Peruvian food is reason enough to visit on its own. Peruways’ Machu Picchu food tours work through the full spread: ceviche in Aguas Calientes, lomo saltado with a Vilcanota view, ají de gallina at a family-run restaurant in the back streets, quinoa risotto at Indio Feliz. All with context from a guide who speaks the kitchen’s language.
The headline dishes: ceviche (raw fish, lime, red onion, aji amarillo, 15 minutes to cure), lomo saltado (stir-fried beef, tomato, onion, soy, over fries — the Nikkei influence), ají de gallina (shredded chicken in walnut-aji sauce), rocoto relleno (stuffed Andean chili), cuy chactado (flattened and fried guinea pig, a Cusco specialty). Each has a specific regional origin.
Dining options in Aguas Calientes split cleanly into two tiers: the budget tourist strip along Avenida Pachacutec (cheap, variable), and the river-side restaurants that take the kitchens seriously (El Mapi, Toto’s House). The Belmond Sanctuary Lodge above the citadel serves a buffet dinner that’s worth the price for anyone staying there.
Book a Machu Picchu food tour at Peruways and the kitchen stops sit alongside the citadel visit on the same day.
