Restaurants in Cusco

Baco

Another Tammy Gordon eatery, but newer than Cicciolina, this handsome bistro feels more like a gastro pub than its elegant sister restaurant. The specials are chalked up on a board and its countless bottles of wine are stacked in a huge cabinet. The food is a mix of Mediterranean and Peruvian, with treats such as grilled Andean cheese, terrific salads and a mixed grill starter, which includes a local speciality, anticucho (heart), and fine chorizo. The sticky toffee pudding with pecan ice cream and fig jam is unmissable.

Incanto

Modern Incanto serves Italian pasta, pizza and contemporary Peruvian fusion. Inside, the bright white plaster gives way to exposed stone walls. An open kitchen sits at the back of the restaurant and a large pizza oven perches in the middle. Try the alpaca and rosemary pizza or pop in for an afternoon helping of the excellent hot chocolate, which is served with sugar-coated, deep-fried churros.

Cicciolina

One of the innovators of Cusco’s dining scene, Tammy Gordon opened Cicciolina a decade ago, and it has become a local institution – as well as popular with visitors in-the-know. Back then, there were only a handful of places offering high-end cuisine here and now there are several on each street in the city centre. It has a homely bar area and an alluring red dining room with broad-brush contemporary portraits on the wall. While it’s a charming place to try Peruvian, Argentinean and Chilean wine, guests come for the inventive mix of nouveau cuisine and Peruvian cooking. Don’t miss the prawns coated in toasted quinoa and seared alpaca.

Tapa Tapa y ¡Ole!

Unsurprisingly, some of today’s Peruvian cuisine is related to Spain’s 16th century conquest, so it’s worth visiting an Español eatery while in Cusco. Run by a couple from Valencia, Tapa Tapa is known for its rich paellas, fideuà (noodles with seafood) and other favourites from the Mediterranean coast.

Jack’s Café

Serving up comfort food at its best, Jack’s Café is a beacon for tourists in search of a brief pause from their Peruvian adventures. A relaxed western-style restaurant, open from very early until late, it’s renowned for its hearty breakfasts, particularly the huevos rancheros (fried eggs on tortillas with salsa). For lunch or dinner, there are excellent soups (try the roasted pumpkin), huge cheeseburgers, deliciously indulgent toasted sandwiches, Thai curries and plenty more besides. Jack’s is also one of the best stops for coffee in the city.

Muse

Everything about Muse is eclectic: from the food and drink to the music. Its lounge area is a flamboyant living room, with leather sofas and armchairs, pink walls, high ceilings and curious light fixtures like floating orbs; while the bar serves up a formidable selection of cocktails. The restaurant is barely more restrained: all sultry red, colourful paintings and dark wood furniture. The menu offers good pasta, excellent burgers and Peruvian classics like lomo saltado (strips of sirloin cooked with onions, tomatoes served with rice and potato slices).

Panaderia Qosqo

Another French-run café, this handsome little spot is great for breakfast, with freshly baked croissants filled with chocolate or ham and cheese, bocaditos de maracuyo (sweet mini-pastries packed with passion fruit), excellent cookies and superb coffee.

Café de Mama’ Oli’

Next to the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, this little café serves up the best coffee in the city from traditional red-coloured ceramics. Perhaps because the owner’s husband is French (his photography of indigenous people graces the walls), there’s a Parisian feel to the place, with French music, children’s books and decoration. The quiches are delicious, as is the banana and chocolate cake, which is baked fresh daily.

El Encuentro

This inexpensive vegetarian restaurant resembles a tavern. It has benches instead of tables, so diners are encouraged to squeeze in and get to know each other. Business and shop owners flock in to fill up on the healthy choclo (Peruvian corn) soup, plentiful salads with local ingredients, omelettes and much more.