Editor Pick
La Quinta
I will admit that maybe I just had a bad meal at la Quinta. A couple had come here the night before for dinner and had raved about it. I came with a friend for lunch the next day, and was rather disappointed. Mind you, we were the only diners there - maybe service is better in the evenings.
Located north of Ayacucho, La Quinta is situated where the street starts to climb up in to the more indigenous area of San Lazaro. It advertises itself as the place to try local Peruvian specialities in Arequipa. After a hard day trudging around the Santa Catalina convent this looked like a good bet.
Once through the entrance you are into a shaded garden, with raffiawork over head to shield you from the sun. What this also meant was that dozens of flies also chose to take shelter there, and their inquisitive buzzing proved very distracting - though not as much as when they actually attempted to land in my meal or drink. The service was also very tardy - half way through my meal I decided to get another fruit juice. By the time I was able to get the attention of one of the youths who appeared to be running the place however, both myself and my companion had finished eating. Still thirsty I ordered the drink along with the bill. Even then I had to wait ten minutes for them to arrive. And as I say, the restaurant was hardly packed.
The food itself was perfectly fine. There was a range of traditional dishes on the menu, from cuy (guinea pig) to lomo saltado (a sort of beef stirfry) - not forgetting of course the llama steaks. From later experience I would say that the meals were slightly overpriced, but not by a huge amount. I ordered trucha (trout), and it came with yellow potatoes, salad, and onions. The fish was cooked through, but not overcooked, and hence made a change from the raw ceviche I had been eating down by the coast. The orange juice too was freshly squeezed. So for the quality of cuisine it deserves more stars than I am actually giving it here. It loses out purely due to sloppy service, and the everpresent flies. From other reports both of these issues seem to be rectified in the evenings, when you may also be lucky enough to have local musicians provide entertainment. But I would certainly warn against lunch here.
From journal Ary Quepay - Here I Rest