Inkazuela — Restaurant in Distrito de Cusco

Charming, cozy, flavorful and delicious is how I would describe Inkazuela.

The restaurant sites on the second floor overlooking a plaza and Belmond hotel. We chose to sit in the window seat which offered these views but another desirable seat was one right next to the warm fire. There is a charming ambience while also cozy.

The service was very attentive and explained the menu well and recommended some dishes which we ordered and were pleased with.

The flavors were fresh, distinct, and offered a creative twist on traditional flavors.

What we ordered:

Beverages: Inka cola y Mama Luisa house beverage. The Mama Luisa was refreshing and sweet and would recommend to anyone who likes their beverages in the sweeter side.

Starters: Ceviche (trout) and ceviche (vegetarian). We got to choose how spicy each of our ceviches were. Both were delicious and the vegetable ceviche was shockingly a favorite dish. The variety and quality of vegetables used with the mix of spices was mouth watering. The trout ceviche was very fresh and the sauce had a lot of flavor as well.

Mains: Lomo de Res with fettuccini pasta in yellow chili sauce. This was a unique spin on the traditional Lomo saltado de res typically served with French fries and/or rice. The meat was so tender and cooked to perfection. The pasta was a surprising pair but also tasty.

Inkazuela Alpaca was one of the recommended dishes. The dish was served as a stew and resembled a sweet mole sauce. Very delicious!

Overall, from the service, atmosphere, presentation of the dishes and the flavor, this may be a top favorite restaurant we have e joyed in Cusco. I would recommend to anyone traveling and looking for a unique and authentic cuisine to enjoy...

It pains me to have to leave Inkazuela a 3-star review, but our experience here was vastly underwhelming compared to other reviews.

We came here twice. The first time, my parents ordered the trout and alpaca stew. Their dishes were stellar while my stewed cuy was a small portion (which, I admit, I was warned about - it was even smaller than I thought however) with a lot of small bones and unpleasant, chewy skin. It also lacked flavor other than the sauce. The “veggie ceviche” is delicious and worth ordering. The service from Jhoel and Wilson, however, was attentive and stellar.

On our second visit, we arrived about 40 minutes before closing and the service was far less warm. My alpaca tenderloin with gooseberries and quinoa was stellar while my mom’s veal tail stew was undercooked and chewy. It did not fall off the bone and needed to be put on a plate in order to cut off the meat.

The atmosphere is also a bit odd. The restaurant is decorated lovely, but uncensored Western music (like Ke$ha) plays nonstop from the speakers at an unreasonable volume.

Overall, maybe worth one visit if you have more than 4 days in Cusco, otherwise I’d sadly suggest a pass until their quality across all...

I went to this restaurant out of interest as I saw a recommendation in the Lonely Planet which claimed that they offer great traditional cuisine and amazing casuelas. I got a trout fish (from a local lagoon) with veggies and potatoes from the grill and a traditional rocoto relleno with pastel de papa (potatoe cake - basically layers of potatoes au gratin) for the appetizer, accompanied by a chilcano with locally grown strawberries. It was heavenly! I enjoyed the views to the sunlit square below the balcony where I was eating and the woods above in the hills, as well as the kindness and attentiveness of the staff who was ready to explain any question I could possibly ask about the food and drinks served. The restaurant offers some Andino "must haves" such as Giso de Cuy or Cuy al Horno but make sure if you want to try out any of these specialies (especially the ones from the traditional stone oven) to reserve in advance as these dishes take a while obviously to prepare. The "ambiente" of the restaurant is really welcoming and warm with little details that easily draw attention and some pretty...