Danielle If you are heading to Peru’s Sacred Valley or Machu Picchu, it’s virtually a guarantee that you’ll pass through Cusco. But Cusco is so much more that a place to pass through. With is rich heritage, beautiful scenery, and historic architecture, it’s worth spending some time.
Beyond all of the charm of the city, I was pleasantly surprised to find how abundant and accessible vegan restaurants are in the city.
For the size of the city, there are a decent number of vegan restaurants at every price point.
Below is a breakdown of the majority of vegan options in the city (though, of course, the available options are subject to change).
This one of the few cities that I didn’t have any major disappointments. There certainly are restaurants that are less exceptional, but they fall into the ‘You Get What You Play For’ category. Overall though, I was more than happy with the restaurants.
The Loves
Chia
Chia was absolutely one of my restaurants in Cusco. The menu has dishes from around the world, but what really sold it for me was their menu del día.
The menu del día is offered daily from 12-3 on Monday-Friday. It isn’t always advertised, but it’s one of those ‘ask and they’ll tell’ situations.
What I loved about their menu del día is that rather than making a large quantity of food at lower quality like many restaurants do, their menu del día is just smaller lunch portions of their regular menu items. At 27 soles (around $7 USD), it’s a fantastic way to try a variety of menu items.
On the day that I visited, the menu was the quinoa soup, the mixed tacos, and the avocado chocolate mousse. In addition to the meal, the menu del día came with a beverage (mine was passionfruit juice) and the restaurant offers complementary pescorunto.
If you’re curious, pescorunto is a traditional Peruvian toasted corn kernels snack.
All of the dishes were beautifully presented and full of flavor. For being lunch portions, I was surprised at the size of the dishes. The soup and dessert seemed full size, and the taco was one taco instead of the typical two. But it was more than enough to be satisfactorily full.
I rounded out my meal with a Pisco Sour, which is a must try in Peru. It’s tough to find a vegan version (they are typically made with egg white), so I definitely recommend trying one at a vegan focused restaurant like Chia.
Qucharitas
This was one of my favorite places in Cusco. It’s not a full restaurant, but rather an ice cream/dessert shop.
The decorations are quirky and cute, and there is an open air patio with lots of seating. One of the things that I loved was that each table has colored pencils and you’re given a coloring sheet. If you finish it and turn it in, you can be entered into a raffle. I don’t know what the raffle is for, but it’s a fun little activity while you enjoy your ice cream.
The process of making the ice cream reminds me a bit of Cold Stone. You choose your base (they offer a vegan base that is made from soy and almond milk), flavors, and toppings, and they mix the ice cream to order.
The choices are endless. But if you’re wanting things to be a bit easier, there are recommended flavor combinations to choose from.
I had both the Inkanto (a coca leave ice cream with lucuma and popped quinoa) and the Amoroso (amaretto ice cream with passion fruit). I found the Inkanto to be a bit icy and the flavors weren’t as pronounced as I would have liked, though I’m wondering if the iciness is because of the vegan milks. The amoroso was fantastic. I think the alcohol helped prevent the formation of ice crystals, so it had a smoother consistency.
This is such a great spot of ice cream and desserts. My only warning is that because most of the seating is in the open-air patio, it can get a bit cold if it’s not a warm day. But on a nice day, it is great spot to sit and enjoy.
Nuna Raymi
Nuna Raymi is an experience. I loved it.
The restaurant isn’t fully vegan, but they do offer a handful of vegan options.
The name of the restaurant is a quechua word that means “celebrations of the soul”. Their menu states that they offer a “gastronomy that nourishes, full of harmony and peace”.
As soon as you walk in, you are presented with the ideas of pride in Peruvian cuisine and conservation of the natural resources. These ideals shine through in the restaurant’s décor, the small market in the lobby, and the menu design.
I went specifically because I wanted to try their potato experience. What is the potato experience you ask? Let me tell you.
The potato experience is a sampling of potatoes that are native to the region. Five different types of potatoes come on the board, but the types vary according to what the local farmers provide.
The potatoes are served with a chimichurri and an uchucuta chili sauces (just be sure to ask for the vegan version). After delivering the potato board, the server then lights a ceremonial wood and uses the smoke to almost bless and purify the food. They then freshly grate salt onto the potatoes. It’s not a ton of food, but it’s a great way to start a meal, especially if you’re dining with other people.
In addition to the potato experience, I also elected to do the chicha experience. It’s a bit less ceremonial than the potato experience, but no less unique. Chicha, if you’re unfamiliar, is fermented corn beverage. The experience is served with regular chicha, frutillada (chicha fermented with strawberries), and chicha morada (purple corn).
In my time in Peru, I came love chicha morada. Regular chicha is a bit more of an acquired taste, but absolutely delicious. If you want to try something uniquely Peruvian, you should definitely give this a whorl.
To finish off the meal, I got the vegan dessert: an Amazonian Chocolate Nougat. It’s like a firm chocolate pudding served with a cranberry sauce and sorbet. It’s light, fresh, and a perfect way to end the meal.
I didn’t know what to expect when I went into Nuna Ramyi, but I was blown away by the whole experience. They not only feed you, but the staff takes the time to educate you about Peruivan cuisine as well. It’s definitely worth checking out.
The Likes
Green Point
Green Point was my first stop in Cusco, primarily because it was recommended to me by a local.
It’s a fully plant-based restaurant with a brewery and bakery attached.
The space is absolutely gorgeous. All of the tables are in the covered garden, so you are surrounded by plants as you enjoy your meal.
The menu is quite extensive and offers selections of both Peruvian dishes and dishes from other cuisines. They do an excellent job indicating what allergens are present in each dish, so it’s easy to order with confidence.
This is the only restaurant I visited twice, and it because they offer unique Peruvian dishes that I couldn’t find at other restaurants. As we all know, I love to try vegan versions of local dishes, so this was a great place to make that happen.
As a complementary starter, you are delivered a small sample of hummus and bread.
The first time that I went, I ordered the Cusco Grill Platter, which was recommended by my server. It’s a platter filled with a traditional peruvian stuffed chili pepper, oyster mushroom skewer, grilled potatoes and corn, served with cusquenian chili sauce, chimichurri, an avocado flower, and creole salad. It’s a massive amount of food. I particularly enjoyed the oyster mushroom skewer.
The second time I went, I got the Tacu Tacu, which is a very Peruvian dish composed of sautéed rice and beans. The rice and bean is formed into an omelet shape and topped with a fried banana and served with a side of oyster mushrooms, a vegetable skewer (red pepper, onion, tomato, broccoli, zucchini, and shitake mushrooms), grilled corn, and chimichurri.
I really enjoyed both dishes, but on each, there were certain flavor components that didn’t quite harmoniously work. All of the components were great, but there was something I couldn’t quite put my finger on that stopped it from being exceptional.
I wasn’t hungry enough for dessert when I went, but I did get a chocolate croissant to eat at home. It’s a gorgeous croissant, but I did find the center to be a littler under cooked near the chocolate.
I definitely think Green Point is worth a try, though. It was delicious and a relaxing space to enjoy a meal.
The Vegan Temple
This space is rooted in Indian yogic principles. From the om symbols to the buddha mural, the décor sets the tone of the space.
As soon as you enter, you are asked to remove your shoes and leave them outside. The space only has three tables. They are a ground height, and you sit on a low bench with pillows.
There was a dog and a cat hanging out in the space. I’m a big animal person, but if you’re not, that might be something worth knowing.
I ordered two items: the Amor Lassi and the Red Curry. I love a lassi, and it’s nice to find a vegan version. The Amor Lassi is made with vegan yogurt and milk with pineapple, orange, mint, ginger, and aloe. It was fantastic: really nice and light, and I love the mint.
The Red Curry was a little less appealing. I enjoyed all of the components of the curry, and it felt both healthy and comforting. What turned me off it is was the texture of the sauce. It was oddly gritty as it if was made with nuts that weren’t softened enough. It’s unfortunate because everything else about it was great, but I struggled with the texture.
New Garden
New Garden’s tagline is ‘healthy food’, and for good or for bad, that’s exactly what the food was. The meal that I had felt like it sacrificed a bit in the flavor and texture department to ensure the dish was healthy.
I stopped into New Garden because they advertise for well for their vegan/vegetarian dishes. They have a section of their menu dedicated to vegan dishes, but I was a bit disappointed to learn that not everything listed in the vegan section is actually vegan. It is a combination of their vegetarian and their vegan dishes.
I check with my server, and he confirmed that the vegan offerings are the: Marroqui curry, Andean Quinoa Soup, and Garden Wrap.
As most restaurants in Cusco, New Garden offers a small complementary appetizer. Theirs happened to be native potatoes with huacatay sauce.
The curry was pack with fresh vegetables (zucchini, red bell peppers, eggplant, carrots, cauliflower) and chickpeas in a tomato curry sauce. The dish is topped with a small salad dressed with a poppy seed dressing and served with a side of rice.
Overall, the dish was good, but it does list coconut cream as an ingredient in the curry, so I was hoping for it to be creamier. The effect was a little too sweet and a little too tomatoey for my taste. But I did love how loaded it was with fresh vegetables.
I wasn’t blown away by New Garden, but I also thought it was fine. I didn’t love it, but I liked it.
Vida Vegan
The first time I went to Vida Vegan around 1:45pm, they were closed for a mid-day break, so I returned later in the week closer to 12 to ensure that I would be able to try it.
The menu focuses on vegan versions of Peruvian cuisine. While I was sitting, the owner came over, and we had a nice chat about the restaurant and Peruivan cuisine in general. He was really nice and wanted to ensure that all of the customers had a great experience.
The complementary appetizer here is a small causa ball with a smokey eggplant sauce. It was delicious.
For my meal, I had the oyster mushrooms and vegetables in a yellow chili sauce. It’s served with garlic rice, lettuce, and olives. It was good, but not quite as flavorful as the appetizer.
I enjoyed the space and the experience enough to say that I would happily return and try other dishes.
Morena Peruvian Kitchen
Morena is not at all a vegan restaurant. In fact, there is only one option on the menu that’s fully vegan. But I’m including it because they do have that one option and the view is stunning.
The restaurant over looks the main square, and has a beautiful view of both of the churches and the square as a whole. The restaurant is gorgeously decorated and the kitchen is open, so you can see how the staff operates. It’s just a great space.
The restaurant does stay busy, so it’s good to get a reservation if you are planning to visit.
The one and only vegan dish is the Quinoa Locro, which is a pumpkin stew, with quinoa, huacatay, broad beans, and corn.
The dish is visually stunning, but I found the flavor balance to be a bit off. It was quite sweet from the pumpkin, so I had to add some salt to balance it out. Because of that sweetness, I also was craving more acidity to help balance the flavors.
This wouldn’t be my first recommendation for a vegan entree, but if you just want to enjoy a drink and the view of the square, this restaurant is a great option.
El Jardin
Like Morena, El Jardin is also located on the main square. The space is smaller and doesn’t have quite as good of a view as Morena, but El Jardin is almost entirely plant-based, so if you need a vegan restaurant right on the main square, this is the one I would recommend.
Nearly everything is either vegan or vegetarian, and they do an excellent job notating potential allergens in each dish.
The restaurant is extremely small, but beautifully decorated with a visually interesting rope light fixture and a mural of native Peruvians and the Rainbow Mountain. Because of the size of the space, there are limited tables, so there may be a wait if you go at a busy time.
I chose the Ceviche Veggie Brasa for my meal. It’s a hot ceviche with mushrooms, squash, zucchini eggplant, wild arugula, corn, and glazed sweet potato. The yellow chili sauce is served on the side, and you drizzle it onto the vegetables yourself.
The dish had a nice variation of flavors and textures. I just wish there was more of the sauce: it was delicious, but it was just enough to lightly coat the vegetables. For more of a ceviche experience, I would have liked it to be a bit more so the dish would feel more like a soup.
Regardless, it was a great meal in a beautiful space. The convenience of having a plant-based focused restaurant on the main square is pretty great as well.
Gambatte Asian Food
Unlike most visitors, I didn’t actually stay in the city center. Most of the vegan restaurants are in that area, so it was tough to find vegan options outside of the city center. Gambatte is slightly outside of the central area, so it’s a great option if you’re looking for something a little bit more removed.
This restaurant isn’t vegan, but they do offer a few options that are either vegetarian or vegan. Unfortunately, the menu doesn’t have notations for the vegan/vegetarian options, so just be sure to confirm with your server.
I ended up going with the Ramen Miso minus the egg and the tempura camote roll. The ramen was good: it had a nice selection of veggies (shiitake, bean sprouts, wakame, carrots, and snow peas), and the miso broth was flavorful. It wasn’t the most exceptional ramen I’ve had, but it was solid. Same with the camote roll: not exceptional, but solid.
What I did love was how friendly the staff was. I was the only person in the restaurant when I went, but they went above and beyond to make sure I had a good experience.
Parada Vegana
This restaurant has an excellent selection of comfort food and health food. Everything is vegan, and there is a decent amount of gluten-free options as well.
Because I went during lunch, I, of course, decided to try the menu del día. Their menu offers a beverage, soup, and entrée for 12 soles (around $3 USD). Unlike some other restaurants, there is only one entrée option for the menu del día, so you are locked in.
On the day I visited, the menu del día was Minestrone soup, black bean burger with steamed vegetables and whole grain rice, and tea.
The food was all good. Nothing was particularly exceptional, but it was good. Personally, I prefer my food to have stronger flavor profiles, but every was pretty light and simple.
In addition to the menu del día, I also order the Tres Leches cake. I wasn’t much of a fan of it primarily because of the frosting. It was too margarine heavy and was quite stiff and not flavorful. It didn’t really add anything to the cake, and I would have preferred it without the frosting.
Taste of India
I love Indian food, so it was a treat to find a Taste of India in Cusco. The menu has a vegetarian section and notates which dishes are either vegan or can be made vegan. Just be sure to tell your server if you want it to be made vegan.
Dal is my fallback choice, and this one was delicious. The Dal Tadka is lentils cooked with turmeric and spices and served with rice and naan. I loved that they serve the dal topped with crispy onions. It added a nice pop of texture and flavor.
Traditionally, the recipe for naan isn’t vegan, so I did check with my server if this one was vegan. She said it was, but it may be worth double checking.
I did find the restaurant to be a bit difficult to find. It’s on the second floor, so it’s easy to walk past the entrance if you don’t know what you’re looking for. The entrance is the entrance to a shopping center, and most of the signage is for Jonas restaurant. But if you walk in and go up the stairs, you’ll see Taste of India.
Restaurant Narguila
A Middle Eastern restaurant, this restaurant is very unique in Cusco. The menu is mostly written in Hebrew and translated into Spanish.
The restaurant isn’t vegan, but they do offer a selection of dishes that are vegan friendly. They’re not notated on the menu, so you’ll just have to confirm with your server.
I was hoping to find some good hummus and falafel, and I wasn’t disappointed. I ordered the falafel in pita which is filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, and hummus. The dish is serve with French fries, chimichurri, and a garlic sauce served on the side.
The falafel was nice and crisp, and everything on the plate was good quality. Eating the pita was a bit of a struggle because it’s served as a sandwich, but the pita was quite delicate and easily feel apart. I ended up eating it with a fork and knife, but it still tasted great.
I can’t say that this was my favorite restaurant or even particularly memorable, but it’s a nice option. It’s authentic Middle Eastern food with some Peruvian influences. So if you want a bit of variation from more traditional Peruvian foods, this is a great option.
Green Falafel
Green Falafel is a small vegetarian/vegan restaurant that had both its restaurant location and a stall in the San Blas Market.
The restaurant is quaint, and has limited seating. The menu primarily features durums (which is like a wrap), pitas, piadinas, and pizzas.
I opted for the Vegan Green Pizza, which comes with vegan cheese, olives, mushrooms, and avocado. It was fine, but a bit lackluster. The vegan cheese is served on the side with a small ramekin of tomato sauce as well. The vegan cheese wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It almost felt like a hummus rather than a vegan cheese.
I don’t know. I don’t have much to say. Everything was fine. From the décor to the service to the food, nothing was exceptional, but nothing was bad. It was just fine.
Yokomo Sushi & Restobar
Off the bat, I’ll say that this was one of my favorite spaces. It’s on the second floor of a small shop, but feels like an art gallery. The walls are covered with unique and gorgeous art. It’s colorful and eclectic. I loved it.
Now, when I went in around 2, I almost thought the restaurant was closed because I couldn’t find a staff member and the lights were off. After a few minutes, someone did come greet me.
The menu has several vegan options, but I went with the Veggie Maki (cucumber, shitake mushroom and carrot topped with avocado). It was good, but there wasn’t anything particularly special about it. I’d be curious to try other menu options to compare. But for what I had, it was solid, but easily forgettable.
You Get What You Pay
El Encuentro
El Encuentro offers a selection of vegan and vegetarian dishes. But I went during lunch, so, of course, I tried the menu del día. For 12 soles (around $2.70 USD), you get a beverage, soup, salad bar, and choice between three entrées.
I went with the chicharron for my entrée. The salad bar and soup were great. The chicharron wasn’t quite what I was expecting. After having a few different versions of chicharrones in Lima, I was expecting seitan rather than the smaller, crispy nuggets. They were still good, but I just found them to be a bit dry.
Luckily, the restaurant offers a selection of different sauces on the salad bar, so it was easily remedied.
I was pleasantly surprised at how full the restaurant was. There was a good mix of locals and tourists, so that’s always a good indicator of the quality of food.
The restaurant also has a pretty extensive menu, so I’d be curious what the a la carte food is like. If you’ve tried it, let me know in the comments!
Govinda San Blas
While you’re in Cusco, you definitely have to check out one of their markets. There are pros and cons to each of the two that I visited.
San Blas Market is smaller, but they have a few food stalls that offer vegan food. The San Pedro Market is much larger, and there is so much to see and experience. You should absolutely make the stop, but there are no vegan food stalls. Theoretically, there is one listed on Google, but I was unable to find it when I went.
I went to San Blas specifically to eat, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a few vegan options. In particular, there is a Govinda stall and a Green Falafel stall that are both plant-based.
I ended up getting the menu del día at the Govinda stall. For 10 soles (around $2.70 USD), you get a soup, entrée, and beverage. On the day I went, it was a corn soup, a fennel mate, and a choice between a bean and mushroom burrito, noodles with sautéed vegetables, and sauted mushrooms.
I found the food to be decent, but not exceptional. Each of the dishes needed a slight tweak to be great, but for 10 soles, I was perfectly content. It’s a filling amount of food with lots of fresh vegetables, so though it didn’t blow me away, I have no room to complain.
Los Querubines
This is a restaurant that doesn’t have a full menu, but rather focuses on the menu del día. For 8 soles (around $2 USD) it’s a soup, entrée (you get a choice between thee options), salad bar, and beverage.
The space is very cramped and dark. I ended up eating at a table with another woman because there weren’t enough tables. It was a fun way to meet a local and have a converstaion.
The food is either vegetarian or vegan, so just confirm which dishes are vegan before ordering.
The food was fine. I got the broccoli cau cau. If you’re not familiar, cau cau is a Peruvian African-inspired stew that is traditionally made with tripe. I found this version to be a bit gummy and the vegetables to be both overcooked and under seasoned.
Again though, when you’re paying so little for a meal, it can forgive a lot of flaws.
There is no Google listing for the restaurant, so the above link is pinned to the location.
El Olivo
Just down the street from Los Querubines, El Olivo also offers a menu del día for 8 soles. It’s the same deal where it offers a salad bar, beverage, soup, and a choice between three entrees.
The food is either vegetarian or vegan, so just confirm which dishes are vegan before ordering.
For the same price and volume of food, I thought El Olivo was the better of the two restaurants. The food is a bit higher quality, the salad bar was a bit better maintained, and the restaurant has more natural light.
For my entrée, I chose the picante de vainita (which is like a stew with green beans, potatoes, and mushrooms). I thought it was a little under seasoned, but still a decent quality for 8 soles.
If you’re traveling on a budget, this is worth a try. It’s not great, but it’s inexpensive and a filling amount of food.
Querubines
This was one of the menu del días that I really didn’t like that much. But again, it was 8 soles, so I can’t complain. They offer a soup, salad bar, beverage, and a choice between three entrees.
All of the options are vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan, so just confirm before ordering.
For my entrée I got the Lima beans with green rice. I found the soup to be pretty flavorless and the lima beans to be both flavorless and too bitter. Normally, even is a dish isn’t great, I will still eat it. This one was a bit tough to eat.
The location is close to Real Plaza Cusco, and it’s one of the only vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the area. I stayed close to here, so I was a bit disappointed that the food wasn’t better.
But, for the price, it’s enough food to be filling.
Final Thoughts
Peru was easily one of my favorite countries because of the cuisine.
I happily spent a month in Cusco, and it was a great chance to try a variety of Peruvian dishes. Cusco in particular is inspired by its local food traditions and ingredients. If you have time, I would definitely recommend spending a least a few days here to experience the city.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Cusco! Let me know what you’ve tried and what you’ve loved in the comments.
