15 of the Best Restaurants in Lima - By a Local
Lima, Peru’s capital city, boasts an incredibly rich, varied, and delicious gastronomic offering, which reflects the melting pot of immigrants and ethnicities who have come here from all over the country and world.
So, even if you can’t physically get to everywhere in Peru during your trip, there’s a good chance that you can explore the tastes and ingredients of the entire country just from within Lima.
I've lived in Lima for the past twenty years, most of that time in the bohemian neighborhood of Barranco, and have had the good fortune to eat my way through much of this city. Of course, I haven’t been everywhere, and my tastes are different from other people’s, just be aware as you check out this list that it’s by no means definitive and it isn’t meant to be a ranking of Lima’s restaurants.
Rather, this is more of a guide to my favorite restaurants in Lima. This is a varied mix of establishments, and I always prioritize an excellent culinary experience, regardless of whether the restaurant is fine-dining, award-winning, or an unpretentious hole-in-the-wall. For me, it’s always about the food.
I’ve broken down the restaurants and eateries by the neighborhood of Lima that they’re in, and as you’ll undoubtedly notice, I’ve focused pretty heavily on Barranco. This is partly because I live in the neighborhood, but also because it’s a real culinary hotspot.
Before getting to the restaurants, I’ve also written up a quick overview of some other things that I think are important to know about when eating in Peru.
Alright, let’s get into it! Buen provecho!
More Peru travel info:
For more information on dining in Peru, check out our guide to the best restaurants in Peru and where to eat in Cusco.
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Table of Contents
An introduction to Peruvian Cuisine
Meal Times in Peru
Paying at Restaurants
Tipping
15 Great Restaurants in Lima
Kjolle (Barranco)
Mérito (Barranco)
Isolina (Barranco)
Awicha (Barranco)
Chifa Chung Yion (Barranco)
Café Ciclos / El Cacaotal (Barranco)
Juanito Bar (Barranco)
Nuestro Bistro (Barranco)
Costanera 700 (Miraflores)
Mayta (Miraflores)
Matria (Miraflores)
Shizen (San Isidro)
Don Fernando (Jesús María)
Antigua Taberna Queirolo (Pueblo Libre)
Bar Cordano (Centro Histórico de Lima)
An introduction to Peruvian Cuisine
When you ask any Peruvian what dishes they suggest you try when in Peru, they will almost certainly overload you with an enormous list. Our enthusiasm for our cuisine is almost unlimited!
Peruvian food is delicious and hearty, as well as rich and spicy. There’s a lot to choose from and the breadth of spices, flavors, and dishes is significant. My suggestion is to have the following check-list at hand and try the following dishes in specific cities.
One exception to this is ceviche, which is ubiquitous and should be tried everywhere. Al along the Peruvian coast, ceviche is made with grouper, sole, the catch of the day, or an endless combination of fish and seafood. In the highlands, it’s typically made with trout, while the varieties in the Amazon rainforest focus on riverfish such as paiche, doncella or paco. Each style has its own twist and all are very good as long as the ingredients are fresh.
Once again if you have an adventurous attitude, always ask, literally, “what’s cooking?”.
Typical dishes in Lima:
Causa - stuffed potato cake with chicken, seafood or veggies
Lomo Saltado - Chinese style, sauté beef with fries and rice
Ají de Gallina - chicken creamy stew spread over potatoes with rice
Anticuchos - beefheart skewers
Pisco Sour or any cocktail with pisco for that matter
Meal times in Peru
Peruvians usually have three meals a day as in many other societies. Timing depends on working schedules but most hotels and restaurants will cater from 6 am to 10 am for breakfast; 12 pm to 5 pm for lunch, and 8 pm to 10 pm for dinner.
Opening hours can vary depending on the city and how touristy is the neighborhood where you are. During the weekends Peruvian love to have long lunches that can start way later than on week days. Consult as much as you can through websites and social networks.
Paying at restaurants
In most cities and towns that are visited by tourists you will be able to use credit and/or debit cards to pay for almost any kind of purchase, restaurant meals included. Even so, be sure to ask which types of cards are accepted. VISA and MasterCard are widely accepted, as are American Express and Diners.
When paying by card, many establishments will try to add on a 5% fee to the bill, even though doing so is actually illegal. When this happens, the choice is yours: you could argue for hours or just pay the fee and move on. It’s up to you. Regardless, if you’re intending to pay by card, play it safe and ask before sitting down or purchasing something.
After the pandemic, many places, especially in Lima, will actually only accept payment by credit card, so this is an interesting reversal of the potential problem. Again, this is also illegal, since Peruvian cash is legal tender, but lots of restaurants are ignoring the law. So, if all you have is cash, it’s also good to ask about acceptable methods of payments before you sit down and order.
In all cases, avoid paying with foreign currencies, even if the establishment accepts them. You will almost always be charged a terrible exchange rate.
In general, it’s my advice to always carry some Peruvian soles (the name for our currency) with you. Some places, particularly holes in the wall and restaurants that don’t cater to tourists, will only take cash and that is absolutely legitimate.
Tipping
Tipping culture is rapidly growing in Peru, especially in the bigger cities such as Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Tarapoto and Iquitos. This is mainly because service is also improving. So, while tipping is starting to become expected, it’s not at all like the situation that you face in the United States: waiters will not furiously chase you out to the parking lot if you don’t tip.
Even so, it’s nice to leave a decent contribution if the service and food were good or excellent and the waiter actually added something to your experience. When you pay the bill, waiters may ask if you want to leave a tip, and a normal amount would be anything from 10 to 15%, depending on how big the bill is.
One other piece of advice: always tip with cash and give it directly to the waiter. That’s the best way to ensure that they will actually get the money.
Connect with Nicho, our Lima-based local expert, for help perfecting your itinerary, answers to all your travel questions, and fabulous local tips!
Lima’s Best Restaurants
With our introduction to Peruvian cuisine and the basics of eating here out of the way, let’s start looking at the best restaurants that Lima has to offer. Below are 15 of my favorites. Enjoy!
1. Kjolle - Barranco
Whether you order à la carte or go for the 8-course menu, the food served at Kjolle – the Quechua name given to a high-altitude Andean tree – reflects Pía León’s indisputable talent as head chef of this outstanding restaurant. Their location in Barranco, right beside the famed Central, is not a coincidence. Pía is the co-owner of both places along with her spouse and associate, Virgilio Martínez.
The menu here reveals a range of distinctly local flavors and textures such as pacae, quinoa leaves, panka pepper, sweet potato, mucilage, arracacha tuber, mishkina, copoazú fruit, and Huamantanga potatoes, among other marvels. All endemic products of Peru’s vast territory that are brought to your table, with talent and refinement, for your culinary enjoyment.
2. Mérito - Barranco
Venezuelan-born Juan Luis Martínez leads the Mérito team, offering a revealing cuisine which is neither precisely Peruvian nor Venezuela. Having worked under the famed culinary luminary, Virgilio Martínez (owner of Central in Lima), this Caracas-born chef prioritizes great products and technique, admitting that his approach encompasses more than just these two countries. “The food I cook is about the places I have visited”, he acknowledges.
The current menu offers seafood, fish, sweetbreads, pork, and lamb, combined with Andean corn, tubers, loche squash, grilled chirimoya (custard apple), and Venezuelan arepas and wasakaka sauce.
There’s no question that this award-winning eatery is worth the visit, especially if you can book a seat in the kitchen bar. That’s where all the action takes place.
3. Isolina - Barranco
Located in a house built in 1906 featuring awesome pine woodwork (it was shipped down from Oregon back in the day), this restaurant invites you to try Lima’s traditional cuisine: homemade dishes just like mom used to make.
Appropriately José del Castillo, the cook and owner of Isolina, decided to rescue his mother’s old-time recipes (the restaurant is named after his mom, Isolina) to offer classics such as hígado encebollado (fried liver with onions), cau cau (tripe stew), pejerreyes arrebozados (battered crispy silver-side fish), the celebrated lomo saltado, fish ceviche with deep-fried octopus, and other favorites.
You love pisco? This is the ideal place to enjoy a killer Pisco Sour or half a dozen other spectacular pisco cocktails smartly mixed. No wonder there’s always a queue of hungry and thirsty clients! But it’s absolutely worth it.
4. Awicha - Barranco
Awicha means grandma in Quechua, and in this case, it refers to Jason Román’s grandmother, who inculcated him with the passion for food and cooking. After studying and working in NYC and Paris, including in several 2-star Michelin restaurants, Jason returned to Peru and opened this restaurant in Barranco. Inspired by the classic Parisian bistro, he offers a well-balanced menu including fish, seafood, meats and duck.
Some highly recommended dishes: Tiradito Awicha, with smoked bonito, ají peppers and avocado; Pesca y Risotto, the catch of the day with black risotto made with calamari ink; or his duck specialties, including confit leg, magret with gnocchi, the French classic cassoulet, and a warm ceviche style dish originally from Huacho, his hometown 140 kilometers north of Lima.
A plus: the wine selection is pretty sexy.
5. Chifa Chung Yion - Barranco
This is probably the oldest continuing operating “chifa” – a Peruvian-Chinese restaurant – in the country: it turned a hundred years old in March, 2023. The story, in a nutshell, starts with a Chinese butcher, surnamed Tong, who became a cook. He fled from his native Guangdong province and immigrated to Peru during the first decades of the 20th century.
Tong has since passed away, but his children and grandchildren have continued running this unique place in his stead. Here, they serve “Chinese” food, as Peruvians have learned to eat it, and you can still enjoy a meal in one of the few remaining private rooms in the oldest part of the buildinh.
The menu is super long, and includes a good portion of vegetarian dishes. Explore your options with patience but don’t miss the wantán frito (fried wontons), which is simply the best in the city; all kind of arroz chaufa (fried rice), including a veggie version; and a generous portion of tallarín saltado (noodles, either fried or steamed). Try to go in a group so that you can order a nice variety of dishes. Remember: the more the merrier.
6. Café Ciclos / El Cacaotal - Barranco
If you’re a serious coffee drinker you can’t miss this place. If you’re a chocolate fan, you’ll love it too. And if you like both, it’s paradise! The owner, Amanda Wildey, is a U.S. born anthropologist who discovered the world of cacao while in Peru and opened El Cacaotal (Spanish word meaning “a field with cacao trees”) seven years ago.
Felipe Aliaga is a Chilean certified coffee expert who decided to open a specialty coffee shop 2 years ago. Amanda and Felipe met, joined forces, and became partners in both life and business. The result is a must-vist place where you can sample the best Peruvian coffees, fresh and roasted in-house, and enjoy a tasting experience of world-class chocolates on the second floor.
While Peru doesn’t come to mind when most people think of coffee, there are many award-winning coffees that are grown here, and the cradle of cacao was realistically probably somewhere deep in the Amazon rainforest.
Order your preferred coffee from the espresso bar or with a slow brew method. Come check it out and be guided through this amazing “edible library” as Amanda calls her chocolate store. It’s a dream come true.
www.instagram.com/elcacaotalperu
7. Juanito Bar - Barranco
If there is one bar that you have to visit in Lima, it’s probably this one. Expect no fancy cocktails or sophisticated atmosphere though. This is the real deal: a down to earth watering hole that basically only serves beer, pisco favorites, and a few serious homemade ham sandwiches topped with pickled onions and slices of “limo” spicy peppers, among other local bites.
While you’re drinking, Amado, a seventy-something year old local guitarist, will eventually come around and sing a bunch of favorite Peruvian and Latin classic songs at your table, for a nice tip. The late Juan Casusol (hence the name of the bar) founded this temple of bohemian nightlife in 1937, and it’s now managed by his surviving sons, César and Juan, and grandsons.
Be prepared: it’s cash only.
8. Nuestro Bistro - Barranco
This is a new place that has a very cool feature of which the owners should be very proud: they’ve got biggest wine cellar in Barranco, with a remarkable variety of wines from mainly Europe, South America, and Peru. Although the continent’s bigger wine industries are currently in Argentina and Chile, Peru was actually the first place in the region where grapes were grown after the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century. While we’re not especially known for our wine, it still all started here.
The local Peruvian production is small but meaningful. So, if you’re an adventurous wine consumer, you can explore the unique characteristics of Peruvian wines, assisted by the in-house sommelier, paired with a delicious meal, all while enjoying the ambiance in this small and cozy restaurant.
9. Costanera 700 - Miraflores
Opened more than 45 years ago by legendary Humberto Sato, the father of Nikkei cuisine in Peru, this restaurant is a classic. The son of Japanese immigrants and a mechanic by trade, Sato started cooking purely out of curiosity in a humble eatery located at a local Lima market.
Initially, he made Peruvian comfort food favorites which were unrelated to his ancestors’ culinary heritage. But “fusions surge out of necessity”, as he once assured, and he gradually began to fuse Peruvian ingredients with Japanese technique, creating a blend that preserved the Peruvian seasoning, while taking on Japanese characteristics. The restaurant was originally located in 700 Costanera Avenue (thus its name) and it became a success.
His trademark dish is still Chita a la sal, a salt-baked Peruvian grunt fish delivered to the table in flames. Yaquir, Humberto’s son, now runs the joint, which has since moved to Miraflores, and you can still enjoy some of the best Nikkei food in the city here, choosing from a menu full of mouth watering dishes.
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10. Mayta - Miraflores
Although the restaurant opened in 2008, Jaime Pesaque, head chef and proprietor, kept quite a low-profile for a while. He didn’t need to though, since after being an apprentice at Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy and Spain, such as the world-famed El Celler de Can Roca, it was evident he had what it takes to become a brilliant cook.
Mayta, which means “noble land” in the Aymara language which ix spoken in the region surrounding Lake Titicaca, offers a contemporary approach to Peruvian cuisine. If there is one dish you can’t miss, order “Sartén de pato”: smoked duck breast, duck leg confit and grilled foie gras – all three – over a bed of green rice cooked with beer and cilantro. Amazing.
Pro tip: the restaurant has a cool pisco bar for those who enjoy Peru’s flagship spirit in creative cocktails.
11. Matria - Miraflores
Arlette Eulert, the chef of Matria, may sound like a foreign name, but make no mistake, this gifted chef is Peruvian. Although she doesn’t appear on gastronomic hotshot lists, she is unquestionably talented. All it takes is a visit to her 10-year old restaurant Matria – the Latin word for “pantry” or “Mother Earth” as Arlette prefers to interpret the term – to confirm her skills in the kitchen.
Matria offers an innovative twist to the freshest Peruvian products, always served according to the season. Some of the dishes on the menu are classics already: Avocado Tiradito, thins slices of sole with avocado tiger milk and a dash of spice; Yuzu Scallops, grilled with yuzu citric butter (simply amazing!); Arroz Norte, a risotto-style rice made with loche squash and seafood (to die for); and the Tonkatsu, a 500 gr. pork tomahawk served with deep-fried potatoes and a fresh salad with mango vinaigrette.
Delicious food all the way.
12. Shizen - San Isidro
Shizen is one of the trendiest restaurants in Lima nowadays. Mayra Flores, Renato Kanashiro, and Coco Tomita, the three chefs, are all in their early thirties. Mayra and Renato are a couple, while Renato and Coco are school buddies of Japanese descent. The trio opened Shizen four years ago, offering a refreshing and original approach to Nikkei cuisine (Japanese and Peruvian fusion).
Two journeys to Japan, in 2019 and 2023, several trips to NYC and Europe, and further exploration of Peru (especially around the northern city of Piura, where Mayra was born, where there is a whole different gastronomic world), enabled them to meet local cooks and learn new techniques that can be summarized by two concepts: valuing quality products and respecting tradition.
Try their sashimi and nigiri, or their amazing Chirashi Ceviche with sushi rice! Be sure not to miss the udon noodles with either the Sambal (beef) or Uchucuta (seafood) versions. They’re the best in the city.
13. Don Fernando - Jesús María
Peru’s northern region is well known for its distinctive cuisine, which is quite different from the rest of the country. Generous cooking blends with pre-Hispanic techniques and products long used by the Moche culture, along with a rich biodiversity in marine and land products, and waves of migration from the highlands and abroad.
Don Fernando showcases all of this. Opened in 1985 and wwned by two siblings named Fernando – both are cooks –, the restaurant honors and preserves their mother and grandmother’s cooking legacy. Products such as “conchas negras”, black scallops or mangrove cockles that grow in the very border with Ecuador; fish such as sole and grouper; seafood including mussels, clams, shrimp, and sea urchins; tender goat meat and cuy (guinea pig); as well as “chicha”, the Andean corn beer, all blend beautifully into the making of ceviches, tiraditos, stews and rices.
Try muchame, inspired by the Italians, who used to salt and sun-dry dolphin meat (now banned), but currently made with tuna or octopus. It’s served with sliced avocado and crackers, all bathed with extra virgin olive oil. Delicious.
14. Antigua Taberna Queirolo - Pueblo Libre
The Italian presence in Peru is smaller than in other South American countries but still highly significant. Immigrants that crossed the Atlantic came mostly from Liguria, a region located in northwestern Italy. One of the businesses they mastered was bars and taverns around the city.
The Queirolo family, originally from Genoa, started making local wine and pisco, and opened this joint in 1880. It’s been in continuous operation since then. Located in the district of Pueblo Libre, it is relatively off the conventional tourist circuit but conveniently close to the magnificent Larco Museum, a place you have to visit to be introduced to Peru’s 5,000+ years of civilization before the Incas built their empire.
Ideally you can hop over here after a museum visit to drink some well-served Chilcanos, a high-ball cocktail with pisco, ginger ale and a dash of lime juice, in this centenary place. The food is also abundant: ceviche, lomo saltado, ham sandwiches or a good plate of ravioli, among other comfort foods.
15. Bar Cordano - Centro Histórico de Lima
Located in the heart of Lima’s Historic Center, this bar opened in 1905. It was owned by the Cordano family, Italian immigrants from Genoa, and run by them until they sold it to the waitstaff in 1978. It is strategically located across from Desamparados, the old train station, in the corner of Carabaya and Áncash Streets; right behind Palacio de Gobierno, Peru’s early 20th century palace and site of the Executive branch and official residence of the president.
Way more interesting (and gruesome) is the fact that the restaurant-bar is on the first floor of a three-story building built in 1846, which become the ill-fated Hotel Comercio. A horrendous crime was committed in the hotel in 1930: a heated discussion between two men in room 89 ended when one of them bludgeoned the other to death and dismembered his body. The crime was eventually solved but the place earned a creepy reputation.
Thirty years later, in 1960, the Beatnik U.S. poet Allen Ginsberg stayed in this hotel, where he experienced hallucinatory visions after drinking ayahuasca which he had requested from a local writer acquaintance. Ginsberg eventually went down to the bar and had a drink with Peruvian renowned poet and writer, Martín Adán.
Cordano was definitely a favorite spot for intellectuals, politicians and even some presidents. Nowadays it’s more full of tourists, but it’s worth visiting for lunch or a drink during your stopover between visiting sites in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.
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