With several international chefs setting up shop in Santa Cruz, there are some incredible restaurants in Santa Cruz. So whether you like fine dining or eating at a local hole in the wall, you’ll have a place where you can eat in Santa Cruz.
For traditional Bolivian food, El Aljibe is the best restaurant in Sata Cruz. Other top restaurants include K’ao for Japanese food, Santo Peccato for pizza and the Steel Container Grill & Bar for American food.
Read on to find out more about my 18 favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz.
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El Aljibe
El Aljibe is my favorite restaurant for traditional Bolivian food. It’s an old house converted into a restaurant. It has a menu filled with local specialties so you can savor true Bolivian flavors. Getting to El Aljibe is easy, because it is in the center of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
The place where it is located is spectacular, a corner with a lot of history and the perfect atmosphere. The corner where it’s located is not only emblematic because of the corridors, wooden columns and old style, but because it has among its walls, one of the best kept treasures of Bolivia.
If you’re not sure what to eat, I recommend getting the tasting menu. It’ll be a feast for your eyes as well as your taste buds. Although the menu changes frequently, you can expect classics like peanut soup, salchichas, yucca with rice and queperi al horno.
Getting There: Calle Potosi esq.Nuflo de Chavez, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 70288881
Website: http://www.elaljibecomidatipica.com/index.html
Here's a list of the best hotels in Santa Cruz.
K’ao
In case you didn’t already know, I LOVE Japanese food. I can eat sushi every day. K’ao is one of my favorite places for Japanese fusion food. The bao and ramen they serve are definitely the best in Santa Cruz. Along with traditional Japanese food, they also have Japanese – Peruvian fusion food.
It’s a very cozy place with great service so I would gladly recommend it to anyone who like Japanese or fusion food. You have to try out the bao and the sushi. I also like the gohan and tempura.
Getting There: Av. Profesor Noel Kempff 759, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 3 3265777
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kaobysacha/
Santo Peccato
The pizzas from Santo Peccato are delicious! The dough is thin, the flavor is smokey, the ingredients are fresh and it’s not at all greasy! Whether you order a margarita, a seafood or a capresse pizza, they’ll all be incredible because they’re smoked on stone.
In addition to serving pizzas with creative toppings such as garlic shrimp or blue cheese, Sato Peccato also serves other traditional Italian classics like pastas, ravioli, lasagne etc. The prices are reasonable and the service is great. You should check it out.
Getting There: Calle Torre Lopez #19, Santa Cruz NNAA Bolivia
Phone: +591 69268848
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/santopeccatosc
El Asador
If you’re in the mood for a steak when you’re in Santa Cruz, head to El Asador. I have been there several times and tasted several different cuts of meat and they’ll always been very good. They use high quality Bolivian beef for their steaks. They also have fish dishes and a salad bar.
The decor is modern and the whole restaurant has an upscale feel to it. The prices are quite reasonable for the quality of meat you get.
Getting There: Av. Monseñor Rivero 376 Esq. Fortín Arce, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 3302425
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/elasadorchurrasqueria/
Ambika
As you can probably tell by the name, Ambika is an Indian restaurant. Although I generally like eating local food, Indian food is super popular so I eat that a lot. All the dishes are delicious and the service is always friendly. Their naan and butter chicken are to die for! They also have a lunch buffet if you’re in the mood to try different dishes.
Ambika is pretty popular since it has great service and great curry. There aren’t many Indian restaurants in Bolivia so if you happen to be in Santa Cruz and in the mood for curry, give it a shot.
Getting There: Leonardo Nava Street #83, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 76653038
Bendita Beer Garden
One of the few microbreweries in Bolivia, Bendita Beer Garden has the best craft beers in Santa Cruz. They also have great burgers that go really well with their beers. With a great location, it’s a great place to spend a few hours listening to some music and having a few beers.
Getting There: Cuarto Anillo y M de Oliveira, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 3 3265323
Steel Container Grill & Bar
The Steel Container Grill is a beautiful, comfortable and avant-garde place. Besides delicious food and excellent cocktails, they also have fast, great service. The decor is spectacular, a unique blend of containers and a sports bar type setting. It’s the perfect place to watch a football game.
The wings are to die for. You can choose two types of sauces with your wings which is great. The hamburgers are also very good. So to sum it up, delicious food, exquisite drinks, a cool place, cozy atmosphere, and excellent service.
Getting There: Av. Cristóbal De Mendoza 2do. Anillo, Entre Mutualista Y Alemana., Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 78510290
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/steelcontainergrillbar/
El Cuartito
El Cuartito serves a variety of pizzas, hamburgers and wings in a very pleasant atmosphere. The spicy wings are delicious and the french fries are highly recommended. They have two branches, one in downtown and one in Ventura Mall.
El Cuartito is a cozy place where you can enjoy an excellent meal and a few beers at a very good price. I recommend stopping by.
Getting There: Av. Velarde Esquina Con Elvira de Mendoza, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 72123000
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/elcuartito.bo/
La Sfizieria
Unlike the other pizza places in Santa Cruz, La Sfizieria specializes in gourmet pizzas. It’s a small and relaxed place with great service. The pizza is delicious, the dough thin and crispy and has an authentic Italian flavor. The lasagna and desserts are a delight too.
If you feel like eating pizza, make sure you go to La Sfizieria. This pizza is one of my favorites. The ingredients are very good and the dough is excellent!
Getting There: Av Marcelo Terceros Bánzer, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Phone: +591 77083312
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LaSfizieriaBolivia/
D15
Another pizza place! I can’t help it. Santa Cruz is full of pizza places. Like the other places I mentioned earlier, the pizza is very good, the dough is crunchy and not too thick. I really like the pizza with spinach dough and cheese and arugula topping. The four-cheese pizza is also delicious.
Besides pizza, D15 is also very famous for it’s matambre (Argentinian Steak). The atmosphere is relaxed and there are some TV’s with sports or movies. They also support art and culture, photographic exhibitions, live music, and have great service. I recommend it!
Getting There: Las Dalias #15, Sirari A media cuadra de la Av. San Martin, Equipetrol, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 76315315
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dalias15/
Sushi Tren
Sushi Tren is a conveyer belt sushi restaurant in Ventura Mall. It is the best fast food sushi in Santa Cruz. For conveyer belt sushi, the quality is spectacular and the flavors and combinations are very creative.
If you’re walking around in the mall, Sushi Tren is a good place to taste or snack on Japanese food that’s presented in a pleasant and imaginative way. It’s also a great place for kids because they have these “trains” taking the sushi around the tables and kids seem to get a kick out of it.
Getting There: Ventura Mall Patio de Comidas, Piso 2 Ventura Mall 4to Anillo, Av Costanera, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Phone: +591 72157202
Pomodoro Rosso
If you’re looking for a place to eat a good pizza that’s not from one of the typical franchises, you should check out Pomodoro Rosso. The owner is present most of the time and the service is great. I recommend the pizzas, pastas and calzones. They’re very good.
If you’re tired of eating pizza in Santa Cruz, give the pastas at Pomodoro Rosso a shot.
Getting There: Calle Warnes 475 y Tarija, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 60936885
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pomodororosso.santacruz/
Oishi
Oishi is a mall food court restaurant that specializes in creative Asian cuisine. It’s located in the relatively new Beauty Plaza Centro Comercial. The menu is highly creative and varied and I would gladly recommend Oishi to anyone who likes Asian food.
They have a little bit of Vietnamese, a little bit of Thai and some unique noodle dishes that are worth trying out. If you’re planning to go there, I recommend the bao and the noodles.
Getting There: Beauty Plaza Mall Local 313, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 67347961
Milan
Milan is an express Italian restaurant. They specialize in Milanesa and have several different toppings so you can find the flavor you like. Besides Milanesa with different kinds of cheeses, they also have some unique ones like Mexicana, Napolitana and one with Mushrooms.
Also, check out their Facebook page because they regularly have promos and you can get some great deals.
Getting There: 10260, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Phone: +591 3 3426114
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/milanesasmilan/
Acai Bar
I guess Bolivia finally caught up to the Acai superfood trend that’s been going on for a while now. As you can probably guess from the name, Acai Bar specializes in Acai bowls, smoothies, ice creams, desserts etc. It very close to the September 24 square so it is ideal if you want to grab a quick bite while walking around the city.
Getting There: Av. Alemana # 2095, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Phone: +591 76395287
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACAI-BAR-Superfood-2174761862801016/
Green Lovers
Green Lovers is probably the best option in Santa Cruz for vegetarians and vegans. To be honest, I love meat so I don’t really visit too many vegan restaurants. But I’ve been to Green Lovers and it wasn’t bad.
Getting There: Calle Alejandro Ramirez 14A Guapai – Equipetrol norte, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +591 70202000
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GreenLoversSCZ/
Parrillada Oriente Petrolero
Parrillada Oriente Petrolero is a steakhouse that servers grilled meat and buffets. I loved the meat here and it’s one of the few places in Santa Cruz that serve good quality beef.
If you’re in the mood for meat, Parrillada Oriente Petrolero is a pretty nice place where you can eat well at moderate prices. I recommend it. The service is very fast.
Getting There: Calle Tarija # 147, Santa Cruz 0000 Bolivia
Phone: +591 76012905
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ParrilladaOP
Sushi Flash
Sushi Flash is another sushi option in Santa Cruz. Although the sushi is average, they do make it from scratch, right in front of you. It’s located in the Belen food court so if you’re in the mood for sushi when you’re in the area, give it a shot.
Getting There: Avenida San Martin #830 Esquina Calle 5 Este, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Phone: +5913326985
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Sushi-Restaurant/Sushi-Flash-218393102118815/
I hope you get the time to visit some of these restaurants when you’re in Santa Cruz. If there are other places that you think I’ve missed, let me know in the comments and I’ll go check them out the next time I’m in Santa Cruz.
Here are some more articles about Santa Cruz, Bolivia:
Is Santa Cruz Worth Visiting?
15 Best Santa Cruz Jungle Tours
