We ate at many restaurants in Arequipa and never had a problem with the food. Be sure the food is well cooked and stay away from unwashed fruit or uncooked vegetables, such as lettuce
in the lower end restaurants. In the lower end restaurants we refrained from ordering fresh salads even though
we were very tempted. We never had a problem eating fresh fruit and
vegetables in the higher end restaurants.
Some local dishes you can consider trying are the Cuy, roasted Guinea Pig and the Ceviche, raw fish cooked in lemon juices (usually trout).
You will see restaurants called Cevicherias or Cebicherias - they specialize in
raw fish soaked in lemon juice.
While in Arequipa also be sure to also try some additional authentic Peruvian
specialties such as the Adobo stew, the somewhat spicy Recoto Relleno
(Chile Peppers with meat and potatoes), Pisco Sour (Peru's alcoholic
National drink), and the Chica - a purple somewhat sweet drink made out
of corn juice. Arequipa also has very good "cheese" ice cream which you
can typically buy from street vendors.
El Cebillano is one of the more popular seafood restaurants in
Arequipa. It is located at Calle
Misti 110, in the Yanahuara district, just below the
Mirador de Yanahuara.
They serve a variety of seafood as well as excellent drinks. Be sure to
try their Peruvian seafood specialty in the Oyster shells.
The dining
is in their inner grass courtyard and umbrellas are available at each
table. The service is excellent. This restaurant can often become
crowded on the weekends.
El Restaurador is located at San Francisco 319-A which is one of the streets that touches the Plaza de Armas. This is a tourist restaurant with reasonable prices.
El Viqedo Jayari is a great restaurant serving a variety of
Peruvian dishes. A bar is also available at this restaurant.
La Trattoria del Monasterio
is a new
high end Italian eatery set among the
walls of the
Santa Catalina Convent in the heart
of Arequipa. It is owned and run by the
famous Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio who
also has his own TV show. Dining here is
quiet and intimate and serves what is
probably the best Italian food in
Arequipa.
Mirador Misti
is an
excellent tourist type restaurant
serving a variety of Peruvian Cuisine,
International dishes and desserts.
Excellent Trucha (trout), Ceviche, Cuy
(Guinea Pig), and Rocoto Relleno. You
can also try their Alpaca steak (Alpaca
is an animal that resembles a Llama and
its wool is commonly used in clothing).
They have two levels for dining - we
recommend the top level as its the
highest and gives the best views of El Misti and the rest of Arequipa. They are
located on a small street with other
restaurants and shops at Pasaje Catedral N 111.
Phone: 405290
Sol de Mayo is located at Jerusalén 207 and is a gorgeous restaurant serving clientele for over 100 years. The main buildings were refurbished in 1997 and it shows. There is a main dining courtyard set among the courtyard gardens - sometimes live bands will perform on a small stage here. The food in incredible. Be sure to try the Adobo dishes, or their fish dishes. Some of the stews are also quite tasty.
The only thing lacking in this restaurant is their lack of service - the waiters were a bit slow to bring drinks and the main meal, they forgot orders, and after telling our waiters 3x within about 30
minutes that we were ready to leave and wanted to pay the bill, we had to get up and walk to the main cashier. At that point the scrambled to find our bill and we finally were able to pay and leave. For more information please PHONE: +51 54 254148 or email:
soldemayo@terra.com.pe
El Tuturutu
is located at Portal San Agustín 105. This is a tourist restaurant located right on Plaza de
Armas. They serve breakfast, lunch & dinner. A variety of foods are served including local and international cuisine. Sometimes live music is played during the nights. For more information email:
tuturutu_balcony@hotmail.com
or PHONE 054/201-842
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