Arequipa has one of the most distinctive regional cuisines in Peru. The classic dishes are heavy and assertive — rocoto relleno (the local hot pepper stuffed with spiced meat and baked with cheese), chupe de camarones (a chowder made from the river prawns of the Majes valley), adobo arequipeño (pork stewed in chicha overnight, traditionally a Sunday breakfast), and ocopa (boiled potatoes in a yellow sauce of fresh cheese, peanuts, and the herb huacatay). All of them turn up at the picanterías — old-school working-class lunch restaurants — that the city celebrates as a heritage tradition.
The picanterías are mainly in Yanahuara and Sachaca, several reachable only by taxi. The best-known are Sol de Mayo, La Capitana, and La Nueva Palomino. In the centre, the side streets around Calle San Francisco and Calle Jerusalén have a denser concentration of restaurants than the plaza-front cafes. Avoid the latter unless you want to pay tourist prices for the view.