Cusco Food Guide: Traditional Andean Dishes to Try and Where to Eat Them

What Makes Cusco Food Different from Lima Cuisine?

Cusco food is mountain cooking, while Lima cuisine leans on seafood like ceviche. Andean kitchens in Cusco use dried and fresh potatoes, giant white corn, quinoa, roasted meats and thick soups that keep people warm at altitude. Recipes mix Inca ingredients with Spanish pork, cheese and frying techniques from the colonial era.

Peru grows thousands of potato varieties, and Cusco markets sell many of them, including chuno, a freeze-dried potato made in the high cold nights. Choclo, the large-kernel Andean corn, appears in snacks, soups and drinks.

If you are new to the city, our Cusco Peru travel guide gives the wider picture of neighborhoods and history.

Which Traditional Cusco Dishes Should You Try?

The traditional Cusco dishes most worth trying are chiriuchu, adobo cusqueno, chicharron, rocoto relleno, lechon, quinoa soup and cuy al horno. Each shows a different side of Andean cooking, from slow-marinated pork to stuffed spicy peppers, and most cost a few dollars in local restaurants called picanterias or quintas.

Should You Try Guinea Pig (Cuy) in Cusco?

Guinea pig, called cuy, is a real Andean tradition, not a tourist gimmick. Families raised cuy long before the Incas and still serve it at festivals and celebrations. In Cusco it is usually roasted whole (cuy al horno) or fried flat (cuy chactado). The meat is rich and close to dark poultry, with little meat per animal.

A whole cuy often costs more than other plates because it takes time to prepare, and many restaurants ask you to order ahead. Look at the Last Supper painting in Cusco Cathedral to see cuy on the table of Christ and the apostles.

Is Alpaca Meat Worth Trying?

Alpaca meat is worth trying if you want a lean local red meat. It tastes milder than lamb, is low in fat, and is served as steak, skewers or in stir-fries. Most alpaca meat comes from animals raised mainly for fiber in high Andean communities, and it appears on many Cusco restaurant menus.

Curious how alpacas differ from their bigger cousins? Read our llama vs alpaca guide.

Where to Eat in Cusco: Markets, Picanterias and Restaurants

Where you eat in Cusco shapes the price and the experience. San Pedro market serves cheap set lunches, juices and soups. Picanterias and quintas serve traditional plates and chicha to local families. Restaurants in the historic center and San Blas offer modern Andean cooking with higher prices and English menus.

• San Pedro market: fruit juices, soups and lunch stalls near the old train station
• Picanterias and quintas: traditional dishes, busiest at weekend lunch
• Saylla, a short drive south: known for chicharron
• Tipon and Lucre area: known for cuy and duck
• San Blas and the historic center: modern Andean and international food

Use our Cusco map guide to see how close the market is to the Plaza de Armas.

Saylla and Tipon are easy to combine with the ruins covered in our day trips from Cusco guide.

What Drinks Go with Cusco Food?

The drinks that go with Cusco food are chicha morada, chicha de jora, coca tea, Inca Kola and the pisco sour. Chicha morada is a sweet, non-alcoholic purple corn drink. Chicha de jora is a lightly fermented corn beer served in picanterias, often marked by a red flag or flowers on a pole outside.

Coca tea is the traditional remedy for mild altitude symptoms. Fresh fruit juices from market stalls are cheap and filling, but ask for them without ice if you have a sensitive stomach.

How Much Does Food Cost in Cusco?

Food in Cusco costs very little at markets and much more in tourist restaurants. A market set lunch, called menu del dia, usually costs a few dollars and includes soup, a main and a drink. Mid-range restaurants in the center often charge two to four times as much, and fine dining is priced like the US.

Carry small notes in Peruvian soles, since markets rarely take cards. Our Peruvian currency guide explains notes, coins and exchange tips. Prices here are general estimates and change with the season.

For a full trip budget, including tickets and trains, see the Machu Picchu cost breakdown.

How to Eat Safely at Altitude in Cusco

To eat safely at altitude in Cusco, keep meals light for the first day, drink plenty of water and go easy on alcohol. Heavy fried food and big dinners can feel harder to digest at 11,150 feet. Choose busy food stalls with fast turnover, drink bottled or filtered water, and peel raw fruit.

If you would rather not plan every piece yourself, see our Sacred Valley tour.

1. Eat a light soup and plain carbs on your first evening
2. Drink water often and try coca tea in moderation
3. Wait a day or two before heavy pork dishes or alcohol
4. Pick busy stalls where food is cooked in front of you
5. Carry basic stomach medicine from home

Our Cusco altitude guide explains symptoms and prevention in more detail.