Jujuy has one of Argentina's most distinctive regional cuisines, built on corn, potatoes, quinoa, squash, and llama. Look for empanadas jujeñas (smaller and spicier than their Salta cousins, often filled with llama and cumin), humitas wrapped in corn husks, tamales, and the festive corn-and-bean stew locro. The best eating clusters in Tilcara and Purmamarca, though the provincial capital, San Salvador de Jujuy, has its own strong lineup of cooperative-run bodegones and highly rated dining rooms worth a detour; here is where to find it.
Where to Eat in Jujuy
1Must visit
Restaurant4.6
El Nuevo Progreso 1917
Tilcara's most celebrated restaurant, in a restored 1917 general store. Contemporary Andean cooking with llama, quinoa, and Andean potatoes, plus an excellent high-altitude wine list. The region's standout fine-dining experience.
Tilcara
2
Restaurant4.2
Pachamama Restaurante
A cozy stone-and-adobe house serving generous regional plates, empanadas jujeñas, tamales, locro, and quinoa stew, at excellent value with warm service. The local-favourite comfort-food choice in Tilcara.
Tilcara
3
Food
Andean Cooking Class in Tilcara
Learn to make empanadas jujeñas, humitas, and quinoa dishes in a hands-on class in Tilcara, often with a market visit to buy Andean potatoes and aji. The most immersive way to taste the region.
Tilcara2-3 hours
4
Market4.1
Feria Artesanal de Purmamarca
Beyond textiles and crafts, Purmamarca's daily market is the place to pick up local spices, pimenton, aji, and cumin, the building blocks of jujeño cooking, plus snacks to fuel a day on the road.
Purmamarca
5
Restaurant
Manos Jujeñas
A small cooperative-run eatery in San Salvador de Jujuy's city center dishing out honest locro, tamales, humita, and llama stew the way jujeño families have made them for generations. Cash only, but the most authentic taste of home-style regional cooking in the capital.
Centro
6
Restaurant
Viracocha
One of the capital's most highly rated dining rooms, pairing Andean classics like locro and llama with a serious wine list in a wheelchair-accessible space on Calle Independencia. The best pick for a proper sit-down regional meal if you're based in San Salvador de Jujuy rather than the Quebrada towns.
Centro
7
Restaurant
Picantería y Restaurant Locoto
A classic bodegon near the city center serving generously portioned, home-style locro, empanadas, humita, and tamales at accessible prices. A near-obligatory stop for travelers wanting traditional northwestern cooking without a fine-dining price tag.
Centro
8
Restaurant
Restaurante Sirio Libanesa
Run by the city's Syrian-Lebanese community club, this restaurant serves hummus, kibbeh, and stuffed grape leaves alongside grilled meats and pasta, a distinctive detour from the Andean cuisine that otherwise dominates the region's dining scene.
Centro
FAQ
- What food is Jujuy famous for?
- Jujuy's signature dishes are empanadas jujeñas (small, spicy, often filled with llama meat, cumin, and ground chili), humitas (grated corn cooked in husks), tamales, and locro (a thick corn-and-bean stew). Quinoa, Andean potatoes, and llama appear throughout the regional cuisine.
- What is the difference between empanadas jujeñas and salteñas?
- Empanadas jujeñas are typically smaller and spicier than the salteñas from neighbouring Salta, and they often feature llama meat, cumin, and ground chili. It is a friendly regional rivalry, and many cooking classes in Tilcara explain the distinction.
- Where is the best place to eat in the Quebrada?
- Tilcara has the strongest restaurant scene in the Quebrada itself, led by El Nuevo Progreso 1917 for contemporary Andean cooking and Pachamama for hearty regional plates. Down in the provincial capital, San Salvador de Jujuy, Viracocha is the standout dining room and Manos Jujeñas the best home-style pick.
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