Planning Your Trip to Bolivia

Meals in Bolivia are more leisurely and on a later schedule than in the United States. Bolivians eat 4-5 meals per day.

Breakfast is simple, and is followed by salteña, a break around 10:30 a.m. when they eat empanadas or a light sandwich. Most businesses close during this time (30 minutes) as well as lunch time. Lunch tends to be from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. and many restaurants serve a set almuerzo which normally includes 3 courses of a soup, a main course, and a dessert. Dinner is light and informal and starts around 8:00 p.m., and many restaurants will not open until after 7:00 p.m.. Meals are meant to be unrushed and you will have to ask for the check, as it is considered rude to provide a check without the patron having requested it. If you would like Knowmad to assist you with making restaurant reservations, please note that we must be notified at least 2 weeks prior to your dates of travel, especially if traveling during December or early January.

Price guide for the approximate cost of a main dish at each restaurant (please note that prices and restaurant hours are subject to change without notice): $ = Under 10 $$ = 10-20 $$$ = 20-40 $$$$ = Over 40

Covid-19 has affected restaurants’ hours of operation in South America as in the United States. Please refer to their websites For additional information and to make a reservation, as doing so may require you to enter payment information to confirm the reservation. We recommend making reservations at least 2 months in advance for the Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter holiday dates; and further in advance if looking to dine at a particular restaurant. If calling or making reservations from outside of Bolivia dial +591 before the complete phone number.

 

LA PAZ – ZONA SUR

• ANCESTRAL Price: $$-$$$ From Mauricio Lopez, former head chef of Gustu, and Sebastián Giménez, this restaurant highlights Bolivian ingredients cooked on the wood-fired grill. While they focus on meat, one can also enjoy fish, and even grilled artichoke hearts.
• CHALET LA SUISSE CALACOTO Price: $$-$$$ Enjoy expansive views and a mix of European cuisine from fondue to typical french dishes.
• GUSTU Price: $$$$ A regular on Latin America’s 50 best restaurants, this restaurant showcases native Bolivian ingredients, sourcing them from the Andes to the Amazon. Choose à la carte or the tasting menu. A reservation is needed.
• PHAYAWI Price: $$ The menu here celebrates the rich heritage of Bolivian cooking, serving typical Bolivian plates full of flavor.
• VAGON DEL SUR Price: $$ One of the most emblematic Bolivian restaurants, they serve slightly refined local cuisine, such as local favorites pique mixto and picante mixto. Reservations are recommended.

LA PAZ – CENTRO

• MANQA Price: $ A restaurant and social project that celebrates traditional food. Manq’a empowers youth in vulnerable situations by teaching them about Bolivian cuisine and providing jobs at their restaurants.
• POPULAR Price: $$ A changing tasting menu of 3 courses of high quality Bolivian cuisine with a modern twist. Open for lunch only, this restaurant is first come first serve, and is very popular, so we recommend arriving early. Cash only.
• ALI PACHA Price: $$-$$$ Vegetarian food with a focus on respecting the product from which the cuisine is made. They offer a short menu (for lunch), regular menu or extended menu with varying price points.
• VIENNA Price: $-$$ A well known Austrian restaurant serving a wide variety of European dishes and known for its martini. For dinner you can listen to the live pianist as you take in the antique decorations.
• LA CASONA RESTAURANTE Price: $-$$ In La Casona Hotel Boutique, this restaurant offers an affordable menu of the day with an appetizer, entree and desert as well as a la carte options.
• BANAIS Price: $-$$ With an extensive menu from soups, sandwiches and hamburgers to traditional plates and all day breakfast, enjoy the recipes inspired by the common flavors existing in altitude.

COCHABAMBA

• LA ESTANCIA Price: $-$$ A traditional Steakhouse (Churrasqueria) with a wide selection of meats from the grill.
• CASA DE CAMPO Price: $-$$ Typical Bolivian food served in a relaxed atmosphere. They have plate sizes especially for tourists, as portion sizes are normally sharable.

POTOSI

• EL EMPEDRADILLO Price: $ This restaurant serves a menu of the day with traditional dishes, and is known for its soups, especially Kalapurka, a hearty soup with a hot stone in the middle to keep it warm.
• TENEDOR DE PLATA Price: $ In front of the main plaza, this restaurant serves national and international cuisines varying from Pique a la Macho and llama to pastas and grilled meat (a la parrilla).
• EL FOGON Price: $ Enjoy international and national cuisine, as well as vegetarian options. For lunch there is a buffet and on Friday’s there is live music.

SUCRE

• ORIGENES Price: $$$ Traditional Bolivian food and a show with performances from the different regions of Bolivia. The show lasts for two hours and you can choose to include dinner or not. A reservation is needed.
• NATIVA Price: $$$ Choose from a tasting menu of 6 courses or a la carte from this constantly evolving menu, filled with Bolivian cuisine made using techniques from throughout the country.
• WATANAY GASTRO BAR Price: $$ Enjoy fusion cuisine along with unique cocktails in this cellar adapted to be a restaurant/museum, filled with ceramics, textiles and other cultural artifacts.
• LA TAVERNE Price: $$ A gourmet French restaurant known for its extensive menu of international cuisine and great service.
• JOY RIDE CAFE Price $-$$ A fun and lively environment, in the center of Sucre serving national and international dishes. Enjoy the salsa and bachata classes every Thursday.
• EL HUERTO Price $ Regional and international food, focused on constant innovation and new creations, which pair with their wide selection of wine.

SANTA CRUZ

• EL ALJIBE Price $ An old Casona focused on recreating traditional cuisine from Santa Cruz and its unique flavors, smells, and sensations.
• JARDIN DE ASIA Price $$-$$$ Asian cuisine made with Bolivian ingredients in a modern environment with architecture inspired by the 4 elements.
• EL ARRIERE Price $$ Enjoy grilled meat (carne a la parrilla) selected rigorously, taking in account the characteristics of every cut, alongside a wide variety of national and international wines.
• SACHA HUASKA Price $$ Contemporary Peruvian cevichería that celebrates creative cuisine with a fusion of Asian cuisine, local Bolivian ingredients, and seafood.
• KAO Price $-$$ A restaurant with Asian street food, including sushi, and known for its good service.
• LA CASA DE CAMBA Price $-$$ Traditional Bolivian food with flavors from Santa Cruz and grilled meats (a la parrilla), with multiple locations around the city.

• MARCHING POWDER by Rusty Young & Thomas McFadden tells the story of a backpacking journalist as he shadows a convicted English drug smuggler during his time in the San Pedro prison.
• ADELA ZAMUDIO: SELECTED POETRY AND PROSE is a collection of poems written by Adela Zamudio. She was known as the mother of feminism and women’s education in Bolivia and was active in the fight for indigenous rights.
• THE FAT MAN FROM LA PAZ, edited by Rosario Santos, is a collection of 20 works of fiction from contemporary Bolivian authors. The stories provide a diverse commentary on sociological and cultural issues spanning the last 75 years.
• LET ME SPEAK! TESTIMONY OF DOMITILA, A WOMAN OF THE BOLIVIAN MINES by Domitila Chungara is a first hand account of the struggles of a minor’s wife in 1970s working class Bolivian life and the political activism of one woman.