TravelGal
Hey Pauline,
Most of the restaurants we found were based on convenience. In Cusco, we ate at places around the main squares, and haven't had a disappointing meal. All food was very affordable.
In Cusco, we ate at Inka Grill. The alpaca here was good.http://www.inkagril lcusco.com/
Another Cusco restaurant popular with tourists, Yaku Mama's Grill:http://www.tripadvi sor.com/Restaura nt_Review- g294314-d1230599 -Reviews- Yaku_Mama_ s_Grill-Cusco. html
There is also this one boutique in the San Blas area of Cusco that sells leather purses. It was featured on Samantha Brown's Travel Channel show. You can design your own purse and it'll be ready in a day or two for about $25. I don't remember the name or address, only that we spent a lot of time shopping there!
We also ate a lot of pizza, which is isn't hard to find. But if you're in Peru, go for the ceviche. Guinea pig is also a popular dish, one that I didn't have the guts to try after seeing how cute they were. (Fatter and fluffier than their North American cousins.)
One restaurant in Lima stands out - Astrid and Gaston. This is a 5 star restaurant, and very well-known. The food was delicious and creative, and we were able to get seated without a reservation, though they are recommended. It's expensive by Peruvian standards - the Virtual Tourist review says dinner's about $30 - but well worth the experience.
http://www.fodors. com/world/ south-america/ peru/lima/ review-144188. html
Also in Lima, we had a great Peruvian buffet lunch at Junius:http://travel. aol.com/travel- guide/Junius- Lima-restaurants --Peru:128: 357468
Puno is a bit of an armpit, but there are lots of good restaurants on the main street. We ate at this place: http://www.balcones depuno.com/ . Good Peruvian food (though I think I ate pizza!) and entertainment with Peruvian folk dancing.
Anyway, thanks Lynn for taking pictures of all the places we ate at! I know others in the group have traveled to Peru in recent years, so shout out if you have anything to add...
One other thing, we found Puno to have the best and cheapest handicraft market. There's only one big one, and it's near the banks of Lake Titicaca.