When someone asks what to eat in Huaraz, the short answer is: highland cuisine. Ancash gastronomy is built on ingredients that only grow well in the mountains — native potato, quinoa, wheat, fava beans — combined with lake trout, guinea pig and alpaca. These are the essentials.
The typical Ancash dishes you should try
- Fried or grilled trout: the highland fish, raised in the lakes of the Callejón de Huaylas. Light and nourishing.
- Crispy or roasted guinea pig (cuy): one of the most representative Andean meats, with potatoes and regional chili cream.
- Pachamanca: meats, potatoes and fava beans cooked underground with hot stones. A ceremonial dish, subject to availability.
- Llunca kashki with free-range hen: a traditional Ancash wheat-based soup, comforting and typical of the region.
- Pork chicharrón: with mote, sweet potato and sarsa criolla — the favorite among national visitors.
- Alpaca loin: in mushroom or duck sauce, with quinoa and glazed olluco.
- Free-range chicken soup: the best start or end to a day at altitude.
- Humitas and Andean desserts: chocolate humita, strawberry mil hojas, lucuma cremoso.
What to order depending on the time of day
If you've just arrived in Huaraz and are adjusting to the altitude, start with something light: grilled trout or a broth. If you're coming from a tour to Laguna 69, Llanganuco or Pastoruri, choose a hearty main to recover energy.
Where to try Ancash cuisine at Kay Pacha
At our restaurant in Huaraz you'll find most of these dishes on the menu, prepared with regional ingredients. If you prefer a countryside setting, the countryside venue in Anta offers the same cuisine outdoors, with green areas, 5 minutes from the airport.
A tip for your first time in Huaraz
Order to share. Many Ancash dishes — the grill, the pachamanca, the guinea pig — are made for the table, not for a single diner. That way you try more flavors in one visit.