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images: alamy; Karolina Wiercigroch; Ivan Salinero |
out books and television shows and launching culinary festivals that rebuilt Lima as a gastronomic powerhouse. He has around 20 restaurants in the city, ranging from his flagship fine-dining temple, Astrid y Gastón, and lauded seafood spot La Mar to a casual line of cafes called T’ anta and reimagined old-school Peruvian taverns called El Bodegón.
The city’ s most emblematic dish is ceviche( or cebiche)— raw fish tossed in leche de tigre( tiger’ s milk), a marinade featuring lime juice, onions and chilies. The lunchtime-only cebicherías fill up on weekends especially, when families and friends spend entire afternoons ordering from a list of seafood-led dishes that might include scallops grilled on the shell and topped with melted parmesan, or fragrant seafood soups like parihuela.
For street food, seek out anticuchos, marinated beef hearts sold by the skewer from sidewalk grills at dusk by local legends like Tia Grimanesa and Doña Pochita. More stalls selling things like pan con chicharrón, a sandwich layered with fried pork and sweet potato slices, or juices made from local fruits like lucuma or camu camu, can be found in and around the Mercado de Surquillo, an easily accessible market full of regional flavors.
Lima routinely has several establishments on the World’ s 50 Best Restaurants list, such as Mitsuharu Tsumura’ s Nikkei restaurant Maido and the more contemporary Mayta. The cornerstone of Lima’ s fine-dining scene is in Barranco at Casa Tupac, a
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garden-filled compound that’ s the base of Central, where each course on the menu is inspired by a different ecosystem at a particular altitude. Sister restaurant Kjolle is located upstairs and there’ s also a full-blown chocolate laboratory that offers immersive tastings and workshops.
DRINKS
While you could always find a good pisco sour at any bar in town, Lima’ s cocktail scene has really blossomed since the pandemic. Make your first stop the diminutive Lady Bee in Miraflores, where drinks are infused with seasonal Peruvian botanicals from the Andes and Amazon. You’ ll find a lively atmosphere at Sastrería Martinez, a speakeasy hidden behind a Miraflores tailor shop, or the restobar Siete, with its funky music and a menu of Peruvian-Mediterranean food.
For wine, including those made from grapes like Quebranta and Albilla at vineyards along the south coast, there’ s Cordial, a Barranco bar where DJs provide the soundtrack. The coffee scene is also much improved, with specialty brews from varietals sourced from the high jungle at cafes like Neira Café Lab and Ciclos Café, attached to chocolate shop El Cacaotal.
EXCURSIONS
Lima’ s port of Callao is a destination in itself, with the 18th-century Real Felipe Fortress that was built to fend off pirate attacks, and a distinctive cuisine that includes onion-topped mussels served in
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Mérito The infusion of flavors introduced by Venezuelan migrants is having a dramatic effect on Lima’ s cuisine, and nowhere is that more evident than Mérito. Here, Venezuelan chef Juan Luis Martínez’ s innovative tasting menus look for overlaps in ingredients between the two cuisines and he reimagines them with colorful, artistic forms. If you can’ t find a table, try his a la carte restaurant Clon, down the street.
Awa Despite covering more than 60 % of Peruvian territory, the Amazon couldn’ t feel more different to Lima’ s concrete jungle. The two environments are brought together at Awa, where giant river fish like paiche are turned into charcuterie and obscure fruits like taperibá find their way into ceviche.
Isolina Criollo cooking is the hearty blend of African, indigenous and Spanish flavors that arose during the colonial era and it’ s what many Limeños eat at home. Isolina, set in a historical property in Barranco, takes humble ingredients like chicken blood, calf brains and tripe and serves them alongside slowcooked meats and hearty stews.
Shizen Restaurante Nikkei Nikkei cuisine is more than just sushi and ceviche on the same menu, as chef trio Mayra Flores, Renato Kanashiro and Jorge Tomita have shown at their restaurant Shizen. They’ re known for their close relationships with fishermen and not shying away from filling the menu with Criollo flavors.
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