Chez Maggy

Location:
Raimondi 181, between Nauta and Napo
Iquitos, Peru

Restaurant

By Kris Dreessen

Pizzas baked in wood ovens are Chez Maggy's specialty. The ovens are, in fact, the first thing diners see coming through the door. Everything is wood in Chez Maggy, including the 20 or so tables that fill the first-floor dining room. A wooden stairway leads to the second floor, where more rustic-looking wooden tables are lit for ambiance with candles. Tables by open windows facing the street have a cool breeze. The second floor also has a bar; servers get the drinks.

Maggy's is known for its pizza, but also offers pasta dishes. There are two sizes of pizza--small and large. The small version stretches across a dinner plate and is hearty enough to fill a traveler after a day spent trekking in the jungle. Large pizzas are good to split with a friend. The dough is fresh and hand tossed, the pizza thin crust. Toppings range from mushrooms and ham to pineapple and pepperoni and many other ingredients.

Pizza needs soda and Peru's national soft drink, Inka Cola, is definitely on the menu. For the uninitiated, Inka Cola is bright-yellow, tastes a bit like bubble gum or cough syrup depending on who you ask, and packs enough sugar in one glass to have you bouncing off the walls. Fresh passion fruit, pineapple and other local fruit juices are served, as well as beer and mixed drinks. Pilsen and Crystal are popular brands of beer. Take-out is available, with the added bonus that customers pick up their pies at a counter beside the chefs who are creating them.

Hours: 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Price Description: Main dishes and whole pizzas: $3.75 to $6 (12 to 18 nuevo soles). bottles of wine cost approximately $8.50 to $10 (28 to 32 nuevo soles). inca cola, less than a dollar a glass (3.30 nuevo soles).