Our Favorite Restaurants in Aguas Calientes, Peru
When you visit Machu Picchu, you’re either going to need to fuel up on food before you go–or you’re going to be ready to refill on calories when you get back. We spent a couple days in Aguas Calients, Peru. We’ve picked a few of our favorite places to grab a quick coffee or have a nice dinner.
Restaurants
Apu Inti Restaurante
Apu Inti is a pricier, fine dining restaurant for the area, but very reasonable if compared to similar restaurants in the U.S. It has a nice atmosphere with a beautiful wood detailed ceiling, chandeliers, and upholstered chairs, which is a nice way to relax after hiking around Machu Picchu.
When we were there, we had the cream of corn and cream of pumpkin soup, beef fonghi, and alpaca with blueberry compote. All were delicious, but I would recommend the pumpkin over the corn soup.
The beef fonghi is served over cheesy quinoa with a mushroom cream sauce. It was cooked very well and quite tender. The quinoa had a strong cheese flavor. So, if you like strong cheeses, like me, then you’ll probably enjoy it, but if you’re not a fan of strong cheeses, then you may prefer another dish.
Indio Feliz
Indio Feliz place is an easy five stars for us. During our stay in Aguas Calientes, this was our favorite restaurant. The ambience is unique, with a distinctly nautical/pirate theme that makes walking through the restaurant an experience in and of itself. The restaurant may seem overdone or over the top to some, but every inch of this place is a work of art. It’s covered with beautiful woodwork, from the walls, to the bar, and staircase, plus stained glass windows, and a large sculpted fireplace.
Plus, the food is great! We ate lunch here, then came back for dinner, so we tried quite a bit of the food. Every dish was excellent. Perfectly cooked, tasty, and unique. Whoever is working in the kitchen deserves a commendation. And the service is just as good. Each time we ate there Ernesto was our waiter. Both he and the rest of the wait staff were prompt, friendly, and created a fun, friendly, and enjoyable atmosphere. I cannot recommend this place enough if you’re in town. You owe it to yourself to have at least one meal here.
Lunch
When we went for lunch, we tried the avocado papaya salad, french onion soup, and mango chicken. All of it was delicious!
The salad was quite large. You’re served two glasses of avocado papaya salad, as well as a small side of tomatoes and peas, with olive oil lemon dressing. It could easily be split between two people for an appetizer or paired with another small side as a meal.
The French onion soup was also a good size. They served the cheese and mini toasted baguette slices on the side, which I thought was a nice touch, so you can tailor it to your own liking and your bread doesn’t get soggy.
Tony had mango chicken, which I’ll get to more in a bit!
Dinner
When we came back for dinner, we got caught in the rain and were thoroughly soaked when we arrived. They seated us next to the fireplace and placed our coats over some chairs directly in front of the fire, as well, so they were dry and warm after we finished dinner.
I liked Tony’s mango chicken from lunch so well that I ordered it for dinner, and Tony ordered the pepper chicken. Each dish was served with a side of grilled vegetables and homemade potato chips. The grilled vegetables were cooked perfectly and the homemade potato chips were among the best I’ve ever had. The mango chicken was also served with a baked fruit cup, with a hint of cinnamon, which was almost like getting a free dessert.
Full House Restaurant
On our last day, we had a late lunch at Full House Restaurant, where we overlooked the river and enjoyed great views of the mountains and festive music from some windpipe players. This place can feel a little touristy, but the food is surprisingly great. We had a delicious quinoa salad, stuffed pepper with potato and vegetables, and fried goat cheese balls. The quinoa salad was a standout for us!
Additional Suggestions
There were a couple other restaurants we were interested in, but unable to go to because they were closed at the time: Chullpi Restaurant and Tupana Wasi.
Chullpi Restaurant
Chullpi Restaurant looks like a nice fine dining restaurant serving Peruvian-Latin cuisine. The interior has a simple, modern look with clean wood paneled walls, red cushioned booths, and beige chairs. It has a 4.5 rating on both Tripadvisor and Google Reviews and the food looks absolutely delicious. Just check out the pictures to see for yourself. At the time we visited it was temporarily closed, perhaps for remodeling. But hopefully it will reopen in time for your Machu Picchu trip!
Tupana Wasi
Tupana Wasi serves Andean food and craft beer and appears to have a combination of casual and finer dining options. You can keep it casual with drinks and a burger, go for something more authentic like ceviche or chicharron, or order stuffed chicken or alpaca steak for a nicer dinner. It’s rated 4.6 on Google Reviews and a nearly perfect 5.0 on Tripadvisor, with positive comments on the food, service, and atmosphere.
Cafes/Quick Bites
Infinite Coffee
Infinite Coffee is a small, but nice coffee shop with a modern interior and a cool garden wall. They primarily serve coffee, but has some quick bites, like cakes, pastries, sandwiches, and empanadas. It also serves ice cream, including some unique flavors, like one made with quinoa. We had to do a quick lunch before getting on the bus to Machu Picchu and grabbed some empanadas here, which were pretty good, filling, and cheap. At the time we went it had a 4.9 on Google Reviews, 5.0 on Tripadvisor, and good WiFi.
The Coffee Club
If you’re looking for a coffee shop to do some work in Aguas Calientes, The Coffee Club is close to the main square, clean, has plenty of space, and wifi. I probably wouldn’t recommend it for a main meal, but it was great for a work space, coffee, and some pastries. They had some pretty good coffee and cappuccinos. The desserts were okay, but nothing special.