If you were not aware, the food in Peru is mind-blowing. I am not sure if it is the high elevations that make the fruit and vegetables ten times more flavorful or the the way the cooks combine the foods to make each dish mouth-watering. Either way, if you head to Peru, you are in for a treat. Also, it was surprisingly simple to find Peru Vegan eats in Cusco, Aguas Caliente, and on the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. Keep reading for our tips and locations.
Also, I apologize for the lack of good photos of the restaurants/food. We were always starving or exhausted when our food arrived that we completely forgot.
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Vegan Eats Cusco
In Cusco, there are a variety of vegan and vegetarian options. Not to mention a lot of traditional Peruvian dishes are vegan to begin with (think squash blossom soup). We found two places near Cusco’s historic center that were so delicious:
- Green Point Restaurant: So nice, we visited it twice! When we arrived off of our red-eye flight in the late afternoon, we decided on a multi-course meal that included a salad, appetizer, main dish (try the lasagna), and dessert. We also ordered almondmilk and cashew lattes. Everything was amazing.
- Musux Runa Pizzeria: We happened upon this tiny little pizzaria, when we couldn’t find Naturlandia. There was a sign out front that listed a vegan pizza, which we thought would be perfect to take home for dinner. It was one guy working and he made our pizza from scratch while we played a board game and drank some complimentary tea. Home-y with an attentive chef/waiter, it is moments like these that make a city grounded. I do not have a link because it does not seem like they have a website, but it is at Siete Angelitos 254, Cusco 08000, Peru (across the street from Estancia San Blas hotel). The pizza was super hearty with vegetables and tempeh overflowing!
Vegan Eats Aguas Caliente
As I mentioned in the Salkantay Trek post, Aguas Caliente is a more developed town and continues to develop, we found at least one place that was specifically a vegetarian restaurant, with loads of vegan options. Even if this place is unavailable, I am sure most restaurants will have something on the menu. The vibe of one restaurant we went to with our guide seemed willing to accommodate changes as well.
- Govinda Restaurant: This places is specifically listed as vegetarian. We were unsure it was open, but when we arrived, the owner (?) jumped up to help us with anything we could possibly want. We had delicious fruit juices, an appetizer, and a tempeh burger. All were good and super affordable. One of the items took a while, but we realized that the owners son ran out to get an ingredient. So amazing they would rather run out to grab something than tell us that an item was unavailable.
Pack this for a Hike in Peru!
Vegan Eats Salkantay Trek
For our 5 day, 4 night Salkantay Trek, we went with a company called Peru by Locals. We chose this company because a friend of Hanna’s went on a trek with them a couple years before and mentioned how accommodating they would be in terms of dietary restrictions. Not only were they accommodating, our cooks went above and beyond to create masterpieces on the trail. Sometimes with surprise animals carved into the fruits and vegetables.
We made sure to ask before we booked with Peru by Locals. Then, we did follow up a few times to specify no fish, eggs, or dairy (butter, milk, etc.). Although the company seemed to already understand what vegan meant, I felt it was good to specify. They did make one or two dishes that had eggs (for Hanna) or meat (for our guide) in them, but everything was well separated.
On the days of our trek, we ate:
- Hearty breakfast with two to three options (usually oatmeal, pancakes, fruits, vegetarian (not vegan) omelettes, etc.) with coffee and fruit juices.
- Morning snacks if we wanted them (usually a fruit like bananas, oranges, apples, with a granola type bar, lollipops, etc.)
- Hearty lunch with two to three options (usually a grain like rice or noodles, then vegetables cooked in a variety of ways)
- Afternoon snacks (repeat of morning snacks)
- Hearty dinner similar to lunch with something sweet
Overall Thoughts
It was a lovely surprise how easy it was to find Peru vegan eats. Part of the ease was not having to worry while we were on the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu with Peru by Locals. But when we did eat in restaurants it was delicious and super affordable. The portions were also quite large, which was fantastic because I was ravenous with the elevation change.
What other vegetarian and vegan restaurants have you found in Peru? Unfortunately, we did not stay in Lima to experience the 5-star restaurants, but let us know what we missed!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
