Going in June with my 8 yr old and wife.
Where should we eat. Keep it casual. No tasting menus.
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It’s been some years since I was in Cusco, so no current recommendations on restaurants. Definitely recommend the Cusco cathedral, built on the Inca foundations. Also definitely try alpaca in any form. Cuy is overrated and overly priced. The different ceveche can be revalatory. Drink lots of pisco, real chica if brave. The museum of pisco, more a bar than museum, was fun.
El Mercado (Lima)
How can you not go to Central!
No kids allowed. Also not terribly interested in bringing my 8 yr old to a 3-4 hr tasting menu lol
Casual Cusco dining recs from my son, who is your age:
Chicha - Our favorite. Went back multiple times. Best roast chicken I’ve ever had.
MAP Cafe - Really great. Good for lunch and dinner.
Pachapapa - Sister restaurant to MAP Cafe.
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excellent thanks!!
following this thread, we go in late July!
Bump for Lima
Central was a little too all-over-the-place confusing for me. Good concept but did not wow.
Aware of the no tasting menu requirement, but if it changes, Maido is fun and delicious, if you like the mostly-seafood menu.
La Lucha Sangucheria Criolla was a lot of fun. Super casual high energy.
Astrid & Gaston was a nice lunch and even better setting. The wine list had some good choices but I felt like they were slightly heat damaged so I would not splurge
We also had a very good meal here. Not sure if it is still open as their website is down but their IG seems to be semi active:
None of these places blew me away but I also don’t know what else to compare them to in Lima other than Central.
And of course in addition to Central you have Kjolle which is part of their world and you can do a la carte. This would be my first choice.
Someone I know went to Astrid Gaston last year. Apparently really good.
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Just got back - here’s where I ate
Cusco
We stayed at the JW Marriott El Convento CUsco - old monastery. Small small rooms. Great service and breakfast buffet. Fantastic location.
Chicha - very good. Nice upscaleish slant of local andean cuisine. Lots of Indigenous ingredients use
Anticuchos Nancy - street cart grilling meat. Beef heart was insane. Maybe best piece of beef offal I’ve ever had.
San Pedro Market - I like that all the food areas are separated by “type” of food. Really enjoyed the caldo de gallina - noodle soup with hen and root veggies at the first stand off walkway in the soup section - it’s called “Caldos y Escabeches”.Also had a Caldo de cordero which is mutton chop soup at Rest La Colmena at the end of the market.
THere was a lady frying eggs/hotdogs/fried chicken at the Plazoleta Santa Catalina on Thursday night (only time I saw her) and my daughter who generally dislikes chicken, said it’s the best fried chicken she’d ever had.
Picarones Ruinas - LOVED these. That’s all they make. Instead of the regular molasses blend sauce they just use honey which I think is better. Great chew to the picarones. Best ones we had all trip (and we had a lot)
Lima
We stayed at the JW Marriott Lima - gorgeous hotel, right near the cliffside, newly renovated rooms. Highly recommend.
Merito - damn this was good. Ala carte - vibrant use of sauces and pickling. Really great restaurant. Super small though, seat around 20 a night. Book the chef counter downstairs if you get a chance.
La Mar - it was okay. Seafood was fresh. But very expensive compared to everyone else. Also service was soooooooo slow.
La Picanteria - LOVED this place. There’s a few ala carte things on the menu but generally you pick a fish that’s on ice, and you make 2-3 preps out of it depending on the size of the fish. We did ceviche and a roast in escabeche
Isolina - must go. All the Peruvian classics. Portions are monstrous. You can ask for smaller portions of the main for a reduced price.
La Lucha Sangucheria - damn good pork sandwiches for a casual spot.
Also we swam with sea lions that was dope.
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But did you try chica? 
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Way late but glad you didn’t go to Central. We went. I thought it was OK at best wife hated it and she doesn’t hate many things. If you go back or for others that are going the Belmond Miraflores hotel is amazing. Some of the best service I have had.
George
I considered it but JW Marriott just completed renovations for a majority of their rooms so went with that. It was a great hotel, the new rooms are gorgeous and spacious. Service is great too. One of the better lounges I’ve gone to lately too.
Also I slayed it at the casino attached to the Marriot lol
Glad you enjoyed Merito - a truly stellar meal for us back in December.
Second for La Lucha in Lima and Chicha in Cusco. I feel like there was another more casual Gaston place in Cuzco that we ate that had amazing version of fish and chips with peruvian potatoes.
If you are going to the Sacred Valley the Tamba Del Inka Marriott hotel was a highpoint for the kids. It is absolutely a beautiful setting. We took an early train into Macchu Picchu and played at the pool at night.
In Lima we ate at Amaz and it was a very good and interesting meal but I think that may be closed now.
Headed there at the end of July, thanks for the tips!
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beware - the temp says low 70s but the sun is BRUTAL in Cusco/Sacred Valley.
Also the elevation change in cusco is no joke. The moment the airplane lands and you’re in the airport - instantly dizzy. My wife got hit really hard for a few days, my daughter and I were fine