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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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Peru restaurants
All larger towns in Peru have a fair choice of restaurants ,
most of which offer a varied menu. Among them there's usually a few chifa (
Chinese ) places, and nowadays a fair number of vegetarian restaurants too. Most
restaurants in the larger towns stay open seven days a week from around 11am
until 11pm, though in smaller settlements they may close one day a week, usually
Sunday. Often they will offer a cena, or set menu , from morning through to
lunchtime and another in the evening. Ranging in price from $1 to $3, these most
commonly consist of three courses: soup, a main dish, and a cup of tea or coffee
to follow. Every town, too, seems now to have at least one restaurant that
specializes in pollos a la brasa - spit-roasted chickens. Tipping in budget or
average restaurants is normal, though not obligatory and you should rarely
expect to give more than about $0.5. In fancier places you may well find a
service charge of ten percent as well as a tax of eighteen percent added to the
bill, and in restaurants and peñas where there's live music or performances the
cover charge can go up to $5. Even without performance, cover charges of around
$1 are sometimes levied in the flashier restaurants in major town centres.
Along the coast, not surprisingly, seafood is the speciality. The Humboldt
Current keeps the Pacific Ocean off Peru extremely rich in plankton and other
microscopic life forms, which attract a wide variety of fish. Ceviche is the
classic Peruvian seafood dish and has been eaten by locals for over two thousand
years. It consists of fish, shrimp, scallops or squid, or a mixture of all four,
marinated in lime juice and chilli peppers, then served "raw" with corn and
sweet potato and onions. You can find it, along with fried fish and fish soups,
in most restaurants along the coast for around $2. Escabeche is another tasty
fish-based appetizer, this time incorporating peppers and finely chopped onions.
The coast is also an excellent place for eating scallops - known here as
conchitas - which grow particularly well close to the Peruvian shoreline.
Conchitas negras (black scallops) are a delicacy in the northern tip of Peru.
Excellent salads are also widely available, such as huevos a la rusa (egg
salad), palta rellena (stuffed avocado), or a straight tomato salad, while papas
a la Huancaina (a cold appetizer of potatoes covered in a spicy light cheese
sauce) is great too.
Mountain food is more basic - a staple of potatoes and rice with the meat
stretched as far as it will go. Lomo saltado, or diced prime beef sautéed with
onions and peppers, is served anywhere at any time, accompanied by rice and a
few french fries. A delicious snack from street vendors and cafés is papa
rellena, a potato stuffed with vegetables and fried. Trout is also widely
available, as are cheese, ham and egg sandwiches. Chicha, a corn beer drunk
throughout the sierra region and on the coast in rural areas, is very cheap with
a pleasantly tangy taste. Another Peruvian speciality is the Pachamanca , a
roast prepared mainly in the mountains but also on the coast by digging a large
hole, filling it with stones and lighting a fire over them, then using the hot
stones to cook a wide variety of tasty meats and vegetables.
In the jungle , the food is different. Bananas and plantains figure highly,
along with yuca (a manioc rather like a yam), rice and plenty of fish. There is
meat as well, mostly chicken supplemented occasionally by game - deer, wild pig,
or even monkey. Every settlement big enough to get on the map has its own bar or
café, but in remote areas it's a matter of eating what's available and drinking
coffee or bottled drinks if you don't relish the home-made masato (cassava
beer).
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Published articles and reviews about us
2010
Testimonials
Norman Pedersen
Date:
Sun,18 Jul 2010
Machu Picchu and my entire visit to Peru were
wonderful. A dream come true.
I could not have been happier with everyone I met through your
arrangements.
The tours were very informative and showed me more than I knew
existed in this beautiful place.
All of the accommodations were very comfortable.
The luncheon buffet at the Alhambra was top rate. And the Ferré
Hotel in Lima was also a very good choice.Your personal assistance
throughout was exceptional!
Thank you for everything!
Melinda Hughes
Date:
Tues, 13 Jul 2010
I was one of
the “Joel Williams” party of four who was recently on a Peru Gateway
Travel tour of northern and southern Peru. I had to write so you
would know how satisfied we were with the hotel accommodations, the
tour guides, the restaurants they choose for our lunches and just
everything about the trip.
The hotels we stayed in were well located, clean and convenient in
every way. We have absolutely no complaints!
Our tour covered Peru from the north to the south. It had four
internal flights, so there were many connections, pick ups and
deliveries involved. Peru Gateway Travel made sure we were always
delivered on time to the airports and promptly met and picked up
when we landed. We never had a moments worry.
Since we had many different day tours, we had several different
guides. All were professional and spoke our language well. All were
very knowledgeable and eager to impart that knowledge to us. They
chose great places for our lunches and the cuisine was
unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries but found the food
in Peru to be absolutely wonderful.
I also wanted to mention the drivers who picked us up at all times
of the day and night, drove us to our next destination and the
delivered us safely to our hotels. We never had a driver who was
less than prompt, courteous and most importantly, a skilled and
careful driver.
The sites we saw were the places we chose to see. And they did not
disappoint us. From the desert to the Andes to the Jungle, we
enjoyed it all.
Please feel free to use this email on your website or as a
testimonial. All four of our group would recommend Peru Gateway
Travel to anyone planning a trip to Peru. We were well taken care
of, enjoyed delicious food, saw awesome sights and had a wonderful
time.
Sincerely.
Ajay Chopra
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
We are back in
Lima. Our trip to Machu Picchu was wonderful, thank you and your
team and the ground staff in Cuzco for all their help and care. A
special thanks to Angella for her help.
We hope to do business with you in the near future.
Best Regards
Saikat.
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
I just wanted to let you know that we had an amazing
and wonderful trip to your country.
I must state that the people of Peru impressed me very much - they
are so nice!
While I have already filled-up the feedback form, this is just a
personal note to say Thank you.
Do visit India sometime - we have a lot in common.
Regards,
Irina Pascu
Date:
Fri, 25 Jun 2010
I am now back
home but still not believed that the holiday is over. I just
write you to tell you that I had a wonderful time in Peru and to
thanks for
your support. The circuit was very well designed and I had the
opportunity
to visit all the important sites I envisaged and also the Sacred
Valley and
the Altiplano.
I was really impressed by the organization and your people, always
in time
for pick up and interested to offer the necessary information.
Finally I showed to my friends that Peru is not so far and a visit
there
could be a wonderful experience. For me was a dream come true.
Many thanks to you and to your team.
Melissa Polier
Date:
Tues, 22 Jun 2010
My 2 adult children and I recently returned from our
hike to Machu Picchu and I wanted to thank you for all your
assistance. Our trip was great. We very much enjoyed visiting your
beautiful country. I especially want to praise our guide, cook and
porters. They did a terrific job. The food was marvelous and after a
long hike it was definitely something to look forward to. The
porters were very kind and when I needed some assistance at the end
of the 3rd day one of the porters helped me a lot. Our guide was
great. He was very knowledgeable and fun to hike with and he seemed
to really love his job. Again, thanks so much for everything
Read More testimonials »
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Peru Viajes
