If you are planning a trip to Macchu Picchu, you will have to stop over in Lima before going on to Cusco. Lima does not have the allure and beauty of Cusco, but it is Peru’s capital and its largest city (8 million people), and it has a lot of very good restaurants. The fish served in Lima restaurants is so fresh that if you decide to go out for sushi, you’ll discover that it’s much better in Lima than at home. The ceviche is the way ceviche should be: piquant from the fresh lime juice and spicy from aji (Peruvian pepper). Note: ceviche is served during the day so cevicherias close at 5pm.

Most of the restaurants mentioned here are located in the Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro neighborhoods, not in central Lima, which is run down and neglected.

Astrid y Gaston
Cantuarias 175
Miraflores
Lima, Peru
+51 1 444 1496
www.astridygaston.com
French-Peruvian cuisine in an elegant atmosphere, very good cocktails

Matsuei
Manuel Bañon 260;
San Isidro
Lima, Peru
+51 1 422 4323)
www.theperuguide.com/lima/restaurants/asian/matsuei.html
Japanese restaurant co-founded by Nobuyuki Matsuhisa of Nobu; very good sushi

Osaka
Conquistadores 999
San Isidro
Lima, Peru
+51 1 222 0405
www.osaka.com.pe
Peruvian, Japanese and Thai fusion

Rafael
San Martin 300
Miraflores
Lima, Peru
+51 1 242 4149
Minimalist Peruvian, Meditteranean cuisine

Fusion
Choquehuanca 714
San Isidro
Lima, Peru
+51 1 422 7600

La Mar
Avenida La Mar 770
Miraflores
Lima, Peru
+51 1 421 3365
Cevicheria located at the corner of La Mar Av. and Tudela y Varela Av.

Punto Azul
San Martin 595
Miraflores
Lima, Peru
+51 1 445 8078
Very popular cevicheria, long queues at lunchtime, outdoor patio seating

La Gloria
Calle Atahualpa 201
Miraflores
Lima, Peru
+51 1 445 5705
Mediterranean

La Rosa Nautica
Espigón 4 Circuito de Playas
Miraflores
Lima, Peru
+51 1 447 0057
www.larosanautica.com
On the beach, romantic restaurant serving seafood

Chala
Bajada de Baños 343
Barranco
Lima, Peru
+51 1 252 8515

Cala by the Sea
Playa Barranquito s/n, Circuito Vial Costa Verde
Barranco
Lima, Peru
+51 1 252 9187

I have just returned from a trip to Peru, where I hiked with a group for several days to Macchu Picchu along the Salkantay trail (the longer, higher-altitude alternative to the traditional Inca Trail) and visited Lake Titicaca. Before going up the trail, I spent several days in Cusco, a beautiful town high in the mountains, to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

Cusco used to be a backpacker’s paradise, but it’s gone upscale in the last few years. Nevertheless, it remains a very special place with excellent restaurants, funky cafes and bars. During my two-week stay in Peru, I never had a bad meal. But especially in Cusco, the food was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding. Not only that, restaurants pay a lot of attention to detail such as interior decor and atmosphere. At the height of the tourist season (July and August) which is the dry season when many people hike the Inca Trail, one should make reservations for dinner.

Among the dishes you should try are the spicy pico de gallo condiment (chopped onions with lemon juice and aji, a very hot Peruvian pepper) which you can put in soups, quinoa soup, aji de gallina, and lomo salteado. Since Cusco is inland, the restaurants don’t serve as much ceviche as those in Lima, so stick to the local specialities (e.g. guinea pig, known locally as cuy, if you can bear the thought of a eating a pet).

Restaurants

Map Cafe
Museo de Arte Pre-Colombino
Plaza Nazarenas 231
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 242 476
www.cuscorestaurants.com/mapcafe_eng.htm
Creative Andean cuisine in a stunning minimalist glass box in a museum courtyard; my favorite in Cusco

Baco
Ruinas 465
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 242 808
Wine bar and restaurant serving grilled meats, pizzas

Cicciolina
Palacio and Triunfo Corner 393
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 239 510
Tapas bar and restaurant

Fallen Angel
Plazoleta Nazarenas 221
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 258 184
www.fallenangelincusco.com
Modern Andean cuisine

Tika Bistro Gourmet
Tocuyeros 566
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 237 900
www.tikabistro.com
Set in the Casa San Blas, a boutique hotel; risotto, pasta, innovative dishes

Macondo
Cuesta San Blas 571
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 229 415
www.macondoincusco.com
Artsy restaurant with funky interiors; Andean cuisine

Incanto
Santa Catalina Angosta 135
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 254 753
www.cuscorestaurants.com/incanto_eng.htm
Pasta, pizza, grilled meats, good wine list

Inka Grill
Portal de Panes 115
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 262 992
www.inkagrillcusco.com
Modern Andean cuisine, grilled meats, pastas

Kintaro
Heladeros 149
Cusco, Peru
+51 (0)84 226 181
www.kintaro-cusco.com
Informal Japanese place, excellent noodle soups and cold vegetable salads; vegetarian dishes too

Cafes

Panaderia El Buen Pastor
Cuesta San Blas 579
Cusco, Peru
Fabulous pastries: empanadas, apple turnovers, croissants; excellent for breakfast, too

Ayllu
Portal de Carnes 208
Cusco, Peru
Best place for breakfast; attracts mostly local crowd because the menu is in Spanish only, superb fruit salads and juices

Trotamundos
Portal Comercio 177, 2nd Floor
Cusco, Peru
Best Internet cafe (because most Internet places are in a dark basement, this one is actually within the cafe; very good breakfasts; balcony overlooks the main square (Plaza de Armas) with view of the cathedral

Dolce Vita
Santa Catalina Ancha 366
Cusco, Peru
Ice cream / gelato

The worst part of being Mapplr’s Editor is having to give away my secret places to eat out in San Francisco, Amsterdam and other cities. Before you know it, you’ll can never get a table again.

Recently I had very good sushi at Okina in the Inner Richmond neighborhood. In fact, the sushi here is much better than at other Japanese restaurants I have tried and the prices are lower. It is far away from any shopping areas or tourist hangouts, so at least, it won’t be mobbed anytime soon. Okina definitely makes it to my list of favorite “ethnic dives”, although since it’s Japanese, it is very clean and orderly, unlike your typical ethnic dive.

• Vibe: tiny Japanese sushi restaurant with an eccentric sushi chef; feels like you are in a Japanese living room; no adornments on the walls, very basic decor.

• Pros: people come here for the freshness of the sushi and the good prices; no loud sake-drinking mobs.

• Cons: very limited sake list; the restaurants is a bit difficult to find and parking is a question of luck; there’s nothing around it so if you want to go out for drinks before or after, you need to drive (or bike, or take your chances on San Francisco’s mercurial Muni bus system).

Okina Sushi
776 Arguello Blvd
(between Cabrillo St. and Golden Gate Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
+1 415 387 8882
Sushi

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Check out my other favorite restaurants in San Francisco.

What would you do if confronted with choices such as these on a menu:

(1) Desire: velvety Manjari chocolate mousse with vanilla crème brulee, crunchy feuilletine and French griottine cherries on a chocolate sponge.

(2) Mysterious: passion fruit with hazelnut cream filled with spiced diced pineapple.

Jin Patisserie in Venice Beach has even more tempting delicacies. Hidden in a quiet Zen-inspired garden, you can have high tea or lunch, which if you are very naughty, will include one or more of the pastries on the menu.

• Vibe: quiet garden with bamboo trees and little tables, perfect for lunch or afternoon tea.

• Pros: the most tempting, unusual pastries this side of Los Angeles, good sandwiches (prosciutto, smoked salmon, cucumber-gruyere); a quiet civilized place in the midst of the Abbott Kinney neighborhood.

• Cons: the worst place to discuss health issues, such as cholesterol levels and the epidemic of obesity around the world.

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice Beach, California
+1 310 399 8801
Creative, unusual pastries
www.jinpatisserie.com

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Check out my list of favorite restaurants in Los Angeles.

Restaurant Open on Westerdokseiland in Amsterdam

I don’t know why it took me so long to post my favorite restaurants in Amsterdam, given that I reside there. Here they are, with my absolute favorite - Quattro Gatti - listed first. I have also included takeaway places because they’re often so much better than restaurants (note: service in Amsterdam restaurants is often abysmal making the takeaway option very appealing). In fact, my favorite Indonesian place is not a restaurant, but the tiny, hidden takeaway (toko) called Terang Boelan, known only to the neighborhood. As you can imagine, I am reluctant to share my list of secrets, lest the touristic hordes descend upon these wonderful civilized places where food is the center of the universe.

If you are going to Amsterdam, make sure you read my list of favorite boutique hotels and stylish B&Bs. Never stay at a chain hotel again!

Momo (read review)
Hobbemastraat 1
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 671 7474
www.momo-amsterdam.com
Chic restaurant, lounge and bar that serves some of the best sushi and sashimi, and Asian fusion food (reservations necessary or you can eat at the bar)

Quattro Gatti (read review)
Hartenstraat 3
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 421 45 85
Italian trattoria in the 9 Streets area
(Reservations are necessary)

Open
Westerdoksplein 20
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 620 1010
www.open.nl
Very cool restaurant serving French and Italian dishes (see photo above)

Terang Boelan
2e Lindendwarsstraat
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 620 99 74
Indonesian takeaway in the Jordaan area, get the Rijstafel for two

Foodware Traiteur and Catering
Looiersgracht 12
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 620 88 98
www.foodware.nl
Fresh, delicious salads, pastas, full meals, desserts
Takeaway with small restaurant for lunch

Hotel de Goudfazant
Aambeeldstraat 10h
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 636 51 70
Industrial chic restaurant in a former shipyard building in Amsterdam Noord

Salle du Jour
Prinsenstraat 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 428 2455
www.salledujour.com

Looks (read review)
Binnen Bantammerstraat 5
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 320 0949
www.restaurantlooks.nl
Modern European cuisine

Kinnaree (read review)
Eerste Anjeliersdwarsstraat 14
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 627 7153
www.restaurantkinnaree.nl
Thai

Andalusia
Van Woustraat 173
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 662 2708
Mediterranean fish restaurant in De Pijp

Assaggi
2de Egelantiersdwarsstraat 6
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 420 5589
Italian restaurant in the Jordaan

Bouchon du Centre
Falckstraat 3
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 330 1128
www.bouchonducentreamsterdam.com
French

Van Dam Traiteur and Brasserie
Cornelis Schuytstraat 8
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 670 6570
www.vandamcatering.nl
Perfect for lunch and takeaway, Amsterdam Zuid near Vondelpark

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Check out all of my favorite hotels, restaurants and cafes in Amsterdam on a map.
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