Eating Out

More than many cities, Cusco caters for the belly of the low-budget traveller superbly, with enough top-notch restaurants and cafes to provide a good month's worth of variety, should one require it. Centred around the Plaza de Armas, a wealth of eateries compete fiercely for attention, all offering a good array of soups, salads and meat-based main courses, plus the nation's most infamous dish, Cuy (Guinea Pig), for a very reasonable sum. Another of the region's most popular dishes, Rocoto Relleno, is also to be found across the city. The battered red pepper, filled with meat and vegetables, is delicious and filling, if a little on the spicy side for many.

Cuy and Alpaca both merit sampling at least once, especially the former, tasting like a richer, darker descendant of lamb. The city is also particularly strong on Mexican-Andean fused dishes, with the majority of the establishments hiding away down the narrow streets heading north-west away from the Plaza de Armas, especially Procurado, Teqseqocha and Plateros. Also around here lies Mia Pizza, which unsuprisingly offers a large and superb menu of Italian meals, as well as the beef/chicken/lamb numbers found elsewhere (about 100 yards up Procurado, on the right).

Amongst the many breakfast-offering places, Yakumama's Grill (on the second floor, at the southern pinacle of the Plaza de Armas) stands out. A vast meal including Pancakes, Eggs, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Muesli and some excellent fresh juices should satisfy the most impressive appetite, and will set you back little more than 10 Soles. For the less conventional Peruvian meal, Espaderos (leading off the western corner of the Plaza) features a small Fondue restaurant, although both the quality and the quantity is average at best, and comes at a price (around 50 Soles for a main course).

The area around San Blas also houses a number of fine establishments, such as Pacha Papa, on the south-west side of the square, facing the church, although these tend to be a little more pricey than those around the Plaza de Armas.