Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [198]
The rambling farmhouse-style hostel shares grounds with the girls’ home, and the girls can interact with guests as they please (or not at all). Huge picture windows and various balconies and patios look out over the Plaza de Armas, a 20-minute walk or a five-minute taxi ride away.
This place isn’t for everyone: you’re asked to be sensitive to the feelings of the girls, most of whom have suffered alcohol-related violence, so it’s not the place for late-night riotousness. But it’s great for families – big rooms and cots are available, and the rambling, grassy garden is a perfect place for kids to run around. For travelers looking for a restful, family-feeling place, it’s an incredible find.
* * *
The local food scene has taken off over the last decade as incoming influences from all over the world have seen local products, many of them not available outside Peru, combined in ever-fresher ways. Cuzco explodes with taste sensations, from dirt-cheap street snacks to the world-class quality (and prices!) of its top restaurants. If you like to eat and are prepared to try something new, you’ll need to loosen your belt a notch after a few days in Cuzco.
Don’t waste stomach space on the overpriced, cookie-cutter tourist traps in the Plaza de Armas. The first cuadra (block) of Plateros, just off the plaza, is also touristy, but with good possibilities for lounging around drinking coffee and surfing the ’net. Trendy eclectic eateries abound in San Blas and towards Limacpampa down the hill, and more and more excellent vegetarian options are emerging.
Many cuzqueños eat out every day for lunch and dinner. Menú (set meal) is so economical in many places that it’s cheaper to eat out than to cook for yourself. You generally have to ask about the menú – it’s often not advertised, but is available almost everywhere. You’ll get soup, a main course, a drink, and sometimes dessert. Some good options are Che Carlitos (Av Tullumayo 387; menú S3.50), Ñucchu (Choquechaca s/n; menú S4); Kukuly (Huaynapata 318; menú S5), Q’ori Sara (Calle Garcilaso 290; menú S6), El Mesón de San Blas (Carmen Bajo 169; menú S7), and Urpi (Tecsecocha 149; menú S8).
If, as has been known to happen, you stumble out of a discoteca at 4am with an insatiable hunger, go to El Rey de Felafel (Plateros s/n; burgers from S4, falafel from S6; midnight-5am). Of the many sandwich stalls that serve late-night revelers along Plateros and Saphi, this is by far the best. Not only are the sandwiches clean, safe and tasty, and the felafel itself the best in Cuzco, but Victor is a kindly soul who will let you squeeze behind his hotplate and sit on a bucket to eat.
Self-catering
Small, overpriced grocery shops near the Plaza de Armas include Gato’s Market (Portal Belén 115; 7am-10pm) and Market (Mantas 119; 8am-11pm). For a more serious stock-up head to supermarket Mega (cnr Matará & Ayacucho; 10am-8pm Mon-Sat, to 6pm Sun).
Central
El Ayllu (Marquez 263; snacks from S3.50; 6:30am-10pm) Beloved by Peruvians for its pastries, especially lengua de suegra (‘mother-in-law’s tongue’; a sweet pastry confection) and sandwich de cerdo (pork sandwich), El Ayllu is a slow-paced, old-fashioned, high-ceilinged taste of another time. Most of the solemn, suit-clad staff have worked here for decades. At time of research, to the dismay of the entire population of Cuzco, El Ayllu had just been evicted from its historic home in the Plaza de Armas. Starbucks is said to want the space for its first branch in Cuzco and the Archbishopric, which owns the premises, is inclined to hand it over.
Cafetería Los Reyes (Saphi s/n; breakfast S3.50-12, sandwiches from S3.50; 7am-7pm Mon-Sat) Cuzco’s very own truck stop, complete with photos of overland trucks on the wall, and artery-clogging breakfasts from as early as 5am with prior notice. A big favorite with overland drivers and tour leaders.
Los Toldos (cnr Almagro & San Andrés; mains from S10; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Local favorite with perhaps Cuzco’s best salad bar (try the purpley black olive sauce) and an extensive