Peru · DINING EXPERIENCES
Good dining experiences fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 7 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend two hours at Tunupa Restaurant in front of Cusco’s main church, enjoying a three-course Peruvian dinner and a lively Andean show. Ten songs and six dances use traditional instruments, while the dining room offers views over the Plaza de Armas. Vegetarian meals are available, but drinks cost extra.
“The best part of our whole trip to the Andes... and that includes Machu Picchu!”
Start with a 3 pm pickup and an evening look at Cusco, often including San Pedro Market and Plaza de Armas. Guides such as Valentin or Kenny explain local life before taking you to Cusco Planetarium for Inca star lore and telescope viewing. Dinner and one Pisco sour are included, but the $25 planetarium fee is extra.
“Kenny was an excellent tour guide. He took his time with us and explained the attractions in detail. Dinner was excellent”
Spend five hours touring Lima’s Magic Water Circuit, where fountains, music, lasers, and water projections create the main event. Then enjoy a Peruvian dinner in a 100-year-old republican house museum. Pickup is included from Miraflores and San Isidro, with guides in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
“El Circuito Mágico del Agua tiene un show de las fuentes que dura 15 mins. No se pudo esperar ya que el restaurante con show folclórico queda distante y había que salir antes. Desconocía ese detalle y separó la actividad para disfrutar de todo. Se me indicó ese detalle el mismo día. El Circuito, cena y show folclórico valen la pena.”
Spend an evening at Lima’s Magic Water Circuit, where fountains, lasers, and music tell a visual story, then eat Peruvian dishes in a historic house museum. Hotel pickup covers central Lima, Miraflores, and San Isidro. English, Spanish, and Portuguese guides are available, with the tour limited to 40 people.
“Negative- we got picked up very late so when we were visiting the water park, we were rushed through and didn’t get as much time or pictures as we liked. We were very late to dinner and caught the last few dances. The food at the buffet was average. Positives- the tour guide was friendly, politely rushing us. the water show and park was amazing, def a must do. The dances that we caught were interesting.. im not sure how “Peruvian” they actually are or authentic, but it was entertaining to say the least. The horse show was very interesting and cool to see how they drove the horses.”
Start with hotel pickup in Miraflores or San Isidro, then pass three pre-Inca huacas before a guided Larco Museum visit. Guides such as Andy have offered clear historical context, while dinner at Café del Museo brings Peruvian dishes to a peaceful garden terrace. Small groups are limited to six.
“Our guide Andy and driver Jose were excellent. They pickup us up at our hotel on time and give us a drive by view of three important historical sites before showing us the museum. Andy gave us an excellent and knowledgable overview of the Larco Museum collection. Dinner at the museum was great, delicious food and great ambiance.”
Spend six hours with a private English- or Spanish-speaking guide exploring San Pedro Market, Plaza de Armas, Sacsayhuaman, and the Cusco planetarium. Taste Andean specialties, enjoy a pisco sour and Pollo a la Brasa, then view southern-hemisphere stars through telescopes.
“I enjoyed a tour, planetarium presentation and star watching was really interesting and I have learned few new things. Dinner at local restaurant was very tasty and pisco sour delicious.”
You’ll walk Cusco’s historic center and San Blas with an English or Spanish-speaking guide, visit the Cathedral and Hatun Rumiyuq Street, make a Pisco Sour, then enjoy traditional Peruvian food. Guides such as José and José Luis add useful local context.
“We did this our first night in Cusco and our guide was Jose. He was amazing! He took us to the Pisco Museum where we got to go behind the bar and made our own Pisco Sours. Jose is so knowledgable about Cusco and the history of the Inka civilization. He was so gracious and he offered us advice on the rest of our trip including our trek to Machu Picchu. If you go to Cusco you should definitely take a tour with Jose you will learn and see a lot of this amazing city. We would definitely go back and do another excursion with Jose and this company.”
Pick a ruin, a summit, a dune or a kitchen.
