Huancayo Restaurants and Dining

(Huancayo, Junin, Peru)

There are so many good reasons why an increasing number of tourists have now started to recognise the appeal of Huancayo, and the city's plentiful restaurants are certainly one of them. Dining out at lunchtime is always very popular in Huancayo and lunch is known as 'almuerzo', being the main meal of the day and usually served from 13:00 onwards.

Dining establishments and eateries in Huancayo often serve a set meal at lunchtimes, with starter (entrada), main (segundo) and pudding (postre) and this is confusingly called the 'menu'. Therefore, be careful when asking for the restaurant menu - instead ask for 'la carta'.

What to Eat

Peru's Junin region have so many speciality dishes to try, much of which incorporates aspects of Spanish and Cantonese cuisine, and is also very much influenced by the dining scene in nearby Lima. Peruvian restaurants regularly serve 'Huancayo-style potatoes' (papas a la huancaina), beef-heart kebabs (anticuchos) and various dishes featuring guinea pig (cuy).

For something very special in Huancayo, try a 'pachamanca'. This is a meat-based dish (usually lamb), wrapped in banana leaves and then baked in an earthen oven (huatia), using only hot stones. Pachamancas date from Inca times, although have evolved greatly over the following centuries. For many, the freshly caught trout (trucha) is very special to the region. If the thought of this food does not set your taste buds alight, then American-style burgers and steaks are easy to come by, as are sandwiches and pizzas.

The most central restaurants and eateries in Huancayo are based around the Plaza de la Constitucion. There are also further choices on streets such as the Real, the Puno, the Arequipa, and the Giraldez, where the very historic Restaurant Olimpico resides, the city's oldest and a good choice for a Sunday buffet lunch.

Dining is very popular around Huancayo's cathedral, particularly at the Destra de la Catedral, a homely restaurant with a very tourist friendly menu, which features pictures of the actual dishes to help you make your selection.