Hi guys. Sorry about all of the posting. I have been doing searches for answers first, just not a lot of info on Peru.

Anyway... Family of 6, 4 kids. I'm trying to budget food for our trip in September. We are super foodies but I like to sit down and enjoy a meal.

We'll be going to Lima, Pisco, Nazca, Arequipa, Cuzco and Olly. I was budgeting $100/day but from what I've been reading, assuming I stay away from the white table cloth high dollar places, I should budget more along the lines of $40. I want a safe but practical number to budget. Thoughts??

Thanks all - Jack

I would say that $40 is possible but a tad optimistic for 6 people. Assuming You will be limiting yourselves to the most basic local restaurants or market stalls (nothing wrong with that though as the food is generally v.good). Bear in mind that breakfasts in Peru tend to be basic (and small) often just bread and jam. Assuming 2 meals per day pp that works out at $3.33 per meal excluding drinks. I would go for say $75 to allow for drinks, incidentals and the occasional splurge. I seem to recall that chicken and chips in one of the many restaurants around the markets in Cusco was around 10 soles($3). Incidentally, the fresh fruit juice stalls in the markets are great for desert and really cheap. Just choose your fruit(s) and they will whizz it up for you. One is more than enough for two..

Thanks for the information!

$15 per person daily gets you a very nice lunch and dinner per person. You will find portions huge except in tourist restaurants so if some of your kids are small they can eat off of someone else's order. I would say $10 per person daily be the lower limit of reasonably easy to find meals. You could eat for less some days but other days it might take a bit more searching. Also need to budget maybe $1 per person for bottled water.

In more rural places I would maybe eat a notch up on the restaurant chain, as the water and hygiene practices may be challenging, but prices also tend to be lower. In Lima I had fewer concerns about catching something.

Los Toldos chicken in Cusco! On Ave del Sol around 12 to 14 soles for a giant chicken breast big enough for two people. They do not mind if you share. Yes, avoid the Plaza de Armas restaurants.

In Ollantaytambo I think KB Tambo and Hearts Cafe are the two less expensive.

In Lima there are lots of little places that do lunch plates for 12 soles although finding one in Miraflores may be a challenge. Pardo's is a good chicken restaurant.

Will want to bring a sandwich and bottled drinks to MP.

Don't expect to pay with credit card or ATM outside of major cities so carry a lot of cash. For 5 of us (adult appetites) we spent $40 per night for dinner which usually included several beers, wine & several desserts. The restaurant at KB Tambo is a very happening place so get there early for dinner. The same is true for Hearts Cafe. Hearts books up with tour groups so if you are planning to eat there, check & see if they have a tour group coming in, which will take up the whole place. We liked Inka Fe in Cusco.

Also in Olly the El Albergue has a great restaurant that usually is not crowded. I don't know if the prices have changed since my visit (it was in Jan 2009) but as I recall lunch maybe $5 and dinner about $7 to $10. Definitely worth looking into. I think people don't want to walk down to the train station if their hotels are in town. You can always take the mototaxis back up. Try the alpaca loin.

http://www.elalbergue.com/en/restaur...taytambo-hotel

Thanks so much for the info guys - you're great! I'm REALLY excited about this trip...