Belmond Palacio Nazarenas Cusco: Chef Pía León's Mauka Honors Andean Cuisine

Belmond Palacio Nazarenas' signature restaurant Mauka is led by chef Pía León, named World's Best Female Chef in 2021 and known internationally for her Lima restaurants Kjolle and Central. Mauka takes its name from an endangered Incan root vegetable, and the menu builds outward from that idea, an ode to the full bounty of Cusquenian cuisine, drawing produce from the high Andean mountains down through the Amazon rainforest.

León's vision at Mauka goes beyond simply plating regional ingredients. Her stated goal is to preserve Peruvian culture in a way that transcends gastronomy on its own, curating moments meant to teach guests about the true roots and origins of Andean cooking rather than presenting it as a stylized tasting menu experience. That distinction matters for a restaurant operating inside a former 16th-century convent in the heart of Cusco, a city where cultural context genuinely shapes how food is understood.

Palacio Nazarenas was recognized in the first-ever extended 51-100 list of The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025, landing at position 87, a meaningful showing for an all-suite hotel built around the ruins of an Inca palace. Between the setting and León's kitchen, the property has become one of the more culturally substantive luxury addresses anywhere in Peru.

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