Finding the best restaurants in Cusco is easier than in most cities on this trip, honestly, because the bar is high everywhere. But there’s a difference between a decent meal and the handful of places you’d genuinely go back to, and those are the ones we’re covering here.
We spent several days eating our way around the historic centre and San Blas, from rooftop tables overlooking Plaza de Armas to a plant-filled garden that made us forget we were eating vegan. This isn’t a generic top 10 pulled from a listicle. These are the places we actually went to, the ones we’d send a friend to without hesitation, and a few more that came up again and again with thousands of genuinely glowing reviews when we went looking for what we might have missed.
⚠️ Two Things Worth Knowing First:
- Book ahead for dinner. Cusco is a small city with a lot of visitors, and the genuinely good places fill up fast, especially rooftop tables around sunset. A same-day reservation is often too late for the popular spots.
- Altitude affects your appetite too. Don’t be surprised if you’re not that hungry your first day or two. It’s normal, and it’s worth easing into the richer, heavier dishes rather than diving straight in.
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⭐ Our overall favorite in Cusco: Kusykay. If you only trust one recommendation on this whole page, make it this one. Traditional Peruvian cooking done properly, right by the Plaza, and genuinely one of our best meals anywhere in the country. Everything else below is great too, but this is the one we’d go back to first.
Best for Traditional Peruvian
San Blas is our favourite neighbourhood in Cusco to wander, and it’s also where you’ll find some of the most genuinely traditional cooking in the city.
- Pachapapa (San Blas): Set in an old mansion right across from the San Blas church, Pachapapa cooks classic Cusco dishes, including guinea pig and suckling pig, in a proper wood-fired clay oven. It’s one of the most consistently well-reviewed restaurants in the whole city, and it’s easy to see why once you’re sitting in that courtyard.
- Inkazuela (Cusco): Elevated Peruvian comfort food with a contemporary Andean twist, built around fresh, local ingredients. Consistently one of the highest-rated restaurants in the entire city, with reviewers praising the cozy, informal atmosphere as much as the food itself.
- Morena Peruvian Kitchen (Plaza de Armas): A consistently well-reviewed spot right on the Plaza serving classic Peruvian dishes without any unnecessary fuss. One of the more reliable choices in the city if you want proper local cooking in a comfortable, central setting.
👩🍳 Prefer something more one-on-one? This cooking class and market tour with a local chef is a smaller, more personal version, just you (or your group) and a chef who actually cooks this food every day, not a big class. If Pachapapa or Inkazuela made you want to recreate a dish at home, this is how you actually learn to do it.
Best for Rooftop Views
One of the best things about eating in Cusco is that half the city’s best tables come with a view over Plaza de Armas or the terracotta roofs beyond it. These are the ones that do it best.
- Mistura Grill (Plaza de Armas): One of the most consistently well-reviewed rooftops in the whole city, with generous, artfully presented Peruvian dishes and a cozy atmosphere that often includes live music. Worth the effort of finding it, the entrance is a little tucked away.
- Ukllay (Plaza de Armas): A beautiful rooftop right on the Plaza, known for treating traditional Peruvian dishes like actual art on the plate. It’s newer than some of the more established names on this list but has quickly built a genuinely loyal following, and the service gets singled out in review after review.
- Limo (Plaza de Armas): A Peruvian-Nikkei (Japanese fusion) restaurant in an old colonial residence with a stylish terrace overlooking the Plaza. The ceviche and sushi both get singled out, and it’s consistently ranked among the very best tables in the city.
Our Personal Tip: go for sunset if you can get a table then. The light over the Cathedral and the surrounding rooftops is worth planning your evening around.
Best for Live Music & Ambience
If you want a proper Andean night out, live folk music and dance with your dinner, this is the name that comes up again and again.
- Tunupa (Plaza de Armas): Right on the Plaza, with a nightly Andean folk show woven through dinner: ten songs on traditional instruments and six regional dances. It’s touristy in the best sense, a proper introduction to Andean culture rather than a watered-down version of it, and the food itself holds up well on its own.
- Casa Palacio Jazz Club (Cusco): A tiny, intimate jazz bar, reportedly the highest-altitude jazz club in the world, with live jazz, soul, blues, and Andean fusion most nights. Less about a big show, more about good musicians in a small room and a well-mixed drink in your hand.
🍻 Want a proper night out without planning any of it? This Cusco pub crawl takes the guesswork out of finding where the good nights actually happen, skip-the-line entry, drink deals, and a group already up for it, so you just show up. A great way to meet other travellers if you’re on your own, or just an easy night if you don’t feel like researching bars on top of everything else in this guide.
Best for Trying Cuy (Guinea Pig)
Cuy is one of the most genuinely Andean dishes you can order, and if you want to try it somewhere that specialises in it rather than treating it as a novelty item on a bigger menu, these are the names to know.
- Mr Cuy (near Plaza de Armas): One of the best-reviewed restaurants in the entire city, not just for cuy. A rustic, welcoming spot with generous portions and a genuinely wide menu beyond guinea pig, including alpaca. Just double check your bill, a few reviewers have flagged occasional pricing mix-ups during busy periods.
- Restaurant Sumaqcha (Cusco): Known specifically for its roasted guinea pig alongside other traditional Peruvian dishes, with a warm, family-run atmosphere. One of the more consistently well-reviewed traditional restaurants in the city, cuy or otherwise.
- Mare (Cusco): This is the one we’d actually point you to. It’s the only place we found on the whole trip that doesn’t serve the cuy whole, plated instead with contemporary presentation, and it was genuinely one of the best versions we tried.
Best for Italian
Cusco has a surprisingly good Italian food scene, largely thanks to the number of Italian expats who’ve settled here over the years. These are the two we’d go back to.
- Panzotis Italo Peruano (San Blas): An Italian-Peruvian fusion spot with genuinely excellent pizza and pasta, and prices that are more than fair for the quality. It’s tucked into Cusco’s back streets rather than sitting right on a tourist route, which somehow makes it feel like more of a find.
- Carpe Diem Cucina Italiana (San Blas): Fresh, handmade pasta and proper Neapolitan-style pizza with a 24-hour dough. It gets busy, especially in the evening, so this is another one worth booking ahead for. The tiramisu, made fresh at your table, is worth saving room for.
- Il Olivo Trattoria Ristorante (Cusco): An Italian-Peruvian fusion spot with genuinely excellent homemade pasta and pizza, generous portions, and a warm, cozy atmosphere. One of the highest-rated Italian restaurants in the city by a clear margin.
Best for Coffee & Breakfast
If you want a proper, slow start to the day before a full one of walking and ruins, this is where we’d send you.
- Organika Bakery & Coffee (San Blas): One of the best-reviewed spots in the entire city, and for good reason. Excellent coffee from locally roasted beans, genuinely good gluten-free options, and a cosy, welcoming atmosphere that makes it easy to stay for a second cup.
- Jack’s Cafe (Cusco): A Cusco institution since 2003, known for a genuinely great all-day breakfast: fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon, and generous portions built for sharing. A reliable, no-fuss favourite that keeps locals and travelers coming back.
- La Valeriana (Cusco): A cozy bakery-cafe across from the Basilica de la Merced, with great coffee and cakes that look almost too good to eat. A laid-back spot to sit with a pastry and watch the city go by.
Best for a Special Occasion
For a night where you want to properly treat yourselves, these are Cusco’s two most consistently praised fine-dining names, both mixing Peruvian ingredients with international technique.
- Cicciolina (San Blas/Historic Centre): An intimate, candlelit spot fusing Peruvian and international flavours, with dishes like quinoa-crusted prawns and osso buco with pumpkin ravioli. It’s been a Cusco institution for years, and reservations are genuinely necessary.
- Chicha por Gaston Acurio (Historic Centre): From one of Peru’s most famous chefs, Chicha leans into Cusco’s own Andean ingredients with a more elevated, contemporary spin. A good choice if you want a taste of Peru’s fine-dining scene without leaving the city.
- MAP Cafe (Historic Centre): Set in the courtyard of the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, MAP Cafe pairs a genuinely striking setting with an inventive fusion menu. Consistently rated as one of the very best fine-dining experiences in Cusco.
Best for Vegan & Vegetarian
If you’re travelling plant-based, or just want a genuinely great meal without meat, this is the one spot in Cusco that comes up again and again.
- Green Point (Historic Centre): A fully plant-based restaurant set in a covered garden full of plants and fruit trees, easily one of the best vegan meals you’ll find anywhere in Peru. The mushroom ceviche and Andean samosas are the dishes people talk about most, and even committed carnivores tend to leave impressed.
- Prasada (Cusco): A small, friendly vegan spot known for its curries and gluten-free options, including some reviewers calling it among the best vegan burgers they’ve had anywhere. Prices run a little higher than average, but portions and quality reflect it.
- Chia Vegan Kitchen (Cusco): A solid, well-reviewed plant-based option for a straightforward, satisfying meal without meat, popular with both vegan travelers and the simply curious.
Best for Street Food & Markets
For the cheapest, most local meals in the city, skip the sit-down restaurants entirely for a morning or evening and eat the way Cusco actually eats.
- San Pedro Market (Historic Centre): The best window into everyday Cusco. Go between 7 and 9am for caldo de gallina (hen broth with noodles) and fresh juice, or around midday for a full set lunch that runs a few soles. Choclo con queso, giant Andean corn with a slab of fresh cheese, is the one dish worth seeking out specifically. Cash only, and go early since the best stalls sell out by early afternoon.
- Anticuchos Nancy (near Plaza de Armas): A well-known street stall for anticuchos, skewers of grilled beef heart marinated in traditional spices, served with roasted potatoes. It sets up in the evening, after 6pm, and it’s the kind of place locals queue for rather than tourists stumbling onto it by accident.
- Mercado San Blas (San Blas): A smaller, more local market than San Pedro, known for huge portions at very reasonable prices. Janete’s cevichería inside is a particular favourite, generous ceviche with soup and bread included, and there’s a great vegetarian sandwich option too if you need a break from meat.
🧑🍳 Want to actually cook what you just read about? This cooking class and local market tour walks you through San Pedro Market with a local chef, then turns what you picked out into your own ceviche and pisco sour. A great way to turn one morning into a proper hands-on memory.
Planning Your Trip?
If you’re still figuring out what else to do between meals, check out our complete Best Things to Do in Cusco guide, covering San Blas, the ruins, the day trips, and the two hotels we genuinely loved.
And if Cusco is one stop on a longer trip, our 3-week Peru itinerary covers exactly how we structured the whole route.
Happy eating! If you find a new gem that deserves a spot on this list, let us know, we’re always looking for an excuse to go back.
FAQ
What is the best restaurant in Cusco?
It depends what you want, but if we had to pick just one, it’s Kusykay, right by the Plaza de Armas. For a splurge, Cicciolina and MAP Cafe are Cusco institutions for good reason. For something more local, Pachapapa in San Blas is hard to beat.
Where should I eat near Plaza de Armas in Cusco?
Kusykay, Ukllay, Limo, and Mistura Grill are all right around the Plaza and all worth booking ahead for, especially if you want a table with a view over the square itself.
Is cuy (guinea pig) worth trying in Cusco?
Yes, it’s one of the most genuinely Andean dishes you can order. Mr Cuy and Restaurant Sumaqcha both specialise in it, and Mare is the one place we found that plates it rather than serving it whole, if that matters to you.
Do I need to book restaurants in advance in Cusco?
For dinner at the popular spots, yes. Cusco is a small city with a lot of visitors, and rooftop tables around sunset fill up fast. A same-day reservation is often too late.
Is Cusco expensive for food?
Not really. You can eat very well for very little at San Pedro Market or a local chicheria, and even the higher-end spots like Cicciolina or MAP Cafe are reasonable compared to equivalent fine dining elsewhere.
What food is Cusco known for?
Cuy (guinea pig), ceviche, lomo saltado, and hearty Andean dishes built around potatoes and corn. Cusco also has a surprisingly strong Italian food scene and one of the best vegan restaurants we’ve found anywhere in Peru.
Written by Ru & Tiago
We ate our way around Cusco over several days in 2026, from rooftop tables on the Plaza to a plant-filled vegan garden in the historic centre. Based in Geneva, we specialise in honest, active trip guides built around real experience, not recycled checklists.
