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What to eat in Cochabamba? Where to eat in Cochabamba? 4 Traditional Foods You Have To Try in Cochabamba

The best traditional dishes in Cochabamba and the best authentic restaurants that make them, recommended by industry professionals.
Last update: Sun Apr 20 2025
4 Traditional Foods You Have To Try in Cochabamba
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01

Beef Dish

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia
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Pique macho is a Bolivian dish consisting of a layer of french fries buried underneath a heap of chopped beef, hot dog, eggs, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and chili peppers. The usual condiments include ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard, while sliced hard-boiled eggs are used as a typical garnish on top of the huge plate.


Many claim that pique macho was invented by Honorato Quinones and his wife Evangelina Gomez Quinones, owners of a restaurant called Miraflores, in Cochabamba, a city in the Andes mountains. The name of the dish refers to its size and the supposed masculinity gained from finishing the plate in a single sitting.

MOST ICONIC Pique macho

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02

Breaded Cutlet

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia
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Silpancho is a traditional dish characterized by its huge size and ingredients that are rich in fat and carbohydrates. The dish typically consists of a layer of white rice topped with boiled or steamed potatoes, beef or chicken cutlets, and fried eggs.


Silpancho is usually garnished with chopped parsley, onions, and beets. The dish was invented in the city of Cochabamba, famous for its unique cuisine. Its name comes from a Quechua word silpanch'u, meaning thin and pounded, referring to the meat used in the dish. 

MOST ICONIC Silpancho

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03

Savory Pastry

POTOSÍ, Bolivia
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Salteñas is the name of the national dish of Bolivia consisting of crescent-shaped, filled pockets of dough. The name is derived from the first known baker of these delicacies, who was born in the city of Salta, but he was later exiled to Potosí.


Oven-baked and filled with meat (typically chicken or beef), salteñas are commonly served for breakfast or consumed as a mid-day snack. The sweet pastry and its braided crust have a unique color and flavor that is of key importance to authentic Bolivian salteñas, due to the crushed seeds of the adobo bush, along with added spices such as cumin and oregano, called achiote spice. 

MOST ICONIC Salteñas

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04
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Arroz con queso is a traditional dish with a strikingly white color. It consists of rice (preferrably short and plump, such as Arborio), milk, and semi-firm white cheese. Rich and creamy, this popular dish can often be found alongside churrasco dishes and other grilled meat dishes, and it is recommended to serve arroz con queso while it is still hot.

MOST ICONIC Arroz con queso

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