Where to eat in Lima? The 10 best restaurants

Peruvian cuisine is one of the best on the planet. The city of Lima is home to some of the best restaurants in the country. There you can try the best of Peruvian, Japanese, marine, barbecue, contemporary and fusion food. Here are some of the best restaurants in the city, their address, specialties and more information.

El Central Restaurante

This restaurant belongs to the renowned Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez Veliz. The British magazine ‘Restaurant’ chose it for three consecutive years (2014, 2015 and 2016) as the best Latin American restaurant.

The restaurant’s dishes are renowned for using indigenous Peruvian ingredients. The restaurant also has a gastronomic research workshop. It has spacious and well-lit innovative facilities.

The Central Restaurant is located in the heart of the tourist district of Miraflores. It is part of a chain that includes the Kjolle (Lima), Mayo (Lima) and MIL (Cusco) restaurants. To enjoy this place you must make a reservation online through its website.

• Main Chef: Virgilio Martínez.
• Address: Calle Santa Isabel 376, Miraflores.
• Style of dishes: Experimental fusion Peruvian cuisine.

Maido

This restaurant specializes in ‘Nikkei’ Japanese food fused with the flavors of Peru. Its name comes from a Japanese word that means ‘Welcome’ or ‘Thank you for coming’. In 2017 it ranked first among the fifty best restaurants in Latin America.

The owner and head chef is Mitsuharu Tsumura, a Peruvian of Japanese origin who studied culinary arts and food and beverage management at Johnson & Johnson & Wales University in the United States. He also has specializations in Japan.

Maido’s kitchen offers culinary experiences called ‘Nikkei cuisine’, a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian culture. Reservations can be made online. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 1pm to 8pm.

• Chef principal: Mitsuharu Tsumura.
• Address: Calle San Martín 399, Miraflores.
• Style of dishes: Peruvian – Japanese ‘Nikkei’ cuisine.

Saha

This friendly restaurant specializes in combining Peruvian ingredients to create delicious dishes, desserts and cocktails in a friendly environment. Among the best of Peruvian cuisine, dishes such as lomo saltado, rice with seafood, ceviche from Lima, octopus anticuchero, fetuccini a la huancaína or the novel quinoa burger stand out.

The restaurant stands out for the variety of its menu at prices accessible to the public. It is one of the most visited places in the Miraflores district, especially on weekends.

Their hours of operation are from Monday to Sunday from 12.30 pm to 9 pm. Reservations can be made online or at the same location.

• Style: Peruvian food, bar and desserts.
• Address: Calle Bolívar 164, Miraflores.
• Specialty: Saha Sunset Mojito and Quinoa Burger.

La Mar Cevichería

Peru is recognized for its delicious marine cuisine. The flagship dish, without a doubt, is ceviche. This restaurant offers one of the best ceviches in Lima prepared with the freshest fish from our coast.

The house specialties are shrimp chicarrón, rice with seafood, the classic tiger milk, sole with black butter, sweaty cabrilla and more.

The restaurant has branches in Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Doha, Miami and San Francisco. Open from Tuesday to Thursday from 12 pm to 5 pm. And on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 pm to 5.30 pm.

• Main Chef: Carlos Labrín.
• Address: Avenida La Mar 770, Miraflores.
• Style of dishes: Peruvian marine food.

Panchita

This restaurant specializes in Creole dishes and traditional Lima desserts. It is run by chef Leni Cruz although it is part of the restaurant chain run by renowned chef Gastón Acurio.

Its varied menu includes dishes such as the Cause Lima, the anticucho de corazón, the steak in the pan, the dry northern lamb, the ají de gallina, the stuffed potato, the picarones, the Lima sigh or the piqueo doña Pancha.

The restaurant offers promotions with discounts, two for one and the specialty of the day. It has stores in Miraflores, Chacarilla (San Borja) and even Santiago de Chile. The restaurant is open from Monday to Sunday from noon to 10 at night.

• Main Chef: Leni Cruz.
• Address: Calle 2 de Mayo 298 Miraflores / Avenida Primavera 557, San Borja.
• Style of dishes: Creole food, desserts and drinks.

Mayta

Restaurant founded by renowned chef Jaime Pesaque with studies at the Italian Culinary Institute. Mayta (Aymara word meaning ‘noble land’) won the ‘Higuest Climber Award’ in 2020.

The kitchen of this restaurant offers a culinary learning space with the best of contemporary Peruvian food. Use ingredients originating from Peru to create the most delicious fusions.

Dishes such as squash and curry, smoked aubergines, roasted cauliflower, Amazonian ceviche, chupe risotto, grilled fish, pan of duck, braised kid as well as delicious desserts and drinks stand out. It is open from Monday to Sunday from noon to 4 pm. Also from 4.30 pm to 11 pm.

• Main Chef: Jaime Pesaque.
• Address: Avenida Mariscal La Mar 1285, Miraflores.
• Style of dishes: Contemporary Peruvian fusion food.

Rafael

Restaurant run by renowned Peruvian chef Rafael Osterling. The place is located in a republican-style house from the early twentieth century with pleasant and familiar environments. It offers contemporary Peruvian dishes but also the classic flavors of the country.

It was chosen as the best Peruvian restaurant in the Summum Awards in 2010. Among the variety of its menu, dishes such as: roasted corn ravioli, Guipúzcoa catch of the day, Indian catch of the day, sweet rice with northern duck, roasted lobster stand out. , breaded prawns, shrimp croquettes as well as the best in drinks.

The restaurant is open Monday from 7 pm to 11 pm. Also from Tuesday to Saturday from 1 pm to 3.30 pm and from 7 pm to 11 pm.

• Chef principal: Rafael Osterling.
• Address: Calle San Martín 300, Miraflores.
• Style of dishes: Contemporary Peruvian fusion food.

Osaka

The restaurant offers the best of ‘nikkei’ food, a combination of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. It is a franchise with establishments in Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Quito, Bogotá, Miami and London.

It has more than twenty years in the Peruvian market. It has two pleasant and well-designed venues with professional chefs where the Peruvian Juan Alfonso Urrutia stands out. Its flagship dishes are: the wasabi ceviche, the osk tataki tiradito, the inka guoza, the Peruvian bbq, the mochero duck and much more.

The premises are open from Monday to Sunday from 12.30 pm to 10 pm. (Saturdays until 9 pm and Sundays until 5.30 pm).

• Main Chef: Juan Alfonso Urrutia.
• Address: Avenida Pardo y Aliaga 660, San Isidro / Avenida El Polo 660, Santiago de Surco.
• Style of dishes: Peruvian – Japanese ‘Nikkei’ cuisine.

Astrid & Gastón

One of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country. Founded by renowned Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio and his wife Astrid Gutsche. It is located in the Casa Hacienda Moreyra, a refined and serene environment.

The Astrid & Gastón restaurant offers a unique experience in flavors and culinary experiences. It revalues ​​the indigenous ingredients of Peru to create high-quality dishes where they stand out: the classic sole ceviche, the day’s fishing tiradito with ají mirasol tiger’s milk, the cause of Doña Delma, the norteña, the Pekingese guinea pig from all over the vida, grilled octopus with peanut and bravas room, salted udon with seafood, braised milk kid with roasted loche pumpkin risotto and more.

Gastón Acurio has high quality restaurants in various countries around the world such as: Chicha, el Bodegón, Tanta, Yakumanka and more. Astrid & Gastón’s business hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 1 pm to 9 pm.

• Main Chef: Gastón Acurio.
• Address: Avenida Paz Soldán 290, San Isidro.
• Style of dishes: Experimental contemporary Peruvian food.

Carnal

And to vary the menu a bit, there is this restaurant specializing in meat, grills and pasta. It stands out for using American meats and a high infrared cooking system that provides a tastier quality of meat to the palate.

The restaurant also imports the best drinks and beers in the world, especially from the United States. Its dishes include salmon tartare, ribeye pizzeta, surf & turf skewers, crispy jumbo prawns, mozarella sticks, filet mignon, new york strip, t-bone steak, porterhouse and the best in sides, salads, sandwiches and desserts.

The restaurant has been founded for more than eight years. It is in front of the famous Huaca Pucllana de Miraflores. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 12.45 pm to 4 pm. On Sundays only lunch.

• Style: Meats, grills and pasta.
• Address: Calle Elías Aguirre 698, Miraflores.
• Specialty: American meats and drinks.

By Machupicchu Terra – Last updated, August 28, 2023