223 Best Restaurants in Peru

This simple café offers a good selection of local brews, such as pungent Tunki coffee, plus flavored iced coffees, lattes, and the like. It's just off the southeastern corner of the Plaza de Armas.

The focus of this establishment facing the Plaza de Armas is regional cuisine with a fusion edge. Ayacucho classics like trucha chactada de maíz o de quinua (cornmeal- or quinoa-crusted trout pressed under hot stones) are top sellers, but you can also get soups, salads, pastas, grilled meats, and even chicken cordon bleu. Service can be a bit leisurely, but the second-floor balcony views are so grand, you won't even notice. An added plus is that the menús (fixed-priced lunches) here are a cut above the local competition.

Sandwiches are among the lesser-known glories of Peruvian cuisine, but if folks continue to throng this interior patio café like they do now, it's only a matter of time before word gets out. Burgers here are among Peru's best, but even tastier is the sandwich de lechón al cilindro, made from pork slow-roasted inside a barrel. Added plus: the owners are northern hospitality incarnate.

Take a break at this cute coffee shop by the side of the train tracks and away from the main tourist avenue. The selection of gelatos, espressos, burgers, and finger foods is ideal for a break after visiting the ruins.

This well-established tourist favorite has long tables set up in the center of its cavernous dining room to accommodate the tour groups that come for the huge buffet lunch. In the evening, grilled dishes like trucha andina (Andean trout), beef, or alpaca—served amid the entertainment of a folkloric music show—are better bets than the buffet items. Grab one of the smaller tables by the window for a river view or out on the shaded front patio for some good people-watching.

Perched high above the streets of Aguas Calientes, this small, wood-paneled restaurant serves some of the best international cuisine in town. Fresh, local ingredients are the backbone for such dishes like quinoa salad with goat cheese, gnocchi with lamb ragout, and Thai brochettes. The intimate candlelit dining room is small, so you may want to make dinner reservations.

This is the best choice for a romantic dinner.

You could easily just feast on tasty appetizers at this upscale, minimalist-design spot, but you'd be missing out on the real highlight—an entrée cooked at your table on a heated volcanic stone. Choice, fresh selections of beef, alpaca, fish, chicken, and shrimp are brought to your table seared on the outside, allowing you to complete cooking them to your personal preference. Unlike other table-side cooking techniques, there's no smoke or strong odor to follow you home.

German transplant Ulrike Simic and company dish up food all day long, making this the perfect refueling stop during a day of market shopping and sightseeing. Breakfast gets underway before the market does, at 8. They've got good à la carte soups and pizzas, too, and yummy brownies, muffins, cheesecake, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

If you need a break from seafood (which the chefs here also do very well), this little huarique (hole-in-the-wall) prepares lip-smacking meat dishes, soups, and pastas. You can choose what sauce you want on your pasta or opt for one of several vegan options. This being Paracas, however, the seafood causas or conchas a la parmesana (scallops au gratin) are well-nigh irresistible, so go ahead and load up. Bonus: the cheap menú lunches here are the best in town.

With food that's as modern as the stylish interior, this is the best spot in town to try Peruvian fusion cuisine. The pollo a lo oporto (chicken in a port wine sauce) is a standout, as is the cocktail list, including the tricolor Machu Picchu pisco cocktail. For a good view, head upstairs for a spot on the balcony overlooking the street.

Perched above the Plaza de Armas, this wood-paneled restaurant offers an ample menu that includes both highlands specialties and backpacker favorites. Enjoy a relaxed breakfast in the morning or an artisanal ice cream in the afternoon while taking in the view of the cathedral from the expansive terrace. At night, the bar serves up classic cocktails as well as pricier Belgian Trappist brews.

Airy modernist digs with bamboo accents set the backdrop at this chic Chiclayo lunch spot, but the show's star is the terrific fusion cuisine. Cebiches and tortilla de raya are the most requested dishes, but the chef's own creations are no less worthy. Best bets: necorococó, a fish fillet topped with a fragrant stewlike salsa; and a quartet of causas made with smoked salmon, shrimp, passion fruit, and octopus.

The best chifa in Chinatown, Wa Lok is known for such memorable dishes as calamares rellenos (shrimp-stuffed squid tempura), taipá (wok-fried chicken, pork, shrimp, and vegetables), and pato pekinés (Peking duck). It's best to go with a group and share, or ask for half orders. Vegetarians can choose from more than 30 dishes. The surrounding neighborhood is sketchy after dark, so at dinnertime you're better off heading to the Miraflores branch, on the corner of Avenida Angamos Oeste and Calle Arica.