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$$$ | Miraflores |
Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino (of Malabar fame) spent years exploring the Peruvian Amazon and experimenting with its ingredients before opening this low-key Miraflores bistro. The result is a world-class eatery that lets you experience the flavors of the rainforest without leaving the urban jungle. His versions of traditional dishes such as patarashca (catfish fillet cooked in a bijau leaf) or tacacho (fried plantain-and-smoked-pork balls) are excellent but so are inventions like chunks of paiche (an Amazon fish) stewed in coconut milk. Choose between the dark dining room in back or a brighter front room hemmed by foliage and tropical colors.
Av. La Paz 1079, Lima, Lima, 18, Peru
Known For
- Inventive Amazonian dishes
- Nine-dish "abruta fiesta" menu
- Upscale, eclectic environment
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$$ | Barranco |
Amoramar doesn't look like much from the street, but step through the door, and you'll discover an oasis of poinciana trees in a restored adobe house. Seafood dominates the menu, with a selection ranging from the traditional pulpo a la parrilla to creative recipes such as atún saltado (tuna strips sautéed with onions and aji peppers), chaufa de quinua (vegetarian stir-fry with quinoa), and canilla de cordero (roast lamb in a mild chili sauce). Arrive and leave by taxi at night.
Jr. García y García 175, Lima, Lima, 04, Peru
Known For
- Excellent seafood
- Eclectic dining setting
- Scrumptious pastel de choclo con mariscos (corn pudding with seafood)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed 4–8 pm. No dinner Sun.
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$$$$ | |
The flagship restaurant of Peru's most celebrated chefs, spouses Gastón Acurio and Astrid Gutsche, occupies a meticulously restored colonial mansion named Casa Moreyra. Dishes are available à la carte, but the big event here is the 16-course, prix-fixe tasting menu, which takes you on a journey through Peru's culinary regions in the span of two hours. The menu changes with the seasons to ensure fresh ingredients, but expect a good mix of meat and seafood, plus a chocolate apocalypse at the end. Reserve tables at least two weeks ahead of time. Even if you don't have a reservation, you can try to get a table on the patio, where you can order from the à la carte menu.
Av. Paz Soldán 290, San Isidro, Lima, 27, Peru
Known For
- Exquisite tasting menu
- Inventive use of humble Peruvian ingredients
- Gorgeous setting
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Barranco |
After years working in some of the best kitchens of Europe and Asia, superstar cuisinier Virgilio Martínez returned to Lima to launch this chic, airy venue for his culinary talents—and quickly garnered a reputation as one of Latin America's best chefs. He and his wife, María Pía Leon, change their menu every six months, but each iteration celebrates the country's edible biodiversity with fresh and often organic ingredients. They offer eight- and 16-course menus, which take your taste buds on a journey through Peru's coastal, Andean, and Amazon regions. The restaurant's new incarnation in Barranco is in every way worthy of its past. This is currently Lima's hottest restaurant, so reserve tables at least a month in advance.
Av. Pedro de Osma 301, Lima, Lima, 18, Peru
Known For
- Exquisite gastronomic experimentation with multicourse menus
- Coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cuisine
- One of Lima's hottest restaurants (reserve at least a month ahead)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch Sat., Reservations essential
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$$ | Miraflores |
Just when you thought Gastón Acurio couldn't possibly do anything more for his country's gastronomy, he opens this nostalgic homenaje to Peru's home cooking of yesteryear. In a corner tavern filled with dark wood and old photos, he polls his customers on their favorite dishes from their childhoods, and then makes them new. Cebiche-style chicken with papa a la huancaína, arroz con chancho (pork with rice): it's all here. This is his love letter to Peru's common people, at prices everyone can afford.
Av. Tarapacá 197, Lima, Lima, Peru
Known For
- Homey ambience
- Ridiculously good crab causas (potato salads)
- Classic Peruvian cooking, done to perfection
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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$$ | Pueblo Libre |
Set in a colonial finca (farm house) that dates from 1780, this Lima institution offers some of the heartiest down-home cooking in the entire capital. Criollo classics such as seco de cabrito and costillas de cerdo con tacu-tacu (ribs with pan-fried rice and beans) are especially well done, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a weak spot anywhere on the extensive menu. After 11 pm on weekends, the back room turns into a festive dance hall.
Cl. Rosa Toledo 289, Lima, Lima, Peru
Known For
- Pescado a lo macho
- Good pisco sours and chilcanos
- Lively crowd with dancing after 11 pm on weekends
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$$$ | Miraflores |
Mitsuharu Tsumura is one of Lima's most innovative chefs, and his exquisite Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) creations have garnered for Maido the top slot on San Pellegrino's Best Latin American Restaurants list for three years running (be sure to reserve at least three months in advance). Tsumura changes things up frequently, but his menus always include cebiches and nigiris (sushi with Peruvian flavors), plus cooked dishes such as asado de tira mitsuke (braised short ribs with pickled ginger and fried rice), cod misayaki (marinated in miso with sweet potato and Brazil nuts), and sanguichitas (a plate of unique sandwiches). Seating is on the second floor, at wooden tables beneath hundreds of hanging ropes, plus a few spots at the sushi bar.
Cl. San Martín 399, Lima, Lima, 18, Peru
Known For
- Nikkei cuisine
- 13-course tasting menu
- Superb sushi and sashimi
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$$$ | |
Chef-owner Pedro Miguel Schiaffino travels the Peruvian Andes and Amazon in search of weird and unfamiliar ingredients that most cooks—and locals—overlook, and then incorporates them into the menu at Malabar. His list of dishes changes several times a year to ensure fresh ingredients, but most of them are organic and free-range. The restaurant offers both à la carte selections and multi-course set meals that combine foods from the coast, mountains, and jungle. Added plus: the bar here, run by Schiaffino's father, has some of the best cocktails in Lima.
Av. Camino Real 101, San Isidro, Lima, 27, Peru
Known For
- True foodie experience
- Exotic ingredients
- Jungle-themed cuisine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun, Reservations essential
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$ | Pueblo Libre |
Chalkboard menus, shelves piled to the ceiling with locally made wines and piscos, a worn wooden bar, and even a hand-cranked telephone give this venerable institution—a Lima mainstay since 1880—its nostalgic charm. The place serves delicious ham sandwiches smothered in zarza criolla and chilcanos made with pisco bottled in the factory next door.
Jr. San Martín 1090, Lima, Lima, 21, Peru
Known For
- Old-timey atmosphere
- Excellent homemade piscos
- Ham sandwiches and other criollo classics
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$ | El Centro |
Dating from 1905, this venerable Lima institution has served up ham sandwiches and pisco sours to Peru's presidents for over a century. Every inch of the décor—the worn wooden bar, the old black-and-white photos, the well-stocked saloon shelves and cabinets—oozes history. Try the butifarra (marinated pork with zarza criolla on a homemade roll), or, if you're famished, the bistec con tacu-tacu (steak with pan-fried rice and beans).
Jr. Ancash 202, Lima, Lima, Peru
Known For
- Butifarra sandwiches
- Solid criollo cooking
- Who's-who clientele
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$$$ | Miraflores |
Though its name evokes folklore, "Witches of Cachiche" is an elegant, modern spot that offers variations on traditional Peruvian cuisine. Delicacies include as corvina en salsa de camarones (sea bass in a roasted-crayfish sauce) or cabrito a la norteña (stewed kid). The lunch buffet is an opportunity to sample an array of local dishes. An extensive wine list features top South American vintages. The cozy bar in back is a good spot for appetizers or a light meal in the early evening, when most restaurants are closed.
Cl. Bolognesi 472, Lima, Lima, 18, Peru
Known For
- Elegant atmosphere
- Extensive wine list
- Classy bar/lounge
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. night, Credit cards accepted
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$$ | Pueblo Libre |
Sequestered inside the walls of the colonial palace that houses the Museo Larco, this is one of the most charming places in Lima to enjoy a meal. The Peruvian-fusion menu offers everything from empanadas to ravioli stuffed with squash to seco de cordero (stewed lamb) served with rice and beans. Tables on the terrace overlook a lush garden with blazing bougainvillea, ancient statues, and amphorae.
Av. Bolívar 1515, Lima, Lima, 21, Peru
Known For
- Gorgeous setting
- Peruvian-fusion cuisine
- Good desserts
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$$ | El Centro |
This bustling two-story eatery specializes in comida norteña—northern cooking from the city of Piura. That means delicious grouper cebiche,seco de cabrito (goat stew), and green tamales—all in gut-busting portions. This is a classic example of what Peruvians call a huarique: a hole-in-the-wall restaurant where in-the-know locals go for homestyle cooking—at prices that won't break the bank.
Jr. Huancavelica 165, Lima, Lima, Peru
Known For
- Excellent northern cuisine
- Huge portions
- Local hole-in-the-wall
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$$$ | Miraflores |
Owner Isabel Álvarez has authored several cookbooks on traditional Peruvian cuisine, which is the specialty here. Start with one of various cebiches or chupe de camarones (a creamy river-prawn soup) if in season, then move on to arroz con pato (rice and duck with a splash of dark beer) or huatia sulcana (a traditional beef stew). Weekend lunch buffets offer an excellent opportunity to sample a variety of Peruvian dishes.
Malecón Cisneros 1470, Lima, Lima, 18, Peru
Known For
- Cebiche
- Traditional food
- Good service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
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$$$ | Miraflores |
The view of the adjacent, 1,500-year-old, pre-Inca ruins is reason enough to dine at Huaca Pucllana, but the sumptuous Peruvian and international cuisine is a close second. The best tables are outside, with a view of the ruins, which are spectacularly floodlit at night. You can combine dinner with a 40-minute guided tour of the pyramids from 7 to 10 pm, except on Tuesday. The Peruvian-fusion menu includes treats such as grilled alpaca in a mustard sauce with corn soufflé and paiche (an Amazon fish) with Brazil-nut flakes and a spicy cocona (jungle fruit) sauce.
Cl. General Borgoño at Cl. Ayacucho, Lima, Lima, 18, Peru
Known For
- Priceless view of pre-Inca ruins
- Quality Peruvian cuisine
- Yummy desserts
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed 4–7 pm, Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
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$$$ | Barranco |
Meat lovers wait in line here for a chance to savor chef José del Castillo's slow-cooked osso buco, seco de asado de tira (short-rib stew), or costillar de cerdo a la chorrillana (crispy pork ribs with tomatoes and onions). It's the kind of food Peruvians have eaten for centuries, impeccably prepared and served in a tavern setting. The menu also includes sangrecita (blood sausage), hígado (liver), mondonguito (tripe stew), and other delicacies. Most plates hold enough food for several people, so share or order a half portion. Starters include some tasty seafood dishes.
Av. San Martín 101, Lima, Lima, 04, Peru
Known For
- Traditional meat dishes
- Big portions
- Great lomo saltado
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$ | El Centro |
Hungry office workers crowd this excellent criollo restaurant every day at lunchtime for heaping plates of fettucinne a la huancaína (pasta in cheese sauce) and pescado a lo macho (fish topped with spicy seafood). The setting, looking out over Lima's old fortified walls, is one of the greenest you'll find downtown. Don't miss the lomo saltado (beef stir-fried with peppers and onions): Gastón Acurio himself has called it one of Lima's best. A second, less-scenic branch can be found on the Plaza San Martín.
Parque La Muralla, Lima, Lima, Peru
Known For
- Lomo saltado
- Lush setting with the Cerro San Cristóbal in the background
- Good pastas
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$$$ | Miraflores |
Located just steps outside Miraflores near the Mercado No. 1 in Surquillo, this rustic tavern harkens back to Peru's picanterías (country restaurants) of old. The drill is simple: you sit down on one of the wooden benches, you choose your fish (or shellfish), and you tell the waiter how you want it prepared. Fried, grilled, as a cebiche, or as a delicious sudado (soup) or estofado (stew): it's all good. The menu has a few landlubber entrees, but make no mistake: it's the seafood that makes this joint a regular on 50 Best lists.
Cl. Francisco Moreno 388, Lima, Lima, Peru
Known For
- Fresh-off-the-dock seafood
- Traditional country hospitality
- Great beef ribs
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner. Closed Sun.
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$$$ | | Peruvian
This dark-gray mansion with a bright red foyer looks like Dracula's love shack at night, but inside you'll find a chic lounge and two elegant dining rooms. Local epicureans gather here to savor a creative fusion of Peruvian and continental cuisine, from cabrito loche (roast kid with squash ravioli) to atún costra (tuna in a sesame-pepper crust) to gnocchis crocantes (crispy gnocchi smothered in a mushroom-and-artichoke-heart ragout). The back terrace, hemmed by a wall of greenery, becomes a lively bar scene as the night progresses.
Cl. Santa Luisa 295, San Isidro, Lima, 27, Peru
Known For
- Inventive Peruvian and Continental fusion dishes
- Popular terrace bar on weekends
- Local favorite
- Inventive fusion dishes
- Imaginative presentations
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
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$$ | |
At this bistro run by an Australian-Peruvian couple, the emphasis is on sustainable, locally sourced, organic ingredients. Lofty sentiments, to be sure—but it also helps that this pair can really cook. Their cebiche is a fresh take on a criollo classic, combining bonito with avocado, pickled papaya, and watermelon, while the pulpo con tacu-tacu features octopus tentacles atop a bed of pan-fried garbanzos. Vegan-friendly options abound, as do scrumptious desserts.
Cl. Manuel Bañón 260, San Isidro, Lima, Peru
Known For
- Environmentally conscious cooking
- Good duck dishes
- Lots of vegetarian and vegan choices
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner
