Ali Pacha

Breathless in La Paz, the World's Highest Capital City

"My favorite lunch pit stop, though, is Ali Pacha, one of the most progressive restaurants in South America. After training at London’s Cordon Bleu and working at Gustu, owner Sebastián Quiroga saw a film about animal welfare and had an epiphany: La Paz needed a vegan restaurant. The menu at Ali Pacha features roots and shoots, flowers and fruits: all exquisite to look at and thrilling to taste. I have crispy palm hearts, freshly whipped coconut butter, an “ash” made from beet, sweet quinoa, and ice cream made with cupuaçu from the rain forest. 'It’s not unrealistic to think of our native cuisine as largely vegan,' he says. 'Before cattle and sheep were introduced, the Aymara ate a diet of vegetables, pulses, and grains.'"