Food

Cafés and Cheap Eats

Ulrike Simic, the classy German owner of Ulrike’s Café (Plaza Constitución, tel. 084/20-3195, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, US$7), offers a lunch menu (including vegetarian options) and makes a delectable array of cheesecakes, including chocolate chip, coffee, and lemon. The walls are painted in yellows, greens, and pinks, and a mixture of music drifts through the air, making every sitting nook a perfect respite from the bustling world of commerce outside.

Café Art Gallery Mullu (Plaza Constitución 352, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. daily, US$4) has an interesting collection of contemporary art on the first floor and a café, with nice market views, on the second.

Blue Llama Café (Plaza Constitución, tel. 084/20-3135, www.bluellamacafe.com [1], 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, US$4) is one of the newest additions to Pisac [2], offering excellent food and service in its funky restaurant. Great coffee, brownies, and pancakes, along with traditional cuisine, are available all day long. This is a comfy place to hang out with a book or good friends.

Tinkuy Café is another fun place in Pisac, where owners Alfredo and Nancy with their sheep Meli offer a good range of juices, coffee, and vegetarian food. They have a daily menu for US$3. Alfredo speaks excellent English and can help with tours of the area.

If you are in the mood for something quick, tasty, and cheap, try the empanadas made in a few old, wood-fired hornos coloniales (colonial ovens) around town. The flaky empanadas—dough filled with cheese, sliced onion, tomato, olives, and oregano—can be had for US$0.50 each on the corner of the main square near the Pisac Inn or on Mariscal Castilla 372, one block away on the other end of the square.

Peruvian

The best place for trout in Pisac [2], and maybe the whole Cusco [3] area, is Restaurant Valle Sagrado (Amazonas 116, tel. 084/43-6915, 8 a.m.–11 p.m. daily, US$2–5), operated over the last 15 years by the motherly Carmen Luz. During lunch, this place is packed with locals who come not only for the trout but for chicken, soups, sandwiches, and lamb ribs. Restaurant Valle Sagrado is right on the main drag, along with many other lesser restaurants; look for its faux-Inca walls.

Despite its humble entrance, Doña Clorinda (Plaza Constitución, tel. 084/20-3051, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. daily, US$2–5) serves up safe, flavorful comida típica. Highlights are lomo saltado and rocoto relleno. There is a basic lunch menu for US$2 or a more luxurious version for US$5.

The gourmet option in town is Cuchara de Palo (Plaza Constitución, tel. 084/20-3062, www.pisacinn.com [4], 11:30 a.m.–8:30 p.m. daily, US$5–15), inside Pisac Inn. With bright green walls and tree-trunk tables, the atmosphere and the food are all natural. Vegetarians should try the quinoa chaufa (fried quinoa), and meat eaters should go for the duck in elderberry sauce or lomo saltado.

For dessert, stop by Miski Mijuna Wasi (Plaza Constitución 345, tel. 084/20-3266, 7 a.m.–8:30 p.m. daily), where the crocante de lúcuma is the house specialty.

Markets

The best supermarkets are Sofis Market (Bolognesi s/n, tel. 084/20-3017, 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. daily) and La Baratura (Manuel Prado 105, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. daily).