Urubamba is the Sacred Valley’s market town and, increasingly, its dining capital. At 2,800 metres it sits noticeably lower than Cusco, the climate is kinder, and the farmland on every side supplies kitchens directly. If you are basing yourself here on the way to Machu Picchu, you can eat very well — if you know what to look for.
What makes the valley’s food different
Three things define the best tables around Urubamba. Produce at arm’s length: giant white corn, river trout, garden vegetables and highland lamb come from minutes away, not trucked over the mountains. Fire: the valley’s signature kitchens cook with wood — clay ovens, grills and rotisseries — a tradition that runs straight back to the pachamanca. Space: unlike Cusco’s packed historic centre, valley restaurants spread into haciendas and gardens, which is why lunch here tends to become the day’s main event.
What to order in Urubamba
- Slow-roasted lamb. The valley’s great celebration dish. Ours is the kankacho, twelve hours in a clay oven.
- Trout, done boldly. Beyond the standard fillet: at Las Manos it becomes a hot cebiche finished over flame in the open kitchen.
- Wood-fired chicken. Peru’s beloved pollo a la brasa gains another dimension when the rotisserie burns real wood.
- Grilled alpaca and premium cuts. Lean highland alpaca and well-marbled beef both love live fire.
Planning your meal
Valley distances are short by car but long on foot — most restaurants outside town, ours included, are an easy taxi ride or a stop on a driving day between Pisac, Moray and Ollantaytambo. Lunch is the valley’s golden hour; long gardens and afternoon sun do half the work. If you travel with children, look for places with real outdoor space: Las Manos keeps traditional games like sapo on the lawn and a kids’ menu in the kitchen.
One honest recommendation
Las Manos is our house, so judge the claim accordingly — but it is also the only restaurant in the valley built entirely around wood-fire cooking, inside a 5,000 m² hacienda at Km 71.1 of the Urubamba–Ollantaytambo road. Open every day, 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm; parking on site; reservations online or by WhatsApp.