Nuna Raymi — Restaurant in Distrito de Cusco

Edit: We returned the next day and decided to give this restaurant a much higher score. It was less busy and the difference was extremely noticeable. The food was much better and the service was really good. The portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. The sauces are amazing and so are the drinks. We were extremely impressed on the combination of service, food and ambiance, we must say we were not expecting to give this restaurant such a high score but the night they offered us was worthy of a bid gourmand. On the food we recommend: Pollo parrillero, potato experience, causa acevichada(our favourite) and the homemade ice cream which was outstanding. We decided to try a lot of things and ended up ordering like 5 drinks, and the restaurant definetly stood up to the challenge. The Emoliente, Chicha, Chicha de Jora and Aguaymanto juice were particularly amazing, with the pisco sour not so far behind them. Overall we had an amazing time and are definetly looking forward to coming back, even tho the waiting times were still long, the food we were served was definitely worth it! Totally different experience than our last visit when the restaurant was extremely busy, but even then the flavour of the food was really good.

You can read about our previous experience here:

Went here with my girlfriend on a busy Thursday night because we heard they had good picarones. The reception at the entry was really good and they even explained a bit about the local produce, but once we were seated we waited for a long time for someone to bring our menu, in the end we had to ask for it ourselves. They provided some chips and emoliente on the house which were really good and came with an amazing rocoto sauce; however, the food took forever to arrive, even the picarones which we asked them to bring 10 min after the food. My plate arrived really late, after I had already had 3 glasses of chicha, and even worse, my girlfriends plate arrived a full 15 minutes later. I ordered Aji de gallina which was really good when I tried, but almost every bite came with a piece of cartilage from the chicken. She ordered the potato experience which had again really good flavour, but it involved a very short performance in the begging and it was just extremely messy to the point in which it involved three different waiters to conclude. It is again worth mentioning that the flavour was really good, and the sauces provided with the plate were amazing. We were provided with some free emoliente with red berries during our meal which was so amazing that we ended up ordering more. The picarones took forever, even tho we ordered them at the beginning specifically because of this, and when I tried them I could immediately tell that the ingredients were really good, but the oil temperature used was not adequate. They had absorbed too much oil which made them feel extremely fatty and some parts were still gooey inside. Overall the food was good but the experience was horrible, the best part of everything was the chicha and the rocoto sauce, the potato experience is also...

Went over for lunch at the Nuna Raymi because my partner wanted to try something hearty. Was greeted wonderfully by the host and given a thorough explanation of the restaurant concept.

We were shown to our table and our server (Ephraim) was very patient with us as we didn’t know what to order initially. My partner finally settled on an item from a Google review but no longer available (stir fried noodles - not totally familiar with the local menu) on the current menu. The server was very accommodative and told her that he would get the kitchen to get it done.

When the food came out, my partner was filled with excitement. She was raving over the taste and offered me to try some.

The following will probably sound very harsh and I, myself, was debating on sharing this troubling situation. It seems to me like I was in the middle of a horrifying scene carved out of a kitchen nightmare episode.

I took some noodles and chicken from her plate and put it into mine. As I poked on the chicken, I felt it being very bouncy. Being an amateur home cooked myself, I decided to slice open the piece of chicken that came along with the noodle. To my horror, the piece of chicken was still pink and raw. I showed it to my partner and she told me that she had already eaten a piece.

I immediately tried to get the attention of our server but he was occupied with another table. Thankfully, the host that welcomed us was coming into the dining hall and I caught her attention. I directed her to the sliced up piece of raw chicken and she immediately called upon the manager. I told the manager that my partner had already eaten a piece and he swiftly apologize and took her plate away.

The manager asked my partner that if it is ok to get the same plate back to her. She nodded. In 5-10 minutes, he came back with a smaller plate of the same dish. Thankfully the mistake was rectified. I was hoping they could at least do a fresh set of the dish but since my partner has ok’d the action, we shall move on from this.

As a witnessing diner of such incident, I appreciate the effort that the restaurant staff took to rectify this mistake. It is understandable that a cook may have his/her off days. However, one thing that I still struggle to comprehend is the lack of remorse they have shown through this incident. It felt like all the staff on duty tried to swiftly rectify the mistake and brush it off as quickly as possible without giving a proper apology or showing proper remorse. I am not sure if this is the cultural difference or just pure nonchalance.

To rub salt to the wound, they did not even try to compensate us for the mistake and charged us the full amount for the meal. I just hope that the restaurant can take this review constructively and understand the value of food safety seriously. Not only they need to be more remorseful, they should also thoroughly educate themselves on the risk of eating raw, uncooked chicken. Being in Peru - the gastronomy capital of the world - it felt like Nuna Raymi fell really short today. Hope they can bounce back and...

More Than a Meal, a Culinary Adventure For the Soul!

From the moment you mount the stairs from the iconic Incan passageway, Hatun Rumiyoc, Nina Raymi signals that this will be more than dinner. The staff greets you not with formality but with applause, as if welcoming you into a celebration. Passing through a miniature herb garden, fragrant and alive, you are led into the dining room—already primed for an experience that promises to nourish both body and spirit.

The very name Nuna Raymi means “Celebration of the Soul” in Quechua, and that spirit infuses everything here. Their philosophy of regenerative gastronomy goes beyond sustainability—honoring local farmers, preserving native seeds, and protecting the biodiversity of the Sacred Valley. The menu itself reads like a cultural map, from alpaca skewers and ancient tamales to the Pachamanca clay-pot feast. Even before you take your first bite, you understand this is a restaurant with a mission: to nourish, to preserve, and to celebrate.

The first delights arrive in the form of drinks meant to highlight Incan indigenous fruits and spirits. Each glass is a bold introduction, infused with powerful flavors that reflect the land itself. They are not just cocktails, but invocations of history and nature, meant to awaken the senses.

Then comes the Potato Experience—a revelation that something so humble can be elevated to the divine. What might have been a simple side dish becomes a full ceremony. Our extremely knowledgeable waiter explained the varieties of native potatoes, each one with its own heritage. A small piece of aromatic wood was lit, releasing a cleansing smoke, as if to sanctify the moment. Eating potatoes has never felt so sacred, or so connected to the energy of a place.

Moving to the main courses, between the three of us we shared the Andean grilled chicken, a creamy Incan chicken curry-style entrée, and a hearty chicken soup. Each dish was impeccably fresh, layered with flavor, and prepared with unmistakable passion. Every bite reminded us that this was not food for sustenance alone, but food designed to be savored and remembered.

And then the finale: a divine chocolate cake crafted from local cocoa, a dessert that was both indulgent and grounding—the perfect closing to what was nothing short of extraordinary.

My wife and I have traveled to 50 countries, eaten at Michelin-starred restaurants, and been personally served by world-renowned chefs, yet I can say definitively that this ranks as a Top 5 dining experience of our lives. Nina Raymi is not just a restaurant—it is a culinary adventure...