Latest Culinary Destination: Mauka

Without a doubt, Peru is the greatest destination for foodies in South America. In fact, The Peruvian cuisine has been named the World’s Leading Culinary Destination for years.

While Lima is hailed as the capital of foodies in South America, we are taking you to the colonial heritage city of Cusco in the Andes, where lies Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel and its new restaurant Mauka by Pía León, 2021 World’s Best Female Chef. 

Named after an endangered Incan root vegetable, Mauka is an ode to the bounty of Cusquenian cuisine and its diverse produce, from the Andean mountains to the Amazon rainforest. At its core, Pía’s vision is to preserve Peruvian culture, transcending local gastronomy, curating moments to learn and experience the true root and origin of Andean cuisine. 

Together with local farmers and artisans, Pía and her team continue her culinary legacy, incorporating Cusco’s history and biodiversity into the restaurant’s DNA. Weaving past, present, and future, the menu curates unforgettable culinary experiences at the heart of the once capital of the Incan empire, using distinctive flavors from forgotten tropical and mountainous crops. 

To accompany the dishes, a curated list of wines has been selected from local high-altitude vineyards. Cocktails are made with distillates developed by Mater, which aims to explore, register, and interpret Peruvian megadiversity. 

Not only is the restaurant sure to impress you, but Palacio Nazarenas, features colonial frescoes with 21st-century elegance, Inca walls and an important collection of Cusco paintings, a fabulous spa and the city’s first outdoor infinity-edge pool.