Where and What to Eat in Cusco and the Sacred Valley: A Practical Guide

The food of Cusco and the Sacred Valley blends traditional Andean cooking, specialty coffee shops and an increasingly visible vegetarian scene. This guide doesn’t recommend specific places: it explains what you will find in each area, which dishes are worth knowing, and how to eat well at more than 3,000 meters.

Dishes and drinks you will see on menus

• Pachamanca: a traditional dish cooked with hot stones inside an earth oven. The name comes from Quechua: pacha (earth) and manka (pot). The oven is opened after about two hours, so it is usually offered by reservation or at set times.
• Cuy: cuy is guinea pig, raised for meat in the Andes. Some restaurants ask you to order it when you book because it takes time in the oven; ask before you go.
• Trout, alpaca and empanadas: travel guides about Pisac mention river trout, alpaca meat and colonial-oven empanadas as common options.
• Chicha de jora: a beer made from germinated corn that has been brewed in the Andes for centuries. You will also see craft breweries in the Sacred Valley.

Central Cusco and San Blas

San Blas, the artisans’ neighborhood above the Plaza de Armas, has small cafés, vegetarian restaurants and a neighborhood market. Inside that market there is a specialty coffee shop that presents itself as the first one inside a traditional market, a sign that the local coffee scene is growing.

For everyday food and local products, the Mercado Central de San Pedro is the place that shopping guides mention first. It is useful for seeing ingredients and comparing prices between stalls.

Pisac

Pisac has restaurants with courtyards, colonial-oven empanadas, wood-fired pizzerias and craft breweries. The market runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and, above all, Sundays, and on those days the town fills up. One travel guide notes that some places close in the mid-afternoon (one of those cited, at 5 p.m.), so confirm the hours if you are going for a late lunch.

Urubamba, Yucay and Ollantaytambo

Urubamba is the largest town in the valley and has cafés, bakeries and restaurants in a range of styles. In Ollantaytambo there are cafés, pizzerias and restaurants near the plaza and the station. If you are taking an early train, ask what time they open.

Eating at altitude

The CDC recommends avoiding alcohol during the first 48 hours at altitude and resting more. An article from a train company suggests drinking 2 to 3 liters of water a day, eating light, and limiting alcohol and caffeine at first. Coca tea is mentioned as a local remedy for mild discomfort. If your symptoms get worse, seek medical care.

Vegetarian, vegan or allergy-friendly eating

There are vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Cusco (San Blas) and in Pisac. Even so, many traditional dishes are meat-based (cuy, alpaca, trout). If you have allergies or restrictions, tell the staff clearly and ask how the dish is prepared.

In short

• Try pachamanca (by reservation), trout, empanadas and, if you like, cuy (order ahead).
• San Blas: cafés and vegetarian food; Pisac: terraces and bakeries, with a market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; Urubamba: the largest town in the valley.
• Confirm opening hours: in the valley towns, several places close early.
• Above 3,000 m: little alcohol on arrival, plenty of water, light meals.
• Always mention allergies; don’t assume a dish is vegetarian.

When PuroCusco has businesses listed, you will see them at /categoria/comer; in the meantime, this guide helps you decide what to look for.