Arequipa Nights Food Tour with 15+ Tastings

As the afternoon sun slips behind Arequipa's volcanoes, the White City begins to slow its pace. Office workers spill into cafés, charcoal grills flicker to life and the aroma of roasting meats drifts through streets carved from pale volcanic stone. For centuries, Arequipa has stood at the crossroads of the Andes and the Pacific, its kitchens shaped by Indigenous traditions, Spanish colonists and generations of immigrants who each left their mark on the city's table.

Before we get started, our tour reflects the local cuisine and the limitations of traditional eateries mean we unfortunately cannot cater for every dietary restriction. Here's an honest appraisal so nobody is disappointed:

⚠ Possible for lactose intolerance, no pork diets, mild peanut and tree nut allergies, and no seafood diets, though some tastings will be unsuitable

✖️ Unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans, gluten intolerance, pescatarians and halal diets

The best way to start an evening in Arequipa is with something fresh from the fryer. We'll tuck into golden buñuelos, delicate aniseed fritters that arrive crisp on the outside and wonderfully soft within, before making our way into Mercado San Camilo as the day's trading draws to a close. Designed by the workshop of Gustave Eiffel, the market remains one of the city's great gathering places. Here we'll taste creamy queso helado, still prepared using the same traditional recipe that's delighted Arequipeños for well over a century, alongside Peruvian grown cacao, exotic seasonal fruits arriving from the Amazon and Andes, and the celebrated olives that thrive in southern Peru's sunny valleys.

No city wears its regional pride quite like Arequipa. We'll continue grazing through local favourites, sipping chicha de guiñapo, the distinctive fermented purple corn drink that has accompanied Arequipeño meals for centuries. Alongside come toasted giant corn, crisp papa rellena and wonderfully crunchy chicharrones, proving once again that Peru's greatest flavours are often its simplest. Next comes one of the city's favourite comfort foods: a succulent lechón sandwich, generously filled with slow-roasted pork and best enjoyed with an ice-cold bottle of Cola Escocesa, Arequipa's unmistakable bright-yellow soft drink and a source of fierce local pride.

Passing the beautiful Santa Catalina Monastery, we'll uncover one of the most important chapters in Peru's culinary story.

During the nineteenth century, Chinese immigrants arrived in Peru, bringing new techniques, ingredients and the wok. Their influence gave birth to chifa, now considered one of Peru's defining cuisines. We'll discover this remarkable fusion through smoky lomo saltado, often regarded as Peru's national dish, alongside fragrant chaufa fried rice, proof that some of the world's greatest comfort food is born when cultures collide.

As darkness settles over the White City, the grills begin to glow.

Night is the natural home of anticuchos, smoky skewers of grilled chicken hearts brushed with fiery uchucuta, the bold chilli sauce that Arequipeños proudly put on almost everything. It's the kind of street food that locals crave after sunset and one of Peru's most enduring culinary traditions. Our final stop celebrates Arequipa's most iconic pairing. Fiery rocoto relleno, generously stuffed and baked until tender, arrives alongside buttery layers of pastel de papa, a combination that's been comforting locals for generations. By the time we return to Plaza de Armas, you'll have experienced far more than a great meal, you'll have uncovered the markets, migrations and traditions that make Arequipa one of Peru's true culinary capitals.