As I was travelling with a vegan around Cusco, I was able to take a bite out of the scene in the city myself too. I guess being a vegan or vegetarian while travelling around Peru isn’t always that easy, but in Cusco there’s no need to worry for sure. On top of that, you don’t have to be vegan to love these places listed below!
Organika
This nice and small restaurant, situated on the corner of an adorable street, really is incredible. It has an open kitchen, fresh (organic of course) ingredients, a friendly staff and a fast service.
You can really taste that the ingredients are just plain good and on top of that the recipes were super creative. I always forget to take pictures, but in this case the meals are decorated so gorgeously that you probably can’t resist grabbing your phone. Even if you’re against picturing your food.
I don’t think you can go wrong in here.
Green Point
Epic breakfast alert! Juices, smoothies, pancakes with maple syrup, waffles starring a lot of chocolate, quinoa porridge: it’s all in here and the serving sizes are largeeee. I barely could walk after a breakfast in here and was in favour of a nappie.
Everyday they also serve great lunch offers for 15 PEN: with a glass of juice/flavoured water, a plate from the self-service salad bar, a soup and one of main dishes followed by a small dessert. And if you’re looking for are dinner for two, the grilled veggie platter to share is a must so I’ve heard. All in all great value for money and a cosy atmosphere.
San Blas Market: Govinda Lila and Green Falafel
Although you wouldn’t necessarily expect it upon arrival at the market; there are even two (budget) vegan choices to be found in here.
At Govinda you can have a big lunch for cheap: with 7 PEN you get a menu del día – a bowl of soup plus a plate of food and a drink. Govinda also sell cakes in here for 4 PEN each. Only open for lunch.
The nearby Green Falafel focuses on.. falafel! Although you can get other stuff like pitas, durum and soups too in here. I didn’t ate there myself but I heard that the portions are huge and very, very good. So you might want to share a platter to avoid any stomach explosions.
Chia Vegan Kitchen
This restaurant is like the previous ones smack right in the middle of the city centre and although the service is lacking unfortunately, the menu for sure is interesting. I had a curry with peanut sauce in here and though it was much more funky than I’m used to, it was a delicious one. I guess that’s the key word in here; funky. All the dishes in here have a different twist. The dessert was plated beautifully, felt very healthy and very filling even though we were sharing it with four! Not my favourite vegan restaurant, but it was fun(ky) for a change.
The fruit juice stalls at San Pedro Market
A sheer size the San Pedro Market is dedicated to food, but most of the dishes served you can’t consider vegan or veggie. Except for the rows and rows of fruit juice stalls. Don’t get intimidated by the women that are literally screaming and waving for your attention, as the juices are really superb. Plus they come in huge sizes in here so you might want to share them. Equally juicy and intimidating in size by the way are the drinks of the San Blas Market.
