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good surprise

4 Posted on 08 / 18 / 2012

after a morning in crowded macchu picchu we decided to go down and look for some food.we are vegan and aguas calientes offers many,too many meat places but no vegetarian.we found eventually this govinda restaurant and there were just other 4 people at the time.we decided to try even though there was just a man doing everything.we ordered avocado vinaigrette and lomo saltado e montado and two juices.the man prepared everything at the moment and we had a very very good and tasteful lunch.it was a surprise and we could appreciate the dear soul of this man preparing everything with love and presence.we want to underline the very tasteful veggie meat he prepared himself,it was the best seitan we had and we suggest people travelling in aguas calientrs to go and try themselves.we felt honoured to have been there.

Pros: very good food, peaceful place
Cons: little bit long walk

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Yum!

4 Posted on 07 / 28 / 2012

Stopped in here for lunch and it was delicious. I had a beautiful big bowl of quinoa soup with greens, and a nice mug of coca tea. I enjoyed the atmosphere and food much more than the large restaurant my group went to the night before, and I could trust that it was really vegan instead of just receiving vague head nods.

Price was very reasonable, but I was out of cash. They had no problem letting me run across the street and exchange some currency. No English spoken, but very pleasant people.

Location: Corner of Plazoleta & Winaywayna

Pictures:
1) https://picasaweb.google.com/113830414560205871544/MachuPicchuGalapagosJuly2012#5769256447651131442
2) https://picasaweb.google.com/113830414560205871544/MachuPicchuGalapagosJuly2012#5769256468582891362
3) https://picasaweb.google.com/113830414560205871544/MachuPicchuGalapagosJuly2012#5769256383079928402
4) https://picasaweb.google.com/113830414560205871544/MachuPicchuGalapagosJuly2012#5769256413723346946

Pros: good food, eating with the locals, really vegan
Cons: don't trust unboiled water

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We should have eaten here

3 Posted on 03 / 20 / 2012

Having read some rough reviews of this place we mistakenly decided not to eat here but rather to try our luck with 'vegetarian' meals in non-veg restaurants. We also went to the restaurant owner and told him about the bad reviews as we thought maybe it might be helpful to improve the service rather than loose the business of vegetarians looking for a clean meal. He was a very nice man and the restaurant was tastefully decorated. After this we ate 'vegetarian' mexican at another restaurant, only to find I had eaten tiny pieces of meat in the beans which were in the burrito I had ordered, not only this I found out later that the burrito itself had been made from egg, and that the restaurant owner had lied to us about the ingredients. The beans had come in a tin with meat and the chef had separated out the visible meat. Disgusted by this we stood up and left the restaurant without paying. The moral of this story is that regardless of what reviews a restaurant may have it is better to have a potentially rough vegetarian meal than a tasty meal that has been prepared in a non-veg restaurant where you really do not know what is in it.

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Worst Govinda in Peru

2 Posted on 05 / 24 / 2011

The set menu (15 soles) is 3 times more expensive than anywhere else in Peru. Unlike with the Govinda in Lima (Miraflores) tou don't get a better meal for it.
In fact the soup I got was instant soup, with bits of flour still undisolved. The main dish was decent, yet only a small serving, and I left hungry.
The plate was nicely decorated with tomatoskin in the form of a flour and 2 uneatable pieces of a leaf of some sort. I guess, because of this decoration, there was not enough room on the plate for a decent serving.

Cons: small porcion, instant soup, expensive

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only veggie place in town

4 Posted on 08 / 26 / 2010

We had lunch at Govinda after our visit to Machu Picchu and were quite thankful for them. Our hotel restaurant (where we had an included meal the night before) just did not get vegan at all (despite our repetitive no queso comments). Anyways, the waitress did not speak English, but the menu was written in English as well, so we were able to decipher what we could have. We shared the fried potato appetizer and then the Spanish paella and Celestial sandwich (with no cheese) for entrees. Both were tasty and filled us up. We also had the papaya juice and lemonade. There was a large group there when we arrived, but we were the only other customers, so we had no problem with slow service. It's a bit of a way up the hill, but easy to locate on the main street.

Pros: only veggie place in town, filling good food

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A solid option in Aguas Calientes

2 Posted on 05 / 12 / 2010

The food is just fine. That said, the rice options taste identical. I was just happy to find vegan options in Aguas Calientes. The ambiance is a welcome respite from the crazy hustle in the town, but the service is really slow. Don't go if you have a time crunch.

Pros: Vegan options, Quiet
Cons: Slow service

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nothing special

2 Posted on 05 / 06 / 2009

there wasn't much special about the meal, honestly. we got the menu turistico for 15 soles. for the main dish, they did not have any noodles, which were on the menu, so we only had 2 rice dishes to choose from. we supposedly each got a different rice dish, although they tasted and looked identical. i've seen a lot cheaper for a lot better in cusco.

Cons: mediocre

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Tasty but slow service

4 Posted on 11 / 06 / 2007

This is a refreshing break from the hassling waiters of Aguas Calientes. If a bit more pricey than other Govinda's in Peru, it has a varied "à la carte" menu as well as 3 set menus for 15, 20 and 35 soles. We took the cheapest and had not expected we'd get an entrada, plato de fondo, drink AND yogurt with granola. The 20 soles menu includes a soup as well. Only downside was that the restaurant was understaffed when we went and the cook's little daughter was serving and the service was rather slow (over 1 hour for a 3 course meal). Slow but very friendly and polite. And the creme of corn, the avocado salad, the spanish paella, the quinoa chaufa and the yogurt-granola, were all absolutely delicious.

Pros: Good food, No hassling waiters
Cons: Slow service, Bit pricey

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Govinda

4 Posted on 08 / 06 / 2007

Between the Govinda in Aguas Calientes and the Govinda in Cusco, I never went hungry on my trip to Machu Picchu :)
I definitely recommend staying at least one night in Aguas Calientes...so be sure to check this place out for lunch or dinner.
-VeganTex