223 Best Restaurants in Peru

You'll smell the coffee brewing from this cozy, dimly lit spot set amid the stone lanes of Ollantaytambo's old Inca town. Besides offering up excellent local brews from Vilcabamba, Latente cooks up simple brunch options like galletas de palta (avocado croquettes) and is a perfect spot for sitting down with a laptop or a book and meeting other travelers.

Rubbing walls with each other, these two restaurants are part of the same franchise and are a good choice for a fine parrilla (at Lazos) or fusion Peruvian-European dishes and wines (at Zingaro). Lazos is one of Arequipa's best steak houses, so meat is what you come for—and there is plenty of it, including delicious cuts of beef, alpaca, and sausage; Zingaro, on the other hand, adds a local twist to international plates like pastas and has an extensive fish menu. The beautiful, narrow, arched dining rooms with white sillar walls makes you question whether you should be paying more for the environment.

The wine list is quite global, though you'll find better values if you stick with Argentina and Chile.

This tastefully restored rubber-boom-era mansion is well worth a visit—if not for a meal, at least for a drink or much-needed espresso—with sidewalk tables on the malecón and plenty more inside. The French-inspired menu features basic bistro fare (think crepes, fish sautéed in butter, or chicken cordon bleu) and international favorites like hamburgers and pastas, as well as lighter salads and sandwiches. Try the doncella al ajillo (Amazon catfish fillet sautéed with garlic) or the tenderloin Chateaubriand.

If you've been searching for an aircraft hangar that's flooded with green light and packed with model trains and airplanes, 1930s radios, and pre-Hispanic artifacts that also serves stick-to-your-ribs Peruvian mountain food, then you're in luck. Founded in 1983, this Huancayo institution is as imaginative in its cooking as in its decor. The food somehow manages to be both homey and exotic: huallpa chupe, an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Andean concoction, blends beef, lamb, and chicken with herbs and red pepper, while mondongo huancaíno (a rich broth known as patasca elsewhere) is more filling than most stews and will warm you on even the coldest Andean nights. This is traditional Huancayo cooking at its best.

This no-frills vegan restaurant, one of the few such options in Puno, is actually decent, and the inexpensive set-lunch menu is a great value. The options are many and varied, with dishes like soups, quinoa, and falafel.

Cross a legit Amazonian eatery with a steak house, then splice in some DNA from a California taco stand: such is the makeup of this eclectic fusion joint east of Chacha's plaza. Amazingly, this culinary Frankenstein monster is fully functional, serving some of the best food in the city. Consider the pechuga de pollo al Shapingo (grilled chicken bathed with spicy Amazonian oils), and the equally zesty tallarines campesinos, an unusual concoction of spaghetti with jungle vegetables. The ribs and burgers are pretty good, too.

Museum eateries don't routinely warrant a mention, but this small, glass-enclosed, elegant café inside the courtyard of the Museo de Arte Precolombino is actually one of the city's top restaurants. It has top prices to boot, but it's still a bargain compared with what this quality meal would cost in New York or Los Angeles. Of its novel and exciting twists on traditional Peruvian cuisine, try the chicken estofado (stew) with goat cheese and raisins or the pork adobo on a bed of sweet potato mousseline à l'orange. The dessert presentation is so clever that you may not want to ruin it by eating it—but you'll be glad you did.  The menu is prix-fixe after 6 (S/225), and you can choose one each from any of the appetizers, main dishes, and desserts; between 3 and 6, only dessert and coffee are served.

The sushi chefs shout out a greeting as you enter the teak-floored dining room of this Miraflores standout, which dates back to the early '70s. The kitchen specializes in sushi and sashimi, but if raw is not your thing, there's also plenty of hot food such as tempuras, teriyakis, and kushiyaki, a broiled chicken fillet with ginger sauce. The emphasis here is on traditional Japanese cooking, rather than Peruvian Nikkei.

This riverside bar and grill on the way to the train station has a welcoming red wooden floor and serves a range of comfort classics, from burgers to lasagnas, plus a selection of craft beer. The well-stocked bar extends out onto the curb. Be sure to take advantage of the the three-for-two deal on pisco sours and cuba libres by showing proof of your Machu Picchu visit. 

Spacious and airy, furnished with large wooden tables and chairs, this restaurant has the unmistakable air of a tourist-friendly Andean establishment. The menu ranges from traditional Peruvian grilled meats and fish to slightly edgier dishes like Andean ravioli (filled with alpaca). You'll also find foreigner-friendly staples like wood-oven pizza and Asian-fusion plates.

It’s easy to relax and catch up on digital work while having coffee, cakes, and pizzas in this large sillar hall furnished with wooden tables. It's right next to Centro Cultural Peruano Norteamericano.

Venezuelan and Peruvian flavors dance an exquisite pas de deux at this tiny, brick-walled tavern on a Barranco back street. The choreography is provided by chef Juan Luis Martínez, a Central veteran who renders homage to his Caracas roots while making expert use of Peruvian ingredients, including scallops, huacatay (black mint), and cocona (an Amazon fruit). Among the recent standouts on the ever-changing menu: roasted Peruvian corn in yellow chili and glazed pork belly with arepas. In 2023, the restaurant made San Pellegrino's list of Latin America's 50 Best, so reserve well in advance if you want a ground-floor seat to watch the open-kitchen pyrotechnics. 

Overlooking the river and the main street, Mesa 7 boasts a beautiful terrace and presents an array of craft food and beers. Besides classic Peruvian standards, you'll find some tasty vegan and vegetarian options. The set menu is a very good value, but you can order à la carte as well. 

Neapolitan pizzas from a wood-fired oven are the focus at this romantic upstairs hideaway, which churns out some of the best pies in Peru. The margheritas have a smoky, chewy crust and fior di latte mozzarella, and you'll also find good lasagna and fettuccine. The owners run a lovely, ambient-lit bar right around the corner called Pasaje150 ( Pje. Porvenir 150) that serves the same menu—a nice alternative if you're here during the low season, when the original venue's hours can be spotty.

This jungle-themed restaurante popular specializes in seafood, but its versions of Amazonian specialties and the usual Peruvian standbys are more than creditable. If you're really hungry, try one of the unusual combos, many featuring cebiche, which will have you as sated as an anaconda after feeding time. The outside terraces are nice for lounging after lunch.

Feel like you've stepped back to the bohemian Paris of the 1960s at this retro bar and lounge beside the Museo del Juguete. With its creaky floors, dark-wood bar, floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets, and cushioned leather seats, it's a relaxed café in the afternoon and a hopping nightspot with live jazz in the early evening.

At this bistro run by an Australian Peruvian couple, the emphasis is on sustainable, locally sourced, organic ingredients. Lofty sentiments, to be sure—but it also helps that this pair can really cook. Their cebiche is a fresh take on a criollo classic, combining bonito with avocado, pickled papaya, and watermelon, while the pulpo mediterráneo features octopus tentacles atop a bed of ratatouille and rustic potatoes. Vegan-friendly options abound, as do scrumptious desserts.

With its simple platos típicos and selection of warm beverages, this café-restaurant is one of the most consistent options in Huancavelica. Don't expect gourmet cooking: just solid versions of old standbys like burgers and lomo saltado, plus good dessert coffees.

In a resort where mediocre tourist fare is the norm, this Peruvian eatery stands out. Here, after a long day on the dunes, you can replenish your system with a host of seafood options, as well as chicharrones and a few local specialties like seco de res con pallares (beef stew with butter beans). Prices are a bit high, but worth it.

This hip corner spot with strong espressos, iced coffee, cakes, and sandwiches is a good bet for people-watching and getting some online work done. Come during happy hour, when the place becomes a hive of traveler activity.

Hip bakery and café on a corner of the Plaza Regocijo where travelers can find a taste of home comforts. Take a break from Andino food with sourdough bread, patisserie, healthy vegetarian breakfasts, coffee, and pastas. All ingredients are sourced from a farm in the Sacred Valley that employs local Indigenous people.

This wildly popular Japanese-fusion eatery is renowned for its sushi bar, but its Peruvian tiraditos and Chinese seafood dishes like broiled scallops braised in a spicy sauce are equally masterful. Settle into one of the low tables and sink your teeth into quinua maguro (seared tuna medallions served with mashed lucuma fruit and crunchy quinoa), or grilled sirloin and sautéed mushrooms atop miso mashed potatoes. The attentive service here truly sparkles.

This specialty coffee roastery tucked inside a traditional courtyard serves perfectly crafted coffee and tea drinks, tasty pizzas, vegan-friendly shakshuka breakfasts, and a variety of excellent tapas. In the evenings, come to sample the inventive cocktails infused with local ingredients.

Sure, you'll find well-prepared seafood and comida norteña at this Lambayeque mainstay. But even better are the hard-to-find specialties, including langostinos en salsa de ocopa (shrimp in a green sauce native to Arequipa) and causa de mero (grouper in a mashed-potato casserole). Chill digs and an easygoing waitstaff make this an ideal spot to recover from a morning of information overload at the archaeological museums just two blocks away.