The Library Cusco - Speakeasy review

The Library bar, Cusco Peru (@thelibrarycusco) (The website listed is www.librarycusco.com/, but the link took us to a page not found site)

The Library is the first Speakeasy in Cusco. It's located (hidden) in Micaela's restaurant in Plaza de Armas, so the location is excellent and close to the main plaza. We placed our reservation online, since this seemed the only way would could book a date/time. You can go here to make a reservation. We walked in to Micaela’s restaurant, went up to the host counter and let them know we had reservations for The Library. They asked for our name, then told us to wait while they disappeared behind another door. 

On our visit, they came back out and walk us over to an area where there were several books on a shelf and asked us to find the entrance to go in. We didn't need a password or code, but there was a secret entrance and the host wanted us to find a way in. Essentially you just push on the right side of the bookshelf and it opens into a hidden room. 

The Library itself is nice with a simple layout and is dimly lit, but not too dark. It didn’t smell like the restaurant or food, and was pretty much odorless. It was very clean with seating at tables, booths as well as at the bar. We were escorted to a booth to be seated, then our bartender handed each of us a menu. The drink menu had a nice hardbound leather cover with what looks like a Jackalope on the cover. The menu had about 5 pages detailing the different types of drinks. They had classic drinks and specialty drinks, and if you didn’t want anything on the menu, you could order something from the bar. We ordered our drinks and our mixologist went to work. Behind the counter, I could see our bartender transform into a mixologist carefully measuring ingredients into the craft cocktails then shaking them up.

I ordered the Chicha Punch because I wanted a local drink that highlighted the Peruvian alcohol. It was decent, but I could have ordered something more to my liking. The really cool part of this drink was the cracker that was cut as a wedge and added on the rim. It was reduction from the drink and was essentially dried out and formed the cracker. It was good with an interesting flavor, but the novelty of it all made it taste better and I could tell the effort they put into making these drink was a huge step up from any regular bar. This drink was decent and cost 40 soles.

The most interesting drink our table ordered was the Leche Galactica where we had to use a stir spoon to mix it up. The Leche Galactica was a vodka drink with absinthe and the bartender lit the top and asked us to stir it until the drink was completely white. It spilled a bit, but the bartender was there the whole time telling us what to do and making sure it was ready for tasting. It was tasty with an interesting flavor and cost 52 soles.

Just know going in that you're at a Speakeasy or hidden bar, so you're paying for the experience and the better than average, quality drinks. This place is nice and the drinks live up to the sophistication of a modern speakeasy.

They actually take their time making the drinks and it’s obvious it's not just a bar where they're getting cheap drinks out quickly. If you're not familiar with Speakeasies, then be prepared to pay a little more for the drinks and enjoy and savor the experience.

The Library offered snacks and appetizers, but we ate earlier and went straight for the drinks. If you were interested in food, they can certainly provide it. The decor in the place is nice and they have pages from books glued all over different sections of the wall. They also have nice décor throughout including nice looking paintings and artwork.

I believe this is a reservation only place, however there was a party of around 12 that came in shortly before we left. There wasn’t enough seating at their table and they had to grab chairs from other tables to accommodate and a few people ended up standing up. This doesn’t lend to the true speakeasy vibe which is more intimate, but almost every visitor we saw in this speakeasy was from another country. I’m sure they just wanted to experience the first speakeasy in Cusco. As far as accommodating a party this sized, I believe The Library recognized everyone one of those in the people in the 12 party group was a paying customer, so I'm sure the welcomed them. 

Overall, for this speakeasy review, I give The Library a thumbs up with a highly recommend if you're in Cusco, Peru. It’s an amazing place to grab drinks. The place is nice and clean, the service was great and the mixologist was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is great and was mostly intimate, and there really is a secret entrance. It is a great speakeasy experience.