In La Paz, Bolivia, a New Slate of Restaurants Draw on the Country's Natural Bounty
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Christian Gutierrez/Ancestral
For years, well-heeled foodies had only one reason to put La Paz, Bolivia, on their bucket lists: Gustu. Opened by Noma cofounder Claus Meyer in 2013, the fine-dining restaurant focused on indigenous ingredients like oca tubers, llama, and fermented yucca. The first of its kind in the city, it proved that an appetite existed for creative interpretations of traditional Bolivian flavors.
In the decade-plus since, Gustu alumni and other rising chefs have created a restaurant scene that's uniquely their own. Marsia Taha, Gustu's former head chef (Latin America's 2024 best female chef, according to World's 50 Best), opened the three-floor Arami in the buzzy Achumani neighborhood, near the four-year-old Phayawi. Meaning 'piece of heaven' in the Guarani language, Arami focuses on the rainforest. Freshwater fish such as paiche and palometa are the menu's stars, along with lagarto (yacare caiman), the product of a collaboration with Indigenous hunters. Local sommelier Andrea Moscoso Weise, a veteran of Spain's El Celler de Can Roca, is a leading advocate for Bolivia's criolla grapes.
After winning international recognition (and awards) for their elegant comfort food at Ancestral, chefs Mauricio López and Sebastián Giménez have taken a more casual approach at their burger joint Omuh (slang for humo, meaning 'smoke'). Though this type of fare is less common in La Paz than beloved street foods like anticuchos (chargrilled beef heart skewers), it has conquered the taste buds of paceños (La Paz locals). In January, Christian Gutiérrez, who, after working at Gustu, opened the dessert and coffee shop Lolo, launched Bushaka, where homestyle dishes are cooked over open fire; the offerings include tachacá, a little-used spiny whitefish from the Amazon, which fishermen catch to order using traditional nets.
Cocktail aficionados are also in luck: JP Caceres leads the all-female service team at Cielo, located inside Green Tower, La Paz's tallest building. Order a Beso en Las Nubes or an Achacha Royale; both use singani, a type of brandy that is considered Bolivia's national spirit. The speakeasy Hammam and the bohemian jazz bar El Bestiario Teatro are great spots to try chuflay, a singani-and-ginger-ale concoction. When you stumble back to street level, keep your eyes peeled for a stall slinging anticuchos.
La Paz, Bolivia, is one of our Best Places to Go in 2025. This article appeared in the March 2025 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
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