Where to buy the Best Juice in Cusco

Where to buy the Best Juice in Cusco
One of the best things of traveling Peru is the amazing food: ceviche, lomo saltado, cuy, and many others. But one of my favoriaries is: the fresh fruit! And one of the best ways to enjoy this fruit is in one of the jugerías that line the streets of Cusco. A glass of fresh juice can cost anywhere from S/. 4 to 10, depending on the location, the fruit, and what you decide to mix with it: another fruit, water, milk, or yogurt. Most jugerías also offer a range of snacks, sandwiches, and Peruvian desserts. So how to pick the best place to go? Here is a quick guide. You’ll discover two of the most popular jugerías close to the Plaza de Armas, and another, where I had the best juice I’ve ever tried – just a few blocks further off the beaten path.

On the west side of the Plaza de Armas, you can find “Yajúú”. While you won’t find much solid food of special interest, they offer a wide variety of drinks including plain juice, medicinal juices, smoothies, “exóticos” – the slightly less common juices, and “silvestres” – a whole group of unusual drinks you certainly will want to try if you are the adventurous type. The drinks here are good, and the prices are on the lower end: S/. 4 for a simple juice with water, S/. 7 for the medicinal drinks, and S/. 14 for the smoothies. If you’re looking for an easy stop, and an average drink for a reasonable price, Yajúú fits the bill perfectly.

Just a few blocks further west toward the Plaza San Francisco, in the corner of Calles Marquez and Neladeros, you can find the ever-popular “Peru Juice”. Entering this shop, you’ll notice a nice mix of Peruvians and foreigners due to its extensive menus that includes any kind of juice you could want, sandwiches, pollo a la brasa, hamburgers, and – again – Peruvian dessert. If you’re looking for a good place to go as a group who can’t agree on what to eat, this is the place for you! The prices are a bit higher than at most other places, a sandwhich costing S/. 9 instead of the typical S/. 7, and even the simplest juices costing at least S/. 6. As could be expected in a place as varied as this shop, nothing is as good as you would get in a specialty place. You end up paying for convenience instead of quality.

But if you’re looking for an authentic Cusqueñan jugería with an all-Spanish menu, amazing juice, yummy snacks, and reasonable prices, look no further than the delicious “Snack del Carmen”, less than a block from Limac Pampa Grande! With a nice menu of sandwiches, desserts, juices, and other drinks, Carmen offers a perfect snack spot in the middle of a hot – or cold – Cusco afternoon. With a price range similar to that in Yajúú, S/. 4 – 8. The beauty of this little cafe is not only in its menu and prices, but also in its size – you get to watch the owners make your made-to-order juice right in front of you! And here’s a pro-tip for you grilled cheese lovers out there: buy here!

So whether it’s a quick stop on the plaza of Cusco, a group outing to try all of Peruvian cuisine at once, or a small trip to buy the best “juice” in town, you really can’t go wrong when it comes to jugerías in Cusco! Take some time to try a new fruit, or maybe a mix that you wouldn’t have thought of on your own, and leave a comment letting me know where YOU found the best juice in Cusco!

Beth Pinzur, Cusco, Octubre 2015