Fodor's Expert Review Restaurante Machu Picchu

This popular Peruvian restaurant named after that country's famous Inca ruins occupies an unassuming house a short walk from the hotels of El Cangrejo. Its relatively small dining room, decorated with paintings of Peruvian landscapes and colorful woven tablecloths, is often packed with Panamanians at night. The food they come for is traditional Peruvian, with a few inventions such as corvina Hiroshima (sea bass in a shrimp, bell pepper, and ginger sauce) and langostinos gratinados (prawns au gratin). You can't go wrong with such Peruvian classics as ceviche, ají de gallina (shredded chicken in a chili-cream sauce), seco de res (Peruvian stewed beef with rice), and sudado de mero (grouper in a spicy soup). Be careful how you apply the ají hot sauce; it's practically caustic.