Cusco is a stop for many people traveling in this region to Machu Picchu (If you want know more about Machu Picchu, click here). Cusco is a great city and there is a lot to see an do here. So please don’t rush through this city.
If you are staying short, cut the time in Lima and spend more time in Cusco as it has a lot more character. Stay at least a few days and visit the many museums and cathedrals – some of the history here helps explain Machu Picchu. The city is beautiful and there are many small squares to sit and watch the World go by. In this article I will just focus on the restaurants we visited.
FOOD IN CUSCO, PERU
After various hostel and simple food it is nice to find something different to eat – Cusco has lots of places with very different styles and even Peruvian Chinese, Chifa! I will focus on a few places we personally visited although I wish we had more time to visit a lot more as there was lots on offer.
COST OF FOOD IN CUSCO
The food cost in Cusco, Peru can range from 5 dollars a meal to 20-30 dollars a meal. It really depends on what type of restaurants you want to go. Because it is one of the most popular destination in the world, you will actually find amazing restaurants. For a low end budgets, you can pretty much go anywhere in Cusco. It is pretty decent, but for high end, it can be tricky. You do not want to spend 30 dollars a meal and not get a good meal. So here are few restaurants we actually loved where we spent more than 10 dollars.
WHERE TO EAT IN CUSCO
THE MOREAN PERUVIAN KITCHEN
If you are only staying in Cusco, Peru for a day or two and you want to have the best Peruvian food, Morean Peruvian Kitchen is to go. This is a great place to eat good quality Peruvian food with a modern twist. The restaurant itself is modern and bright set over two floors in the ancient centre of Cusco. It was approximately a 5 minute walk from Loki hostel. The restaurant is very busy so either go early or book a table.
The food and the drinks were excellent. The cocktails were excellent all made fresh with fresh ingredients – the Pisco Sour of course was amazing. The food itself in my opinion was fantastic. we had the 12 hour slow cooked pork belly which was so tender and full of flavor. We also had the spgahetti and the beef soup. All were excellent amazing flavors and large portions. We could not finish everything but we were happy we tried a few different dishes.The service here was excellent and very relaxing we didn’t want to leave to face the climb back to the hostel.
Tel: +51 84 437832
Addy: 08000 B, Calle Plateros 348, Cusco, Peru
MR SOUP
After a long day walking the streets of Cusco admiring the many beautiful buildings and market place I really just wanted a great bowl of Chicken soup. I had amazing chicken soup in South Korea and i had been told that Mr Soup has an amazing variety of awesome soup.
Mr Soup is not easy to find but once you find it hidden in a small courtyard on the second floor you immediately get the smell of mouthwatering soup. The choice is not vast but the Soups are amazing. There are various options and vegan is available. The chicken Soup and the beef Goulash Soup were both excellent.
The portions are large so don’t be tempted by the bread and other offerings. You can add noddles and rice to your Soup both of which are a good idea. The Soup was just what I needed – tasty simple comfort food. Mr Soup is well worth the effort to find. Its only small so there maybe a short wait.Enjoy!
KION
Kion is a Peruvian Chinese which is called Chifa. There are many Chinese restaurant and you can get it quite cheap. Kion is a bit more high end with better decor and clean food. If you are looking for something Asian, this is a place to go. As an Asian, I approve of this restaurant!
JACK’S CAFE
We didn’t have the time to go here. But it is one of the most famous restaurant in Cusco. There is always a line to get in. So be prepared to wait on line. If you have tried it, please let us know what you think!