Jill's : Cafe - Restaurant — Restaurant in Distrito de Cusco

We just got here in Cusco I did a quick search in the area and saw this place and it had a lot of great five star reviews, so it was a no-brainer. We got in and the menu was basically American, Mexican or Asian and we were looking for (any) Peruvian food. So I was a little embarrassed and told the lady after being seated and looked at the menu that we were looking for Peruvian food and she was so kind of helpful to recommend a place up the street from us. So after dinner at this nice Peruvian restaurant, we went out knick-knack trinket shopping and remembered this place because the huge desserts for only $4! My son was so hungry cuz he didn't like the Peruvian food so she ordered the barbecue wings and my wife was hungry too. So she ordered hummus toast and now I see why it was a five-star place, you get a lot of good food for a good price!

UPDATED : we came back the next day for dinner (for safe familiar menu items) and got lucky to get the last table (and in the corner), as there was a line out the door just after we got seated. We were so happy to come back and have good comfort food in large portions at...

Jill's is situated in the former premises of Jack's Cafe, which has moved one block further down the same street, both are under the same management. But there the similarities end. Jill's offers hot sandwiches, soups and salads. You can mix and match three types of bread, including toasted panini. On my visit, I had a Cubano, a delicious pulled pork marinated in orange with smoked ham and cheese on panini, while my friend had chicken with tomato and mayo, both were excellent washed down with lemon honey and ginger tea. Staff were attentive and you can actually see into the kitchen and watch the cooks at work, something I always like. August 2024 update: revisited with some friends and had the lemon ginger tea and a plate of smoked trout in bao bread......

When I first found this on Google Maps I thought it was funny that Jill's Cafe is just up the hill from Jack's Cafe. I also dismissed it at first because it featured hot dogs. When my wife was feeling some effects from altitude though and we needed a nearby restaurant, we ended up giving this a try.

Out of the 4 places we ate while in Cusco this one ended up having the best overall quality of flavor and freshness. I ended up getting the pork belly bao (great Peruvian Chinese fusion) and my wife had the quinoa soup bowl (not as great as one we had outside of Cusco but still very good--heaviet potato flavoring).

Overall would recommend although it does get busy and we had to share a table with a couple that was overly affectionate especially while sharing a table...