Ollantaytambo Vegan Food and Travel Guide: My Favorite Restaurants and Travel Tips
One of my favorite places to visit after flying into Cusco, Peru is Ollantaytambo. Located about 2,000 feet lower than Cusco and just a 1.5–2 hour drive away, it’s an ideal stop for acclimating to the altitude. Spending a day or two here lets you ease into the higher elevation while enjoying excellent vegan restaurants, exploring impressive archaeological sites, and browsing local market stalls throughout town.
In this guide, I’ll share our top vegan restaurant picks in Ollantaytambo from our most recent visit, along with practical travel tips to help prevent altitude sickness and make the most of your time in the Sacred Valley.
Quick Picks
- Preferred AirBnB: 📍Ayllu B&B Ollantaytambo
- Best Quick Peruvian Vegan Food: 📍Ashka
- Friendliest Food Service: 📍Apu Ausangate Restaurant
- Generous Portions: 📍Apu Veronica Restaurant
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My Favorite Vegan Restaurants in Ollantaytambo
Ashka
Location: Near Pinkuylluna, Ollantaytambo, and Quellorakay archeological sites
Good for: Quick service, tea and pastry specialization, vegan empanadas, tasty grilled vegan food options, and quick, friendly service
Our favorite restaurant in Ollantaytambo, is Ashka. We went here twice during our stay in Ollantaytambo since we loved all of their food and drink options and their speedy service, rare for Peru!
There’s a ton of healthy vegan options here as the entire menu is vegetarian, and the vegan options are extensive here as well as clearly marked.
The first time we visited, we got the vegan chai latte and vegan golden milk latte.
We shared a vegan empanada appetizer which came with a tasty almond-based cream dip.
For the main dish, we split a hearty vegan vegetable grill platter which came with a variety of homemade plant-based meats and grilled vegetables, topped with fresh chimichurri sauce.
At the end of our meal, we split a french press of coca tea in preparation of more hiking around archeological sites.
Apu Ausangate Restaurant
Location: Center of Ollantaytambo
Good for: Excellent, friendly service, caring servers, open late
Warning: Anything not on the vegetarian section of the menu (e.g. appetizer section) may contain meat! Be sure to call out to your server in Spanish that you are vegan and do not eat meat!
The first night we arrived at high altitude, we went to this restaurant as we arrived late in Ollantaytambo and wanted to grab a bite of food to eat before heading to sleep. I picked this restaurant mainly since it was open late, and saw that it had a vegetarian section on the menu that was clearly marked.
We ordered the Quinoa Soup (warning: not vegan by default and the menu didn’t specify it contained meat!) I didn’t want to waste the soup so I ate it, but I am sure you can make sure to call out no meat and ask for the soup to get a tasty vegan quinoa soup here!
My boyfriend ordered the vegan Apu dish.
If you don’t want to risk it and order the quinoa soup, I understand, but I wanted to call out this restaurant mainly for the exceptional service we received. I don’t think I have ever seen the amount of empathy, care, and immediate willingness to help as I have ever at a restaurant.
I will call it out at the end, and you definitely should skip reading that section if you want to keep your appetite since it involves a story about altitude sickness!
Caveat: The workers at the restaurant don’t know english that well, so read the menu carefully to ensure you select a vegan option and specify it clearly that you do not eat meat and are vegan. I would strongly suggest ordering in spanish here to ensure you get a vegan option, or show them spanish with google translate on your phone. For example, we ordered the quinoa soup but didn’t realize that there was chicken in it as it wasn’t called out in the menu.
Apu Veronica Restaurant
Location: Center of Ollantaytambo
Good for: Generous portions, fancy presentation, open late
If you eat here, I’d highly recommend their vegetarian burrito and quinoa soup (actually vegan!). If you had to choose between either or, then I would suggest the vegetarian burrito. The burrito tortilla though is not like a tortilla you likely are used to as its more fluffy and thicker and has a texture that’s a blend of a pancake and crepe.
Caveat: They don’t have as good of service as Apu Ausangate. When we went here, they didn’t really check in on us or even give us an extra plate to share food without us asking them more than once. This mainly could have been because we shared meals and didn’t order as much as the other groups that ate there, but their portions were so large and we didn’t want to take any food back, we ordered less!
Where to Stay in Ollantaytambo
Ayllu Bed and Breakfast
Location: 10 minutes from the main Ollantaytambo square, 20-30 min walk from all 3 archeological sites
Good for: Quiet area, friendly service, paid laundry, included breakfast
The hosts at this bed and breakfast are very nice (husband and wife) and originally had lived in Lima, Peru before moving to Ollantaytambo. They speak excellent English and are attentive and always looking to help provide suggestions on things to eat, do, or see! When we return to Ollantaytambo, we are definitely going to stay here!
They also were very interested in hearing more about food recommendations and took down a note of Ashka as a vegan food spot. So they are friendly towards vegan guests.
It was also nice that they did our laundry for us, though it was a bit expensive (they price it based of kg)! Even still, it was much more convenient than heading to a laundromat, so I appreciated that they provided this service.
The rooms were very clean and quiet, so it was very easy to sleep! I would recommend bringing earplugs though as places around Peru did have thin walls, so you should bring these in case you’re a light sleeper.
The shower had hot water as well which was excellent as not all Peruvian places have hot showers!
The view from the room was also pretty nice since you could see the Andean mountains in the background and a large field where horses occasionally grazed.
Caveats: This bed and breakfast is a 10 minute walk from all the main restaurants in Ollantaytambo so if you don’t want to walk as far you can either request a tuk-tuk for a few soles from your hosts, or you may opt for one of the noisier accommodations closer to center city.
The included breakfast is not vegan, but you can eat the vegan portions of the breakfast (dry cereal, fruits, bread, jam, fresh juice, coca tea, coffee). You’d skip the fresh yogurt, eggs, side of butter, and milk for the cereal.
The Altitude Scare at Apu Ausangate Restaurant
TLDR - Don’t order a beer the first night you arrive in Cusco or Ollantaytambo!
My boyfriend and I ordered a beer the first night at this place (horrible mistake because of the high altitude), and everything seemed normal for the first 15 minutes.
I was having the quinoa soup, while my boyfriend was having the Apu (rice and potato dish).
I think the soup was what saved me from more severe altitude sickness side effects since the soup had a lot of liquid in it to provide enough hydration.
Midway through our meal, I noticed that my boyfriend’s lips and fingertips were turning a bluish color. I said “Julian, your lips look a bit blue”. He turned on his phone camera to check and then, suddenly had a panic attack. He started breathing more heavily, was hunched over, forehead sweating, and responding slowly (as I would have, too to be honest). I felt powerless and had no idea what to do, and didn’t know how to speak Spanish unfortunately.
I called over our server for help and she immediately came over and called over other servers that we’re working late that night. They all jumped in to help by asking about what Hostel we were at to probably take us home (I thought they said hospital though since I wasn’t as adept as Spanish, so that sort of didn’t pan out).
I asked to purchase water and they ran over with a large water bottle, which once Julian drank half of it, he started to turn back to a healthy pinkish red. He still couldn’t stand, so one of the waiters helped me raise him up by his shoulders and walk him over to a more comfortable room with a large couch with windows.
One of the ladies that worked there opened the window to give him fresh air which also helped as my boyfriend was sweating profusely. When he cooled down and could think again, he and I spoke with one of the nice ladies that worked there that wanted to check in with how he was doing.
Even though we were only 10 minutes to closing and typically restaurants closed early if no one was around, all of them stayed until Julian looked better. I really appreciated their care and immediate response to help, even with the language barrier.
In the end, Julian was fine after drinking all the water and we were able to walk back to the AirBNB together, but that was all after they repeatedly asked to make sure he was okay to walk home.
So yes, they did serve us a quinoa soup with chicken in it, but I don’t think they did it in malice. I would still give them a try as they really care for their customers. (📍Apu Ausangate Restaurant)
FAQs: Eating Vegan in Ollantaytambo
Q: Can you trust that a menu section not marked with vegetarian but the item on that section doesn’t contain meat, does not contain meat?
A: No, restaurants may have a section like appetizer and a dish that looks vegan, but isn’t vegan! Ask in Spanish to make sure!
Q: Would you suggest drinking alcohol in Ollantaytambo the first few nights?
A: No, since high chance of you getting bad side effects from altitude (nausea, dizziness, or even blue lips from low oxygen).
Q: How is the service in Ollantaytambo?
A: Restaurants and AirBNBs typically have friendly service, though there’s a few restaurants that may have poorer service if you only order a few items.
Coming soon: My complete Cusco travel guide with altitude tips, packing advice, and things to do beyond eating.