Huancayo
Currently one of the best restaurants in Huancayo, La Tullpa has a simple but attractive wood-floored interior which leads through archways onto a plant…
Must-see restaurants in Peru
Arequipa
Like fish? Like intimate, secret-garden settings? Then grab a taxi (or walk) out to the pleasant Yanahuara district for the ultimate in ceviches or…
Cañón Del Colca
There are buffets galore catering to captive tour-group diners but this large restaurant on a corner of the Plaza de Armas stands out for the freshness of…
Nazca & Around
Fed with a regular diet of Nazca Lines tour groups, this rambling place might be a bit lonely for single diners, but it's well worth visting both for the…
Cuzco
A cozy alpine cafe serving healthy fare that's consistently good, some of it provided from the small farm of the German owner. In addition to wonderful…
Tarapoto
You can practically taste the jungle air at this stilt restaurant, with its bamboo balcony over a river and a patch of rainforest. The menu offers up…
Tarapoto
Tarapoto loves a steak and this is where most of the town comes to get it along with all number of other meats fresh off the grill (vegetarians stay away!…
Arequipa
This small and to-the-point place serves only the best ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lime juice) and nothing else. Pull up a chair at a rickety table…
Huaraz
An easy excuse to get sugared, this modern den of decadence, billed as a ‘sofa-cafe,’ is really more of an upscale dessert diner. You can get sugar-drunk…
Amazon Basin
This place gets the gong for being the best of Pucallpa’s chifas (Chinese restaurants). Choosing where to sit in the roomy interior can be a challenge…
Lima
This open 2nd-floor market houses more than a dozen restaurant stands attracting a mostly millennial crowd for cheap, informal dining. It's a hit,…
Cuzco
With all-organic food and a bright farmhouse feel, Green’s Organic oozes health. Inventive salads with options like roasted fennel, goat cheese, beets and…
Arequipa
This locally famous restaurant has maze-like gardens, live folklórica and criollo (an upbeat coastal style) music, and does traditional Peruvian fare well…
Puno
It’s hard to imagine that just a couple blocks from Puno’s busy tourist street there is a large beer-garden-style restaurant. Yet here it is, with kid’s…
Cuzco
With a cozy, cavernous ambience of low-lit adobe, dark tables and bright turquoise walls, this chic eatery offers meat (steak, alpaca or chicken) and fish…
North Coast
A little bit out of the town center, this popular place is well worth the S2 mototaxi ride. Packed with hungry diners daily, it serves up heaping plates…
Huancayo
Keep your eye on this neat little bohemian space: if it keeps on like this, it's really going places. Understated decoration themed around the other…
Cajamarca
There’s a minor coffee revolution happening in Cajamarca at the moment, built on a passion for roasting local organic beans grown in nearby Jaen and…
Cuzco
This love child of a Peruvian-British couple is a low-key cafe serving well-crafted Peruvian fusion dishes, plus pub burgers and oversized salads…
Puno
Highly recommended for its yummy sandwiches, big plates of meat and piled-high vegetables, this cozy spot is warmed by the pizza oven in the corner. It…
Aguas Calientes
Upstream from the train station, this tucked-away riverside restaurant is housed in elongated thatched rooms with views of water tumbling over the…
Puerto Maldonado
The local restaurant in town: in the game for decades. An ocean of tables are attended with no-nonsense service. Portions are large, cheap and tasty, and…
Central Highlands
For local jungle specialties this bright, two-floor establishment ticks all the boxes. Try tacacho con cecina (a bed of barbecued banana pummeled into…
South Coast
On the southern edge of town, this unpretentious place with tables on its covered porch prepares quality Peruvian cuisine at fair prices. Locals…
Cañón Del Colca
Maybe it’s the altitude, but the lomo saltado (strips of beef stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, potatoes and chili) here tastes worthy of star chef Gastón…
Ollantaytambo
Serving healthy and hearty food, beer and wine and good coffee, Hearts is a longtime local presence, with some organic produce and box lunches for…
North Coast
This split-level modern corner restaurant a block back from the malecón specializes in whole barbecued fish, which is cooked just right on the grill out…
Ayacucho
An exceptional pizza shop, run by a Ukrainian, no less. He has taken his extensive catering experience and come up with an atmospheric place for delicious…
Cajamarca
Set in an inviting colonial house with a warm paint job, the 'Mad Cow' pays homage to the local dairy culture with bovine-print furniture and cow art. But…
North Coast
Offering big plates of delicious regional cuisine, this is your best bet in Casma. The menu is diverse, but go for one of the seafood options, which are…
Arequipa
Herby focaccia, delicious brownies, chocolate truffles, handmade pasta, wine and rustic real baguettes filled with arugula and sun-dried tomato are just…
Piura
This cozy and romantic place serves up quality traditional dishes for lunch, and in the evening morphs into the best Italian restaurant in town (though…
Lima
A mainstay of impeccable service and renowned ceviches with innovative twists. Try the ceviche de mariscos a los tres ajíes, a stack of mixed fish and…
Ica
Stop in at this shop half a block from the plaza that is famed around the country for its chocolates and traditional sweets. Try the tejas (caramel…
Arequipa
Serving good Peruvian food in the Yanahuara district, this picantería (informal local restaurant) has live música folklórica every afternoon from 1pm to…
Urubamba
In a little house tucked down a narrow side street, Huacatay makes a lovely night out. Though not every dish is a hit, the tender alpaca steak, served in…
Cuzco
Even nonvegetarians are repeat customers at this vegan restaurant and bakery offering abundant set-menu lunches (a steal at S15). Highlights include the…
South Coast
A local institution, this atmospheric eatery is famed as the birthplace of the Tacna sour – a cocktail made of apricot wine and lemon juice – and is a…
Ayacucho
This popular, ambience-filled courtyard restaurant has been recommended by several travelers for its big portions. It focuses on Peruvian food, such as…
Cuzco
Serving nachos, burritos and tacos, this simple Mexican restaurant is popular with expats. The tortilla chips are fragile but the chunky guacamole with…
