Wondering what to eat in Cusco? Unlike other cities, this one offers dishes built on natural ingredients, quinoa, corn, native potatoes, that have passed from generation to generation since the Inca Empire. So enjoy these typical dishes, which you should try at least once while you’re in the city.
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Why Cusco’s food is worth trying
Cusco sits at a strange crossroads. It’s high in the Andes, so the ingredients are pure highland: potatoes in dozens of native varieties, quinoa grown a few valleys over, alpaca and llama meat, corn kernels the size of your thumbnail. It’s also a city shaped by centuries of mixing, Inca staples, Spanish colonial habits, and the modern wave of Peruvian cooking that’s earned the country international attention.
According to the World Travel Awards, Peru has been named the world’s best culinary destination for twelve years running, and Cusco carries part of that reputation. Just outside the city, in the Sacred Valley, the restaurant Mil ranks among the world’s 100 best, run by the same chefs behind Central in Lima, itself once named the best restaurant on the planet.
What makes Cusco’s food worth trying isn’t the ranking though, it’s that the food fits the place. Heavy soups and slow cooked meats exist because nights here get cold and the altitude asks a lot of your body. Coca tea isn’t a gimmick, it’s what locals have used for generations to handle the thin air. Eating in Cusco the way Cusqueños eat is a much better trip than sticking to pizza because it feels safe.
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What to eat in Cusco
When you arrive in Cusco, food becomes part of the experience. Beyond the history and landscapes, the city invites you to discover its traditions through every dish. From local markets filled with fresh ingredients to family recipes passed down for generations, Cusco’s cuisine tells stories about its people and the Andes.
During your visit, you will find flavors that may feel new at first, but each one has a reason behind it. Trying traditional dishes like cuy, chiri uchu or lomo saltado is not only about tasting something different. It is about connecting with the culture, history and everyday life of this incredible region.
Roasted guinea pig
The popular Cuy has been part of Andean diets since long before the Incas. It was not only a source of food. Pre-Inca communities also used it in rituals and ceremonies, showing how important this animal was in the daily and spiritual life of the highlands.
Today, cooks roast the whole animal with garlic, cumin, huacatay and local herbs. The result is a crispy, dark skin full of flavor. It is usually served with potatoes, corn and a side of rocoto sauce.
For first-time visitors, trying cuy can feel surprising. Sharing a portion between two people is a simple way to experience this traditional dish without ordering a full plate.
Pachamanca
This one isn’t really a dish, it’s a cooking method, and it’s one of the oldest still practiced in the Andes. Cooks layer a mix of lamb, pork, chicken and sometimes cuy with potatoes, fava beans and corn, marinate everything in Andean herbs, then set it over hot stones in a pit dug into the earth. They seal the whole thing with banana leaves and soil and leave it to cook in its own steam. The name comes from Quechua, roughly “earth oven,” and the technique predates any Spanish influence on Andean cooking.
Chiri uchu
The name chiri uchu means “cold chili” in Quechua, and it is traditionally served cold. But what makes this dish special is not only its flavor. It represents the connection between Peru’s coast, highlands and jungle, bringing ingredients from these three regions together on one plate.
The recipe usually includes cuy, chicken, corn tortilla, cheese, rocoto and seaweed. Today’s version is closely linked to the Corpus Christi festival, a Catholic celebration in Cusco. However, its roots go back to ancient Andean traditions, where people offered food to honor the land.
Chairo
A thick Andean soup built to fight the cold, chairo takes its name from a Quechua and Aymara word that roughly means “type of stew.” It usually combines dried meat, vegetables, and native grains like chuño or barley. That mix makes it hearty enough to carry farmers and travelers through a cold Andean day. It’s less photographed than cuy or chiri uchu, but it’s closer to what people in the highlands actually eat on a regular basis.
Timpu (puchero cusqueño)
Timpu was already being cooked in Inca times, made with lamb and named directly in Quechua. When the Spanish arrived, they gave it a new name, puchero, but the dish itself kept its Andean bones, a broth loaded with meats, vegetables and legumes. It’s one of the clearest examples of how colonial naming layered over food that already existed, rather than replacing it.
Native potatoes and chuño
One of the best things about what to eat in Cusco is discovering the ingredients behind each traditional dish. Native potatoes and chuño are not a plate on their own, but they deserve a special mention because they are the foundation of much of Andean cuisine.
Cusco is located in the middle of one of the world’s largest potato gene pools. Centuries ago, the Incas developed chuño as a practical way to preserve potatoes at high altitude. The process uses the region’s freezing nights and strong daytime sun to remove moisture naturally, allowing potatoes to be stored for years without spoiling.
Adobo cusqueño
Cooks simmer pork overnight in chicha de jora, ají panca and spices until it turns into a thick, reddish, spicy broth. Locals nickname it “levanta muertos,” or “wakes the dead,” for how effective it is at curing a rough Sunday morning, and they traditionally serve it on that same day, alongside bread from Oropesa for dipping. It blends Spanish pork with Andean chicha rather than following a pre-Hispanic recipe, but it’s held its place as a Sunday fixture in Cusco for generations.
Lechón cusqueño
Cooks roast whole pork slowly over wood fire until the skin turns golden. Then they serve it with tamal, potatoes, boiled moraya and Oropesa bread. It’s a dish that leans heavily on technique, the wood, the oven and the timing all matter. Families often save it for celebrations like carnival, when they cook and share it together.
Caldillo de cabeza
A nutritious soup built around slow cooked lamb head, simmered until the meat falls off the bone. Local vegetables, herbs and native potatoes go in to round it out. It’s not the easiest dish to sell to a squeamish traveler, but it’s a genuine window into how Cusco cooks with the whole animal rather than letting anything go to waste.
Fried trout
River or lake trout, fried and served with rice, yuca and a side of salsa criolla. It’s one of the easiest dishes on this list to find, and country restaurants around Cusco tend to serve it freshly caught rather than farmed and frozen, which makes a real difference in flavor.
Corn with cheese
About as simple as Andean food gets, a few large kernels of native corn with a slice of fresh cheese. No sides, no sauce needed. It works as a mid morning snack from a market stall as easily as it does next to a heavier meal.
Chicha de jora and chicha morada
Both are corn based drinks, but they’re not the same thing. Cooks ferment germinated corn to make chicha de jora. It’s a mildly alcoholic drink that shows up in dishes like adobo as much as it does in a glass. Chicha morada, by contrast, is a sweet, non alcoholic purple corn drink. Andeans have fermented and brewed corn since before the Spanish arrived, even though the specific recipes have changed over time.
Nispero sweet (dulce de níspero)
A simple dessert made from loquat fruit and sugar, with a touch of lemon. The story behind it is more recent than most of this list, families started making it during carnival season when nispero fruit was in heavy supply, and the tradition stuck. It’s a good example of how not everything on a Cusco menu needs pre-Inca roots to matter, some of it is just good family cooking passed down a few generations.
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Vegetarian options in Cusco
A few of my vegetarian friends ask me the same thing every time they plan a trip to Cusco: what to eat in Cusco if you don’t eat meat? I always tell them the same answer: you won’t struggle here the way you might in some meat-heavy destinations.
Andean cuisine already relies heavily on potatoes, corn, grains and squash, creating plenty of traditional options that can be adapted for vegetarian travelers. Still, it is always a good idea to ask what ingredients are used in the broth or sauce before ordering. Some soups may look vegetarian but are prepared with meat or chicken stock, even when the main ingredients are vegetables.
The best vegetarian meals in Cusco
Quinoa soup. This is the easiest one to find almost anywhere, and when it’s made right it’s just vegetables, herbs and quinoa in a light broth. Just confirm it’s not built on a meat stock, since some versions are.
Papa a la huancaína. Boiled potatoes covered in a creamy sauce made from ají amarillo, cheese and crackers. It’s naturally vegetarian and shows up on almost every menu in the city.
Locro de zapallo. A creamy squash stew with potatoes, onion, cheese and ají, usually served over rice. Comforting, filling, and a good pick on a cold Cusco night.
Kapchi de habas. A regional dish built around fava beans, potatoes, cheese and huacatay, this one is very specific to the Cusco region and worth asking for by name.
Choclo con queso. Already on the main list, and worth repeating here, it’s naturally vegetarian and one of the simplest snacks in the city.
Causa. Layered mashed potato dish, usually with avocado, and traditionally made with a filling that can include chicken or tuna, so ask for the vegetarian version specifically.
Tacu tacu. A rice and bean dish, pan fried, that’s easy to find in a fully vegetarian preparation if you ask.
If you’d rather not chase down individual dishes, look for a menú del día at a vegetarian friendly spot, San Blas and the historic center around Plaza de Armas have several places built entirely around plant based Andean cooking, so you get variety without the extra questions.
Cusco’s native ingredients
Native potatoes lead the list, Cusco sits inside one of the largest potato gene pools on earth, with varieties in colors and textures that don’t really exist outside the Andes, some waxy and dense, others almost floury when boiled. Quinoa follows close behind, grown a few valleys over and worked into everything from soup to dessert, with a slight crunch that holds up even after a long simmer.
Corn shows up in giant, starchy kernels, softer and chewier than what most travelers know as corn, especially in choclo con queso. Ají peppers, particularly ají amarillo and rocoto, bring the color and the heat to half the dishes on this list, rocoto especially has a thick, almost fruit like flesh that catches people off guard. And huacatay, an Andean herb with a sharp, slightly minty edge, ties a lot of these dishes together in a way that’s hard to place until you’ve had it a few times.
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Tips for eating in Cusco
Altitude changes how your body handles food, so pace yourself the first day or two. Rich dishes like lechón or a full cuy can sit heavy when you’re still adjusting to 3,400 meters, so start with lighter soups like chairo or quinoa soup before working up to the bigger plates.
Lunch is the main meal here, not dinner. Most locals eat their heaviest food between 12:30 and 2 pm, and menús (set lunch deals) are where you’ll find the best value and the most traditional cooking. Save the lighter stuff for the evening.
Share before you commit to a full portion. Cuy, adobo and lechón are usually served in large enough amounts that splitting one between two people is normal, not stingy. It’s an easy way to try something new without overordering.
Frequently asked questions about what to eat in Cusco
I get these same questions from almost every traveler before their first trip to Cusco. They want to know what dishes are worth trying, what locals actually eat, and where to start. So, instead of a generic travel blog list, this is my personal take on what to eat in Cusco and the flavors that make this city such a memorable destination.
Is it illegal to eat alpaca in Peru?
No, and people ask this more than you’d think. Alpacas are domesticated livestock, raised for both fiber and meat for centuries, not a protected or endangered species. You’ll find alpaca on menus across Cusco, usually grilled or in a stew, and it’s one of the more approachable proteins for first timers since it’s lean and mild.
What’s the difference between alpaca and llama meat?
Both are eaten in the Andes, but they’re not interchangeable. Alpaca tends to be more tender with a milder flavor, which is why it shows up more often in restaurants aimed at travelers. Llama has a slightly stronger, gamier taste and you’ll find it more in traditional, local spots. If a menu just says “camelid” or doesn’t specify, it’s worth asking which one you’re actually getting.
Can you drink the tap water in Cusco?
No, and this is one I take seriously. Tap water in Cusco isn’t treated to a standard that’s safe for visitors, and that includes brushing your teeth. Stick to bottled, filtered or boiled water for the whole trip, it’s a small habit that avoids a genuinely miserable few days.
Is street food safe to eat in Cusco?
It can be, with some judgment. I’d steer toward stalls with a steady line of locals rather than empty ones, and stick to things cooked fresh in front of you rather than anything that’s been sitting out. Skip raw salads or anything washed in tap water, and be cautious with ice unless you know it’s made from purified water.
