Café Andino (Lúcar y Torre 530, 3rd Fl., tel. 084/42-1203, www.cafeandino.com [4], 8 a.m.–10 p.m. daily, US$3–8) is a great meeting spot for travelers, coffee lovers, and avid readers. The Peruvian-U.S. owners, Ysabel Meza and Chris Benway, are warm hosts and an endless gold mine of information about mountain climbing and trekking in the Cordillera Blanca [5] and Huayhuash [6]. Their café is filled with maps, books, and big tables, perfect for trip planning. As you while away the day over books, magazines, WiFi, and board games, order up a strong cup of joe (Chris roasts his own beans), a salad, sandwich, or even lomo saltado. The menu is inventive and diverse.
California Café (28 de Julio 562, tel. 043/42-8354, http://huaylas.com/californiacafe [7], 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Sun., US$3–5) feels as if it was lifted out of laid-back Berkeley, California. The strong espressos, tempting desserts, board games, WiFi, magazines, a big book exchange, and couches will keep you seated for hours. Breakfast and light meals are served.
Restaurant Encuentro Grill and Coffee (Luzuriaga block 6, Parque del Periodista, tel. 043/42-7971, 8 a.m.–midnight daily, US$3.50–5) has tables set in a sunny square and is a good place to sit and have a beer, lemonade, or coffee. It serves Peruvian food such as tamales, trucha, and roasted guinea pig as well as sandwiches, pastas, and grilled meats.
The cozy Pizzeria Alpes Andes (Parque Ginebra 28-G, tel. 043/42-1811, 6–11 a.m. and 5–11 p.m. daily, US$3) is next to the Casa de Guías and serves seriously strong coffee, yogurt, and muesli in the mornings, and great pizzas in the evening.
Piccolo Café and Pizzeria (Julián de Morales 632, tel. 043/50-9210, 7 a.m.–midnight daily, US$3.50–8) has outdoor tables on the park and is best for an afternoon drink.
It’s worth a walk to the south end of Luzuriaga for the apple pie at Buongiorno (Luzuriaga 1190, tel. 043/42-7145, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. daily, US$0.50). The display case also holds tempting cheesecakes, mousses, and empanadas. Manjar Real (Raimundi 624, tel. 043/948-9118, 6 a.m.–10:30 p.m. daily) will cure your sweet tooth with ice cream, cakes, and pastries. Delicious gelato stands line Luzuriaga, but the best is Buono (Luzuriaga and Jose de la Mar, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. daily) with manjar, peanut, and coconut flavors.
Las Tulpas & Chimichurri Restaurant (Julián de Morales 759, maviqrojo [at] yahoo [dot] com, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. daily, US$4–9) has good Peruvian food. The daily menu is US$3.50, and à la carte items include lomo al pesto, brochetas, and arroz con pato. There are also several vegetarian options.
Next door is the cozy, and slightly more classic, Café Restaurant Rinconcito Minero (Julián de Morales 757, tel. 043/42-2875, 8 a.m.–11 p.m. daily, US$3–10). The restaurant may be known for its tacu tacu (a fried rice and bean patty), but the menu is extensive, including breakfast and fish.
For country-style Peruvian fare in a garden setting, head to one of the many recreos along the Huaraz–Caraz Highway. One we especially like is La Colina (100 meters from Essalud, tel. 043/42-8841, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. daily) just outside of Huaraz [1] near the Es Salud Hospital. Lunch is flavorful and full of roasted guinea pig, rabbit, pisco sours, and chicha de jora.
In Huaraz [1] itself there is also Recreo Pilatos (Pedro Cochachin 146, tel. 043/42-2444, noon–6 p.m. daily, US$1–2). It serves steaming white-corn tamales and huge plates of chicharrón.
Pachamama (San Martín 687, tel. 043/42-1834, www.huaraz.net/pachamama [8], 4 p.m.–close daily, US$4–6) serves a variety of Italian and Peruvian dishes, as well as the house specialty, raclette. The indoor, glass-covered patio (great for stargazing) holds a fireplace, pool and table tennis tables, a giant chess board, a sapo table, occasional live music, and intriguing, purchasable paintings.
Filled with wooden tables, Swiss flags, and warm lighting, Inka Pub Monte Rosa (José de la Mar 661, tel. 043/42-1447, 11 a.m.–midnight daily, US$4–9) feels like a European mountain lodge. The bar, with its good beer and wine selection, is a perfect pub stop, and the tempting restaurant menu is likely to invite you to stay for more. Pizza, grilled meat, pasta, Peruvian food, and fondue are among the choices.
Acclaimed throughout Peru as the country’s best Thai restaurant, Siam de los Andes (Julián de Morales and Gamarra, tel. 043/50-9173, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 6–10 p.m. daily, US$5) is the creation of a native Thai chef who worked in the United States for 15 years. Elephants decorate the elegant dining room, and peanut, mint, coconut, and curry flavors fill the dishes.
Mi Chef Kristof (Parque del Periodista, tel. 043/42-6765) has great salads, soups (try the Thai soup), fresh pasta—the spaghetti with chicken and curry sauce is the best—meat dishes, and excellent desserts, such as the chocolate mousse. The place is cozy, and it has a nice lounge area in the back where you can have a drink or two or see a movie.
Chilli Heaven (Parque Ginebra, next to Casa de Guías, tel. 043/22-1313, chilliheaven [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$5–10) is exactly that. You won’t find any other eatery in Huaraz, actually in the country, with so many varieties of chili sauces. And all of them are good and spicy enough to go along with the Indian and Thai curries (with rice or noodles), Mexican food, or the pizzas.
The quiet and cozy, French-owned Bistro de los Andes (Julián de Morales 823, tel. 043/42-6249, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 3–11 p.m. Sun., US$5–9) is the spot for a special meal. The menu includes red curry chicken, grilled trout, pesto pasta, a vegetable stir-fry, and beef bourguignonne. As you wait, there are fresh-baked French baguettes and an extensive wine list to enjoy. The restaurant has a less formal second location in Plaza de Armas, above the Serpost.
Creperie Patrick (Luzuriaga 422, tel. 043/42-6037, 5:30–10:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., US$2–8), also French owned, invites a long and leisurely meal. The service is unhurried, and the flavorfully prepared crepes, fish, meat, and chicken dishes deserve to be enjoyed. The textured restaurant walls and dark wooden tables create an intimate setting, and the espresso and wine list are both good.
Pizza B&B (José de la Mar 674, tel. 043/42-1719, 5 p.m.–midnight daily, US$3–5) is not simply an excellent pizza place. The French owners have a menu that offers fresh salads, very good pastas, lasagnas, trout, their famed wood-fired pizzas, and the real and genuine flambée flammenkuche, the house specialty. Additionally, this is the place to find an interesting and high-alcohol-content variety of Belgian, British, French, and German beers (US$8–12 each).
A good family option, Pizza Bruno (Luzuriaga 834, tel. 043/42-5689, 3–11 p.m. daily, US$5) has games for the kids and white tablecloths for the parents. The pizza caprese is highly recommended, but the French chef also serves salads, crepes, pastas, and steaks.
The busy, but cozy, El Horno (Luzuriaga block 6, Parque del Periodista, tel. 043/42-4617, www.elhornopizzeria.com [9], 5–11 p.m. Mon.–Sat., US$3–5) serves thin-crust pizzas, large salads, grilled meats, and sandwiches.
The clean and well-kept Fuente de Salud (José de la Mar 562, tel. 043/42-7428, 8 a.m.–11:30 p.m. daily, US$1–6) serves natural yogurts, muesli, and fruit salads for breakfast, as well soy-based entrées, pastas, and even steaks throughout the day. It has an excellent set-price vegetarian menu.
Huaraz [1]’s market runs along Raimondi from Luzuriaga down to Cruz Romero and is generally open from dawn to dusk. The best selection is in a market building at the corner of San Martín and Raimondi. Inside are a few booths that supply a wide range of food for trekkers, including some imported products (although no freeze-dried food).
Surrounding the market are stalls of fruits, vegetables, mountain cheese, and freshly slaughtered chickens. Anything you cannot find here, like fresh bread, will be in the minimarkets on San Martín.
The best grocery stores, which do not have a good section of produce, are Market Ortiz (Luzuriaga 401, tel. 043/42-1653, 8 a.m.–10 p.m. daily) or, on the opposite side of town, Novoplaza (Luzuriaga 882, tel. 043/42-2945, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 7 a.m.–midnight Sat., 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Sun.).
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/peru/huaraz-and-the-cordillera-blanca/huaraz
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/peru/cusco
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/peru/lake-titicaca-and-canyon-country/arequipa
[4] http://www.cafeandino.com
[5] http://www.moon.com/destinations/peru/huaraz-and-the-cordillera-blanca/trekking-the-andes/cordillera-blanca
[6] http://www.moon.com/destinations/peru/huaraz-and-the-cordillera-blanca/trekking-the-andes/cordillera-huayhuash
[7] http://huaylas.com/californiacafe
[8] http://www.huaraz.net/pachamama
[9] http://www.elhornopizzeria.com