The Prince and The Hawker

Sometimes when travelling, you just want uncomplicated, local food that sits well in your stomach. My friend and I got that recently at Senkas Restaurant in Cusco, Peru.

After a couple of days of hiking to Machu Picchu, my friend and I were spending a well-earned, chill day exploring Cusco. With no particular plans for lunch, we happened upon Senkas. It is centrally located near the main square, Plaza Mayor de Cusco.

The friendly server at the door waved us over and explained their lunch menu: a starter, main, dessert, and drink for S/30 (£6.5, US$8). We were sold! Their menu has many choices for starters, mains, and desserts, and they run the gamut of traditional Peruvian dishes.

The staff were super friendly, conversing both in Spanish to me and English to my friend. We enjoyed the food and service (and price!) so much that we went back again the next day for lunch. This post is an amalgamation of our two visits.

Time to Eat at Senkas

One of the starters available at Senkas is the ubiquitous Peruvian dish, Ceviche. This was classic trucha (trout) with leche de tigre and some choclo (Peruvian giant corn). The dish tasted light and fresh. Curiously, I found out that trout is not native to the waterways of the Andes, but were actually introduced from Canada in the early 20th century.

Another starter they had was the Sopa de Quinua (Quinoa Soup). It gave me a very warm and homey feel, and was loaded with various vegetables.

The main dishes available included almost every classic Peruvian dish you could think of. Over the two meals, we tried four of them. Of course, we had to order Ají de Gallina, a classic throughout Peru. The chicken was tender and the sauce was creamy with just the right amount of spice from the ají peppers. I was a little bummed it didn’t come with a hardboiled egg though.

One dish we discovered inadvertently on our trip and ended up ordering over and over again was Rocoto Relleno (Stuffed Chili Pepper). The Peruvian pepper used is thick and juicy, which holds up well with the tasty filling of beef, eggs, raisins, vegetables, garlic, and cheese.

We also tried two mains that are famous delicacies of Peru: Cuy Chactado (Fried Guinea Pig) and Alpaca a la Plancha (Grilled Alpaca). Both proteins were quite lean. The guinea pig’s skin was incredibly crispy, and it was fun (and tasty) to pick off the meat with using our fingers. The alpaca seasoning was excellent and the meat was tender.

The desserts available were a little more pedestrian, but who can complain when it is included in the menu’s low price? We had triple-flavoured ice cream, and a moist vanilla cake.

Final Thoughts

Senkas presents incredible value for money, especially with their all-inclusive lunch menu. Their menu includes a dizzying array of typical traditional Peruvian dishes. If you’re on a trip to Peru and there’s something on your list of “to-try”s, Senkas probably has it available. Their service is personable and friendly as well. The central location means wherever you’re staying in Cusco, it’ll be convenient to visit.