Restaurants in Machu Picchu

Scores of small and friendly restaurants line the two main drags (okay, the only two real streets) in Aguas Calientes, Avenida Imperio de los Incas and Avenida Pachacútec. There’s a proliferation of cheap pizzeria pit stops hugging the railroad tracks; if you’re looking for an easy meal of wood-fired pizza, almost any spot in town can accommodate you. Menu hawkers, often the children of the cook or owner, will try to lure you in with very cheap menu deals.

For lunch during visits to the ruins, you have two main choices: the expensive buffet at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge or a sack lunch. I recommend the latter, especially because lunch is when lots of tourists vacate the ruins; pick up a sack lunch at Rupa Wasi or Gringo Bill’s, or assemble one from the breakfast buffet of your hotel. Note: You cannot enter Machu Picchu with disposable plastic water bottles.