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Restaurants

With traditional dishes like ceviche, alpaca, cuy (guinea pig), and trucha (trout), Peruvian cuisine is extraordinarily fresh and unique. You'll find quintas (traditional open-air restaurants) with authentic novo-Andean fare, Peruvian takes on pizzerias, Asian and vegetarian eateries, and more.

Cusco Restaurants
Plaza de Armas is chock-a-block with affordable dining establishments, many offering midday three-course meals for just 10 soles. Menu-toting hawkers lining the Plaza will try to lure you in for a meal; if disinterested, a simple no gracias is normally sufficient.

One of the most expensive menus in Cusco can be found at Illary (Plaza Nazarenas; 084/243-820; www.monasterio.orient-express.com), Hotel Monasterio's acclaimed restaurant overlooking a handsome colonial courtyard. The dishes, a cross between traditional Andean and French fare, use local ingredients and seafood from the coast. Slightly less pricey is the Inka Grill (Portal de Panes 115; 084/262-992; www.inkagrillcusco.com) with outdoor seating, traditional Andean music, and savory Creole and novo-Andean dishes like sautéed alpaca tenderloin or aji de gallina (shredded chicken with nuts, cheese, and chile pepper). Reservations are recommended at the glass-walled Map Café (Plaza Nazarenas 231; 084/242-476; open till 10pm), which occupies part of the patio of the Museo de Arte Pre-Columbino; the menu is an elegant mix of Peruvian, French, and Italian traditions, with one of Cusco's finest wine lists. Live entertainment is synonymous with El Truco (Plaza Regocijo 261; 084/232-441; www.cuscoperu.com/eltruco), where musicians and dancers perform wildly entertaining shows each night starting at 8pm. This colonial abode turned gambling house now serves a variety of creatively prepared traditional and contemporary plates coupled with a fine selection of wines, native cocktails, and international libations. If the menu at La Retama isn't enough to lure you in – think pink trout, king fish from Lake Titicaca, seco de cordero (lamb stew) and anticucho de lomo (beef brochette) – go for the nightly music and dance shows.

In the moderate category, the Blueberry Lounge (Portal de Carnes 236; 084/249-458; www.cuscorestaurants.com/blueberry) offers creative Asian cuisine (don't miss Sunday's special curry dinner) in a cozy bohemian setting with an outdoor patio and weekend DJ sessions. In the San Blas neighborhood, the stylish, romantic character of Greens (Tandapata 700; 084/243-379; www.cuscorestaurants.com/greens) shines through in its vibrant green walls, modern paintings, candlelit tables, and trendy beats. Trained in London, chef Tanya Miller serves extraordinary dishes like tropical curry chicken with bananas, peaches, and strawberries, as well as funky vegetarian plates, all from an open kitchen, and happy hour (two-for-one) is held every evening from 6.30-7.30pm. A Mi Manera (Triunfo 393, 2nd floor; 084/243-629) offers the most relaxed atmosphere in town, with a creative assortment of Andean dishes and vegetarian options like the popular Andean quinoa gnocchi (considered sacred by the Incas, quinoa is a grain with a mild, slightly nutty flavor). Named after the banana plantation in García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, Macondo (Cuesta San Blas 571, San Blas; 084/229-415) is tasteful on many levels: with trendy tropical décor and inventive dishes like juanes (chicken, rice, and salsa wrapped in Bijao leaf). Located just off the plaza, with small wooden tables and dangling cloth lamps, Pucara (Plateros 309; 084/222-027) offers a nice selection of traditional Peruvian dishes like lomo saltado or alpaca; and the soup is divine.

Budget picks include Chez Maggy (Plateros 348; 084/234-861), a brick-oven pizza chain that has spread throughout Cusco. Lined with shared bench tables, the atmosphere is social and friendly. Tucked away in the San Blas district, Granja Heidi (Cuesta San Blas 525, San Blas; 084/238-383) is a German-owned establishment named for the mule that lives on the owners' nearby farm, where much of the restaurant's fresh produce is harvested. Breakfast crepes and quiches are quite popular, as are healthy vegetarian options and hearty meat dishes, including ostrich steak. Cusco's first Mexican restaurant, El Cuate (Procuradores 386; 084/227-003) boasts several bargain menus with six- and five-item meals including soup, tacos, burritos, and cheese enchiladas. Popular with early morning trekkers, La Tertulia (Procuradores 44, 2nd floor; 084/241-422), located above a well-regarded travel agency, features an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet of eggs, fruit salads, yogurt, granola, homemade bread, French toast, 16 types of crepes, tamales, freshly squeezed juices, and coffee.

Machu Picchu Pueblo Restaurants
Several eateries line the two main roads at Avenida Imperio de los Incas and Avenida Pachacútec. Whether pining for oven-baked pizzas, buffets, vegetarian, or French cuisine, Machu Picchu Pueblo delivers. Just as in Cusco, restaurant hawkers flood the streets, menus-in-hand, trying to lure you in with lunch specials and free drink offers. Choose wisely and you can find a locale that has it all: good eats, superb ambiance, and stellar views.

The most expensive menus certainly have the views and the atmosphere. At the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge's Tampu Bar Restaurant (base of the ruins, no phone; www.monasterio.orient-express.com) you'll find a contemporary Andean-style setting backed by a la carte local Peruvian and international cuisine. Also on site is the Tinkuy Buffet Restaurant, where for $20 per person (steep for a buffet) you can indulge in international and Peruvian cuisine. Café Inkaterra (Av. Imperio de los Incas, Km 110 Linea Ferrea Cusco, Quillabamba; 511/610-0410), located at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel, provides a blend of traditional Andean and contemporary cuisine beneath a palm-thatch roof.

Moderate choices include the French bistro Indio Feliz (Lloque Yupanqui 4; 084/211-090), an attractive two-level locale decked out with green plants and boasting a delicious prix fixe menu. Pueblo Viejo (Av. Pachacútec 108; 084/211-193) is perfect for meat lovers, with excellent Argentinean-style parilladas, while Govinda (Av. Pachacútec 20; 084/975-3993) is the local hot spot for vegetarians. For exceptional views of the Vilcanota River, make tracks to Toto's House (Av. Imperio de los Incas s/n; 084/211-020) for its steal-of-a-deal $11 lunch buffet.

Among Machu Picchu Pueblo's best budget options is the local branch of Chez Maggy (Pachacútec 156, Machu Picchu Pueblo; 084/211-006), famous for its brick-oven pizza. At the end of Avenue Pachacútec, en-route to the hot springs, you'll also find Manu (Av. Pachacútec 139; 084/211-101), where a large snakeskin is strung across an entire wall; menu items include wood-fired oven pizzas, crepes, and traditional Peruvian dishes. Before setting out on your Machu Picchu trek, pick up sandwiches, bottled water, and other tasty snacks at El Mirador (located next to the entrance of Machu Picchu; no phone).

See Machu Picchu Travel Guide