Cusco food guide: the dishes and drinks you must try
Cusco is not only the Inca capital — it is also one of Peru’s great food cities. Andean ingredients such as potatoes, corn, quinoa and alpaca meet Spanish traditions and modern Peruvian cooking, from humble market stalls to creative restaurants. Here are the dishes and drinks worth tasting, where to find them and a few tips for eating well at altitude.
Classic Cusco dishes
- Cuy al horno: roast guinea pig, an Andean delicacy for celebrations, served whole with potatoes and stuffed pepper.
- Chicharrón: crispy fried pork with mote (large corn), mint and onion salad; the town of Saylla, on the road to the South Valley, is famous for it.
- Rocoto relleno: a spicy red pepper stuffed with minced meat and cheese, baked until soft.
- Adobo cusqueño: pork marinated in chicha and spices, a traditional Sunday-morning dish.
- Lechón: roast suckling pig, often served with tamales.
- Chiriuchu: a festive cold platter of guinea pig, chicken, sausage, corn cake, seaweed and roe, eaten during Corpus Christi.
Andean ingredients to look for
- Potatoes: Peru has thousands of varieties; try papa nativa and freeze-dried chuño.
- Corn: the giant-kernelled choclo with fresh cheese is a perfect snack.
- Quinoa and kiwicha: in soups, salads and even desserts.
- Alpaca: lean and tender, served grilled or as a steak.
- Trout: raised in Andean lakes and rivers, fried or as ceviche.
Hearty soups — quinoa soup, chairo, caldo de gallina — are a great choice on cold evenings and easy on the stomach at altitude.
Taste the Andes on tour
Most of our full-day tours include breakfast and a buffet lunch with local dishes.
What to drink
- Mate de coca: coca leaf tea, offered everywhere and traditionally used for the altitude.
- Chicha de jora: a lightly fermented corn drink served in local chicherías; look for houses with a red flag or flowers on a pole at the door.
- Chicha morada: a sweet, non-alcoholic purple corn drink.
- Pisco sour: Peru’s famous cocktail — but go easy during your first days at altitude.
- Fresh fruit juices in the markets, mixed to order.
Markets and where to eat
San Pedro Market, a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas, is the best introduction: juice stalls, bread from Oropesa, cheeses, fruits you have never seen and cheap set lunches. For everyday eating, look for places offering a menú — a soup, a main course and a drink at a very low price. The streets around the Plaza de Armas and San Blas have restaurants for every budget, from traditional picanterías to Peruvian fusion cuisine.
Vegetarian and vegan options
Cusco is one of the easiest places in Peru for vegetarians: quinoa dishes, potato-based classics, vegetable soups and many dedicated vegetarian and vegan cafés. On our tours, vegetarian meals are available on request — just tell us when you book. Read more in our vegetarian and vegan guide to Cusco.
Tips for eating well at altitude
- Eat light dinners during your first days; heavy meals are harder to digest at 3,400 m.
- Drink bottled or filtered water, not tap water.
- Try street food in busy places with a high turnover.
- Ask for sin ají if you prefer your food less spicy.
Many of our day tours include an Andean breakfast and a buffet lunch with local dishes — a tasty way to discover the region, for example on the Sacred Valley tour or the South Valley tour, which stops in Saylla for chicharrón.
Frequently asked questions
Cuy al horno (roast guinea pig), chicharrón, rocoto relleno, adobo and hearty Andean soups.
Not at all — it is a traditional dish for special occasions, but there are many other local specialities to enjoy.
Generally yes in busy places with a high turnover. In your first days, go easy while your body adjusts to the altitude.
Yes. There are many vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and dishes based on quinoa, potatoes and vegetables are everywhere.
A set lunch with soup, a main course and a drink at a low fixed price, offered by many local restaurants.
