MAP Café

MAP Café is a restaurant inside the Museo de Arte Precolombino, set in the middle of a restored colonial mansion on the Plazoleta Nazarenas. It describes its food as cocina de autor, a chef's cuisine inspired by Peru's ancestral art, and presents the meal as a place where culture and gastronomy meet. It belongs to the same local group as LIMO and Pachapapa, and it displays Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice awards for 2023, when it was named among the Best of the Best, and 2025.

The setting is the main reason to come. The museum occupies a mansion built over an Inca ceremonial building, acquired in 1580 by Alonso Díaz and restored in the early 2000s with the support of Fundación BBVA. Guides have long described the dining room as a glass-walled pavilion in the museum's courtyard, lit by candles in the evening, and some have mentioned live harp music. Eating here after an hour among the museum's gold, silver and ceramics makes for a memorable evening, especially as the museum itself stays open until 22:00.

The menu changes, and the current carta is published online. Dishes that reviewers have mentioned in the past include adobo cusqueño, the slow-cooked local pork stew, and chicken breast stuffed with goat's cheese and raisins, with elaborately presented desserts. A three-course set menu, with a choice of starter, main course and dessert, has been a popular option in the evenings, and is a good way to try the kitchen's style.

MAP Café is open every day for lunch from 12:00 to 15:00 and for dinner from 18:00 to 22:00. Reservations are taken online and are recommended, as space is limited. It suits couples and anyone celebrating a special occasion, and it is a calm choice after a busy day of sightseeing.

The Plazoleta Nazarenas is a short walk uphill from the Plaza de Armas and is also home to Palacio Nazarenas and Belmond Hotel Monasterio, so it is convenient if you are staying nearby. Combine dinner with a visit to the museum, ideally in the late afternoon so you can move from the galleries to the table, and finish with a stroll through the lanes of San Blas.