Paddy’s Irish Pub

Paddy's Irish Pub, also known as Paddy Flaherty's, is a traditional Irish pub in the middle of Cusco. It is at Calle Triunfo 124, on a corner right by the Plaza de Armas, up a flight of stairs from the street. The pub is Irish-owned, and it has long claimed a place among the highest Irish pubs in the world; one writer refined the claim to the highest Irish-owned pub, since a pub in La Paz sits higher. Either way, at around 3,400 metres it is a novelty to have a pint this far up the Andes.

The decor is everything you would expect: Irish family crests, Irish memorabilia and a model Guinness train that runs above the bar. Guinness is available alongside draught and craft beers and Cusqueña, the local beer, and the menu includes pub staples such as sandwiches and cheeseburgers, as well as chilcanos, the pisco-based highball. Visitors have also mentioned shepherd's pie and lasagne.

Football is a big part of the appeal. Live matches are shown on television, which makes Paddy's the obvious place in Cusco to catch a Premier League game or an international, and visitors have reported live music on some nights. The crowd is mostly travellers and expats, so it is an easy place to meet people, swap tips about treks and recover from a long day. One writer's account of a Boxing Day visit, watching an English league match over lunch with a Cusqueña beside a regular who had settled in for the day, captures the atmosphere well.

The pub has been reported as opening from 10:00 until 01:00, so it works for an afternoon drink after sightseeing as well as later in the evening. It is a good base for a night out, as Mama Africa, Ukukus and the bars of Calle Plateros are all a few minutes away. It is also run as a sister business to Jack's Café in San Blas, the popular breakfast spot.

Paddy's suits sports fans, homesick travellers and groups who want a relaxed, familiar atmosphere rather than a club. The Cathedral, the Compañía church and the arcades of the Plaza de Armas are right outside the door.