Arequipa Picanteria Tour: Rocoto Relleno, Chupe & Queso Helado
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Arequipa, Peru
Arequipa
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
The people of Arequipa will spend a long time telling you that their food is better than Lima's. They have a point. The picanterías of Arequipa—large, historic, family-run lunch spots built around wood fires and chicha brewing—are a truly distinct institution, and some have been declared national cultural heritage.
We start at Mercado San Camilo, built in 1881 and reportedly designed by Eiffel's workshop, to enjoy queso helado—which has no cheese at all, but rather is a frozen custard made with milk, coconut, and cinnamon, scraped from a rotating barrel—along with the fruit and chili sections.
Then, off to a picantería in Yanahuara. Rocoto relleno: a fiery red chili pepper stuffed with minced beef, olives, and eggs, topped with cheese and baked, served with baked potatoes. Chupe de camarones, a river prawn soup with milk, eggs, and huacatay, is the dish the city is most proud of. Ocopa, potatoes covered in a huacatay, peanut, and chili sauce. And chicha de guiñapo, the purple corn beer that every picantería brews itself.
The guide will explain what a picantería really is, why they only open for lunch, and why Arequipa practically has no dinner culture.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, transportation to Yanahuara included.
We start at Mercado San Camilo, built in 1881 and reportedly designed by Eiffel's workshop, to enjoy queso helado—which has no cheese at all, but rather is a frozen custard made with milk, coconut, and cinnamon, scraped from a rotating barrel—along with the fruit and chili sections.
Then, off to a picantería in Yanahuara. Rocoto relleno: a fiery red chili pepper stuffed with minced beef, olives, and eggs, topped with cheese and baked, served with baked potatoes. Chupe de camarones, a river prawn soup with milk, eggs, and huacatay, is the dish the city is most proud of. Ocopa, potatoes covered in a huacatay, peanut, and chili sauce. And chicha de guiñapo, the purple corn beer that every picantería brews itself.
The guide will explain what a picantería really is, why they only open for lunch, and why Arequipa practically has no dinner culture.
Small group, maximum 8 guests, transportation to Yanahuara included.
Meeting point:
View on map
Mercado San Camilo, main entrance, Arequipa
We meet at the main entrance to Mercado San Camilo, three blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Your guide will have a small sign with your name.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Mercado San Camilo: The 1881 market hall. Fruit, cheeses, chillies and the herb stalls, with your guide on Arequipa's volcanic-soil agriculture.
Stop 2 - Queso helado: A frozen custard of milk, coconut and cinnamon scraped from a churn, which contains no cheese whatsoever and is named that anyway.
Stop 3 - Market juices and chicharron: Fresh juice from the market row and a plate of chicharron with mote and mint.
Stop 4 - Transfer to Yanahuara: A short ride to the picanteria district, included, with a stop at the Yanahuara viewpoint for the volcanoes.
Stop 5 - Rocoto relleno: A rocoto pepper stuffed with minced beef, olive and egg, capped with cheese and baked, with a potato gratin. Genuinely hot, and your guide will warn you properly.
Stop 6 - Chupe de camarones: River shrimp chowder with milk, egg, potato and huacatay. The dish Arequipa is proudest of, and seasonal - see the notes.
Stop 7 - Ocopa and chicha de guiñapo: Potatoes under a huacatay, peanut and chilli sauce, with the purple-corn beer the picanteria brews itself.
Stop 2 - Queso helado: A frozen custard of milk, coconut and cinnamon scraped from a churn, which contains no cheese whatsoever and is named that anyway.
Stop 3 - Market juices and chicharron: Fresh juice from the market row and a plate of chicharron with mote and mint.
Stop 4 - Transfer to Yanahuara: A short ride to the picanteria district, included, with a stop at the Yanahuara viewpoint for the volcanoes.
Stop 5 - Rocoto relleno: A rocoto pepper stuffed with minced beef, olive and egg, capped with cheese and baked, with a potato gratin. Genuinely hot, and your guide will warn you properly.
Stop 6 - Chupe de camarones: River shrimp chowder with milk, egg, potato and huacatay. The dish Arequipa is proudest of, and seasonal - see the notes.
Stop 7 - Ocopa and chicha de guiñapo: Potatoes under a huacatay, peanut and chilli sauce, with the purple-corn beer the picanteria brews itself.
Tour price includes
• English-speaking local food guide for a small group (maximum 8 guests)
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One glass of chicha de guiñapo or a non-alcoholic beverage
• Transportation between the market and the picanterias in Yanahuara
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the tour
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• One glass of chicha de guiñapo or a non-alcoholic beverage
• Transportation between the market and the picanterias in Yanahuara
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the tour
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pickup and drop-off unless otherwise stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. The tour runs rain or shine; Arequipa is one of the driest cities in the world.
Other notes
Tours run on Sundays and from Tuesday to Saturday at 10:30. We do not operate tours on Mondays, when most picanterias are closed.
This is a lunchtime tour and cannot be at any other time. Picanterias are a lunchtime institution—they open at noon and close in the late afternoon—and Arequipa truly has very little dinner culture. Anyone selling you an evening picanteria tour is selling you something else.
Chupe de camarones relies on river prawns, which have a closed fishing season, typically during the Southern Hemisphere summer. When the ban is in effect, we will substitute another picanteria classic and notify you before departure.
Rocoto is one of the spiciest chili peppers in Peru. Your guide will tell you honestly how spicy each dish is, and no one is forced to try.
Altitude: Arequipa sits at around 2,330 meters, making it our most pleasant Andean city in terms of climate, but it is still at high altitude. The downtown area is flat and the pace is gentle.
Safety: Peru is rated Level 2. Regional mining disputes can sometimes cause unexpected road closures around Arequipa; we monitor the situation and will reschedule your booking if necessary.
Water: tap water is not drinkable. Chicha is a fermented beverage, and we only visit picanterias that brew it properly themselves.
Michelin does not publish a guide for Peru.
Dietary requirements: please notify us at least 48 hours in advance. Ocopa, solterito, and market produce make for a suitable vegetarian itinerary.
Approximately 1.5 km of walking plus one vehicle transfer.
This is a lunchtime tour and cannot be at any other time. Picanterias are a lunchtime institution—they open at noon and close in the late afternoon—and Arequipa truly has very little dinner culture. Anyone selling you an evening picanteria tour is selling you something else.
Chupe de camarones relies on river prawns, which have a closed fishing season, typically during the Southern Hemisphere summer. When the ban is in effect, we will substitute another picanteria classic and notify you before departure.
Rocoto is one of the spiciest chili peppers in Peru. Your guide will tell you honestly how spicy each dish is, and no one is forced to try.
Altitude: Arequipa sits at around 2,330 meters, making it our most pleasant Andean city in terms of climate, but it is still at high altitude. The downtown area is flat and the pace is gentle.
Safety: Peru is rated Level 2. Regional mining disputes can sometimes cause unexpected road closures around Arequipa; we monitor the situation and will reschedule your booking if necessary.
Water: tap water is not drinkable. Chicha is a fermented beverage, and we only visit picanterias that brew it properly themselves.
Michelin does not publish a guide for Peru.
Dietary requirements: please notify us at least 48 hours in advance. Ocopa, solterito, and market produce make for a suitable vegetarian itinerary.
Approximately 1.5 km of walking plus one vehicle transfer.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $55 |
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