Use this La Paz Restaurant Guide to find out about the local dining scene and for some recommended places to enjoy a good meal. And what better way to build up an appetite than by wandering around the local markets and enjoying some shopping in La Paz? Our Bolivia Restaurants Guide gives more details on traditional cuisine found throughout the country.

Food & Cuisine in La Paz

The finest restaurants in La Paz are located at the bottom of El Prado, the main street of downtown La Paz, near Plaza Avaroa and Plaza Isabel. Bolivian cuisine is characterised by its meat and potato dishes and delicious trout from Lake Titicaca. The food is usually very spicy with lots of pepper. A local beverage drunk at breakfast time is coca leaf tea made from corn, cloves, lemon and cinnamon. The drink helps alleviate altitude sickness.

To get a taste of the local flavours of La Paz, try the chairo which is a delicious, thick soup made of lamb meat, chuño or dehydrated potato, soaked chalona or dry meat, carrots, potatoes and other ingredients. Then there is the fricassee, a typical Bolivian dish of white corn, pork and chuño with yellow pepper added as seasoning.

The almuerzo or set lunch is a highlight of the local dining scene. It includes a starter or salad, a big bowl of nutritious soup, a main course, dessert, and maybe coffee. Almuerzos cost around $1.5 to $2 though you can find them for even $0.50 in some places. Lunch is the main meal among Bolivians and the almuerzo fits the bill completely. Most people have a light dinner with anticuchos, or beef heart shish kebabs on a skewer, served as an appetiser.

You should try all the local Bolivian dishes including the mid-morning snack called salteñas. It has pastry balls filled with chicken, beef or vegetables, and lightly spiced for taste. Another popular snack is the tucumano, a dough or bread patty stuffed with a meat or vegetable filling like the empanada pastry, which was originally from Argentina. Try the reasonably priced special of the day at restaurants in La Paz, it usually includes a soup, an entrée and dessert. A salad and a coffee are sometimes included too.

Drinks in La Paz

Beverages popular with the paceños or local people include tea, coffee and mate, which is a South American beverage like tea but less astringent. They also drink Paceña Beer, soft drinks, and several forms of chicha, which is a fermented beverage. A popular form is chicha de mani, which is like cold peanut juice. The locals drink a sweetened corn and cinnamon drink called api at breakfast. Bolivian wines do not have the quality or popularity of Argentine and Chilean wines, but are worth trying. An interesting drink is a chuflay cocktail, consisting of a mixture of singani, which is a liquor distilled from grapes, lemon and Seven-Up.

Food Stalls in the markets

The local markets have many food stalls that sell very cheap and tasty food. You will enjoy walking around the markets but you are sure to be tempted to stop and eat somewhere. The street vendors sell wonderful egg sandwiches and you can even get a steak-and-egg burger. It may be a tad greasy but makes for a cheap and filling lunch. It is very popular among the locals. The soups are usually good, except for the blanco which is plain broth and quite bland. The stews are tasty though the meat may not be too fresh. This is a good place to eat as you can look around and point at what you want.

Around the main street of El Prado, there are lots of different La Paz restaurants and shops. If you enter from the south, you can go up some streets on the left side, in the direction of Plaza Murillo. You will find bars and a shopping centre on the right just before the San Francisco Church. Keep going up the street for more souvenir shops and bars.