Bolivian Food and Drink: A Traveler's Guide

Why Bolivian food surprises travelers

Bolivia's cuisine reflects its altitude and Andean roots. Highland staples like potatoes, quinoa, and corn meet lowland tropical ingredients, and meals are hearty, affordable, and deeply regional. Eating well here costs very little if you follow the locals.

Signature dishes to try

• Salteña - a juicy baked pastry filled with beef or chicken, peas, potato and a slightly sweet, soupy sauce. Eaten mid-morning, never with cutlery.
• Silpancho - a Cochabamba classic: a thin breaded beef cutlet over rice and potatoes, topped with a fried egg and chopped tomato-onion salsa.
• Pique macho - a sharing plate of beef, sausage, fries, egg and locoto chili. Order one for two people.
• Sopa de mani - a comforting peanut soup with noodles, found almost everywhere.
• Majadito - a soupy rice dish from the Santa Cruz lowlands, often with charque (dried beef).

Street food worth the queue

• Anticuchos - grilled beef-heart skewers sold at night, served with potato and peanut sauce.
• Tucumanas - deep-fried empanadas you dress yourself at the salsa bar.
• Cunape - cheesy yuca-flour rolls, perfect with morning coffee.
• Api con pasteles - a hot purple-corn drink with fried pastries, the classic Andean breakfast.

Drinks, from chicha to singani

• Singani is Bolivia's national grape spirit; try it in a chuflay with ginger ale and lime.
• Chicha is a fermented or fresh corn drink, strongest around Cochabamba.
• Mate de coca eases altitude and is offered everywhere in La Paz.
• Local beers like Pacena and Huari are crisp and cheap, around 15-20 Bs in bars.

Practical dining tips

• Markets like Mercado Lanza (La Paz) and Mercado 25 de Mayo (Sucre) are the best cheap eats; look for busy stalls.
• A set lunch, the almuerzo, costs roughly 15-30 Bs and includes soup, main and a drink.
• Tipping is modest; rounding up or 10% in restaurants is appreciated.
• Carry small cash; many stalls do not take cards.
• Stick to bottled or purified water, and ease into rich food at altitude.

Stay connected in Bolivia

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