordered something different as some of the other dishes that came out looked great, we feel like the recommendation was based on the timing and ease of preparation for that particular dish - that's not to say there was anything wrong with the dish it tasted fine we had just been spoiled with exceptional food the rest of the trip so fine was just a bit blah - would likely be a decent choice for kids though as it's basically just small chunks of breaded fish)
Huacachina:
Wild Olive Trattoria and Guest House
Malecón José Picasso Peratta # 154 Huacachina Ica Al costado de la biblioteca, Ica 11000, Peru
Pisco Sour
Ravioli Especial con Huancaína salsa
Homemade chicken and pepper ravioli with traditional Huancaína sauce - I was warned this dish would be spicy but it was not, it was tasty though
Pizza con pollo y vegetales
Pizza with chicken and veg
Tallarin Saltado
Stir fried veg, noodles, chicken in a soy sauce
There was a restaurant across from our Hotel (Curasi) that we had breakfast at but I didn't take any photos and don't recall the name of the place. It wasn't great though (one person in our party ordered pancakes and got only one pancake)
That evening we headed to:
Bananas
Av. Ángela Perotti s/n, Huacachina 11000, Peru
Espresso Martini
Tuna Sandwich
Chicken Burger
Quinoa Bowl
I was feeling the need for something less greasy so ordered the quinoa bowl with shrimp, cheese, avocado, and veg. Healthy and flavourful!
Colonia & Co
Av. San Martín 131, Barranco 15063, Peru
Huevos Florentina
Eggs Florentine
Tostadas Francesas
French toast with yogurt, strawberries and blueberries (no syrup)
Our third meal which was the English Muffins Green didn't get entered into the system or something and didn't show up until we flagged down another waiter (after the other two of us had already finished eating). The food was decent but the service was a bit lacking.
LA 73
Av. el Sol 175, Barranco 15063, Peru
Fish tacos
Anticucho
Grilled octopus on a bed of potatoes - one of our faves!
Lomo Quinoto
Beef on a blue cheese type sauce
Tiradito Arrocotado
Ceviche style fish and cooked octopus with sweet potato, corn pancakes
Arroz Norteño
Scallops and octopus on a bed of rice and veg
Churros LA73
Stuffed Churros
Queso Helado
Sort of like a condensed milk ice cream with cinnamon on top
Alanya
Jirón Domeyer 223, Barranco 15063, Peru
This place has literally the best croissants I think I've ever had. My favorite was the avellana con chocolate (I don't remember the actual name of it but it was topped with hazelnut and stuffed with chocolate - I'm drooling just thinking about them!
This one I believe was the key lime pie croissant
El Muelle Cevicheria
C. Coronel Alfonso Ugarte 206, Lima 15063, Peru
Coca Pisco Sour
Yep you read that right, made with coca leaves
Tequeños de Langostinos
Sorta like shrimp spring rolls with guacamole
Causa de Langostinos
Shrimp causa
Pulpo Anticuchero
Grilled octopus with potato and corn
Combo 2: Ceviche de Pescado con Arroz con Mariscos
Fish ceviche with seafood rice
Canta Rana
Genova 101, Barranco 15063, Peru
Pisco Sour with corn nuts
Sangria (medio - 0.5L)
Chupe de pollo
Chicken soup
Sandwich de calamar
Calamari sandwich
A few of our favorite wines that we tried while in Peru (although not all from Peru) included:
Vittoria Reserva Syrah (Peru) (my personal fave)
We tried a few different Vittoria wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Syrah were my two faves
Montes Alpha Carmenére (Chile)
Mythic Devine Creations Malbec (Argentina)
(a quite light red wine)
Intipalka Malbec (Peru)
We tried a few different Intipalka wines, the Malbec and the Cabernet Sauvignon were the two that stood out to me
Trivento White Malbec (Argentina)
We'd never seen or heard of a white Malbec before so of course we had to give it a try, I would definitely buy it again!
If you'd like to know how to talk about nut allergies in Spanish:
I'm allergic to all nuts and peanuts (you have to specify peanuts as well as they are classified as a legume and not a nut in some countries):
Soy alérgico(a) a todas las nueces y maní (Peru)
(Alérgico for a man, alérgica for a woman)
Pronunciation:
Man: soy aye-yare-hee-oh ah toe-dahs lass new-eh-says e man-ee
Woman: soy aye-yare-hee-ah ah toe-dahs lass new-eh-says e man-ee
There are other variations on how to say nuts and peanuts in the different Spanish speaking parts of the world, so make sure you know the correct word(s) for your destination (ie nuts can also be "frutos secos" and peanuts can be "cacahuetes" or "cacahuates")
Disclaimers:
Some menu items I've guessed at as I can't remember everything we ordered, I apologize to the restaurants if I've messed up the names of the dishes.
All photos taken by myself unless otherwise specified
All reviews are my personal opinion only (or those of my two travel companions)