Machupicchu Peruvian Cuisine

One would think that a prerequisite for working in a Peruvian restaurant would be to speak English or Spanish. Neither seemed to work here. We spent 2 or 3 minutes trying to get a simple glass of water while reading the menu. Maybe I should have tried Incan. After several more minutes trying to determine what they actually had available, we left.
One interesting thing about Lynchburg is that every restaurant gets great reviews. If you want third world food, go to Milan Indian near the university down the road a spell…

The food here was amazing! I was in Lynchburg on business for 3 days. I had a different dish each night. If you like different types of food you have got to try this place! 2 nights I had a seafood dish and 1 night I had one of the best Ribeye steaks with mushrooms and onions. Great food! I highly recommend it!

The restaurant doesn’t serve Peruvian food every day, no matter what the website says. Stayed at this hotel just for the restaurant and it wasn’t even open! Ignore the rating. Couldn’t post without one. Just be careful when you try to go.

Excellent peruvian food. I had a fresh fish dish covered in a cream sauce that was outstanding. Cant wait to go back

Visited the new location in the Holiday Inn Downtown this past Tuesday night. Elsa is back in all her glory! Every entrée ordered was superb. The only criticism is that the service took forever. They did mention that they were in the midst of training new servers, so hopefully this will improve in the future. And to agree with the poster below… the Chicha Morada is awesome! So excited to have this back on the Lynchburg dining scene.

I understand they have re-​opened at a new location in the Holiday Inn downtown. Based on my visit to the old location it should be good. I’ll give them another try next visit to town.

Here the flavor trumps atmosphere and service — but enough to make me a big fan. The restaurant was hard to find, until someone told us that it was next to Starlight Café. Be sure to turn on Clay for the ample parking in the rear.
It must have been our waiter’s first night (I hope that’s the explanation) because he couldn’t answer a single question about the menu. Because of Joe C.‘s helpful review I was eager to try the chicha morada. Our waiter had never heard of such a drink (we were later told that they had run out). I was also put off by the (lack of) cleanliness and order.
But many sins could be forgiven when we sampled the Mixto Ceviche and the Conchitas a la Parmaseana (scallops in butter, cream, and cheese). Everything was very nicely spiced — a seafood and rice dish with Peruvian spices and the roasted chicken with Peruvian dipping sauces were delightful. So although I began the evening with doubts, I left a believer.
The highlight of the evening was savoring the warm rice pudding (flavored with apricots, pisco, and cinnamon) while talking with the cook and proprietor Elsa. She’s a charming, upbeat, and enthusiastic proprietor, thrilled to share her love for her native Peruvian cooking and its subtleties in word and deed. Now, if only she can get a waitstaff to match her kitchen magic we’ll have an unbeatable ethnic restaurant!

My wife, kids and I are BIG fans!
My two oldest kids and I crave the Mixto Ceviche (extra spicy), we cannot get enough.
My wife loves the rotisserie chix w/​aji.
I am actually trying to get through to them (434.845.3255) right now to order a Mixto to go but it has been busy.
Elsa, we are proud to have you and your restaurant downtown!!!
–J.D. (Pineapple)

Completely agree with the other poster that Machu Picchu is a real gem that delivers on the promise of authentic ethnic cuisine. Named after the ancient Incan city, Machu Picchu offers a sampling of the diverse cuisine of owner Elsa Duran’s homeland, Peru.
Food at Machu Picchu is fresh and the flavors are bold. Peruvian food prominently features herbs such as coriander (dried, ground cilantro seeds) as well a chili peppers and other ingredients that don’t come off the Sysco truck. Elsa obtains her supplies in Falls Church in Northern Virginia where Peruvian restaurants are plentiful or imports them directly from Peru.
Chances are, Elsa may not only take your order but cook your food as well. Don’t be concerned with being unfamiliar with the menu items — Elsa or one of the restaurant’s friendly servers can help you navigate. For a traditional Latin American dish, try the Arroz Con Pollo, which simply means rice with chicken. The dish consists of rice, sofrito (a combination of herbs and vegetables) and a quarter leg of chicken. The flavors are delicious. Or, you can’t go wrong with the quarter or half roasted chicken served with your choice of sides including rice, beans, French fries or fried plantains. The chicken is succulent and skin is seasoned and crispy. This dish is excellent served with rice and beans. However, the side you don’t want to miss is the plantains. Also, be sure to try each of the sauces that arrive at your table with your order. Elsa makes them fresh. The green sauce has a nice kick to it.
Ambiance is one area where Machu Picchu is lacking. There’s Latin American music in the background and travel posters, but these touches do not disguise the fact that you’re sitting in a former bus station. If the temperature is agreeable, diners can choose to sit outside on the small patio with a fountain that the restaurant shares with its neighbor, the Starlight Café. There is ample parking behind Machu Picchu, accessed from Clay Street. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.
While we’d love to see Machu Picchu on downtown Main Street as part of a coalition of restaurants driving revitalization a la Roanoke or Charlottesville, we’ll take unique, authentic and affordable ethnic food in Lynchburg where we can get it. If you enjoy fresh food and bold flavors, put Machu Picchu on your list.

Machu Picchu is a great diversion toward unique ethnic cuisine in sleepy Lynchburg, VA. I really didn’t know anything about Peruvian cuisine before visiting, but the owner and chef was very helpful about describing all the different menu items.
We had chicha morada (google it) to start things off. The punch is very rich, but not too heavy. The flavor is unique and has all sorts of different elements like cloves, apples, etc. They made it fresh that day!
We each had something different. They feature the rotisserie chicken, which was very good. I had peruvian chicken in fried rice. The third member of our party had a lightly breaded and fried seafood dish with yucca. We were all very pleased with our selections and scrubbed our plates clean. They offer a bread pudding, homemade like everything else, and it was awesome. The bread pudding was chilled with fresh fruit inside, very moist and flavorful.
The best part of all was the prices — it is very inexpensive! The staff was very friendly and they had a nice patio for milder days. I think this is another must-​do when you are in Lynchburg.