An insiders’ guide to Lima

Where to eat and drink, according to the chefs, bartenders and writers who know best.

Lima's Unesco-listed historic centre is a place of grand plazas and colonial-era ministries, but many of the city's most exciting ventures have moved to the coastal area of Barranco, known for its paint-lashed murals and superlative restaurants such as Central, named The World's Best Restaurant 2023. Here, locals are just as keen on the streetside anticuchos – beef heart skewers – as they are the ambitious restaurants and bars that have made the capital one of South America's most lively places to eat and drink.

More than 10 million people live in Lima, and successive waves of migration have left Indigenous, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese influences on the city's culture, and emphatically, its cuisine. For guidance, we've asked those who know it best – chefs, bar owners and food writers among them – for their recommendations, from old-school institutions and recent openings to the bakeries breathing life into Peru's tradition of sweet-making.

Joel Chirinos
Founder, Limaq

The best place for a pisco sour

The pisco sour at Bar Inglés uses pisco quebranta, which is made from Peru's predominant quebranta grape

"Bar Inglés at the Country Club Lima Hotel. The bar is elegant but welcoming, with a slightly baroque aesthetic and a great deal of history and culture."

For creative cocktails

Lady Bee's 3 Sips Martini comes with three garnishes of olive, sea lettuce and trout caviar on a wooden spoon (Image: Camila Novoa)

"Lady Bee. The team is constantly exploring and reevaluating Peruvian ingredients, then integrating them into creations that are modern and approachable. I love the signature 3 Sips Martini, and the mussel brioche with speciality coffee emulsion and nasturtium."

A little-known restaurant

The octopus ceviche at Gaijin Barranco is dressed with shallots, onions and crispy seasonal vegetables 

"Gaijin deserves to be talked about much more. Led by Jun Oshiro and Sergio Nakamura, there's strong technique, excellent produce and a clear identity behind the cooking, but it never feels pretentious. Try the obachan dumplings, nigiri and XO toasts."

For a classic Lima breakfast
"On weekends or special mornings, we start the day with pan con chicharrón [a sandwich with fried pork, sweet potato and onion relish on a soft roll] and café pasado, a traditional Peruvian filter coffee. El Chinito is a true Lima classic and the perfect place for it."

Pía León
Head Chef, Kjolle


If you try one dish while you're in Peru, make it...
"Papa a la huancaína. It's a simple, everyday dish of boiled potatoes with a creamy sauce made from ají amarillo [yellow chilli] and fresh cheese, finished with olives and hard-boiled egg."

I'll always go back to...
"La Mar for the catch-of-the-day ceviche with octopus and always with ají [chilli]. Fresh ingredients are central to the dishes here and the team celebrates our coast's diversity."

An exciting new opening

Los Primos de San Juan serves Peruvian-style king scallop ceviche on a half-shell with a bright citrus-chilli sauce

"Los Primos de San Juan in Surquillo. It's run by three cousins from San Juan de Miraflores and they serve popular Peruvian dishes with elevated technique and creativity, while staying connected to the flavours and spirit of the neighbourhood where they grew up."

Gabriela León and Alonso Palomino 
Co-Founders, Lady Bee

For creative cocktails

Astrid y Gastón is built from a 17th-century hacienda restoration (Image: Alessandra Villaverde-Enorme)

"Astrid y Gastón or La Rosa Nautica. They're two of the growing number of bars and restaurants that are being more creative in their drink-making. There's also Limaq, where local ingredients are front and centre."

The best bar for after a shift
"We like tavernas that preserve Barranco's welcoming spirit, such as Piselli and Juanito. There, we usually share appetisers, like duck muchame [cured duck] alongside classic Peruvian pork sandwiches. They go well with a cold beer or a classic Capitán, made with pisco, vermouth and bitters."

The under-the-radar favourite

The Chumbeque Amazónico from Pregón de las Once is a spin on the traditional northern Peruvian turrón

"Pregón de las Once makes traditional Peruvian sweets. The project was founded by Venezuelan chef Michelle Gamardo and Felipe Garzó, from Colombia who travelled across Peru to learn about the country's sweet-making tradition."

The best places for ceviche

La Mar's scallops with sea urchin ceviche is seasoned with tiger's milk

"There are four places I love. At Fiesta, Héctor Solis and his team uses ingredients of exceptional quality and has great technique. I also love D'Alfredo in La Victoria where the sole is the undisputed star. Huarique de los Cuchitos meanwhile in Chorrillos still has that warm, traditional spirit. And then there's La Mar, where ceviche is the main event. There, you can see just how far this dish can go."

My top local dish
"I love pescado en paca, which comes from the Harakbut people in the Madre de Dios region. For this dish, fish is seasoned with salt, sachaculantro [Mexican coriander] and sweet chilli pepper, before being placed in a paca bamboo tube and cooked over fire. "

Jimena Agois
Photographer and Food Writer

A bar where you always get a warm welcome

Rafael's dining room serves Mediterranean, Asian, and Peruvian influenced dishes in a contemporary setting

"It's not a bar exactly, but the bar at Rafael, led by manager Juan Romero, is one of my favourites. It's great for a drink before or after dinner – usually, I'll get one of their spins on a negroni."

The best value for money

Chef-owner Marco Antonio Palma runs the eight-seater Ototo in the central Surquillo neighbourhood

"If you want anticuchos, go to Candelo. Normally, this is the kind of food you'd get from a street food vendor, but here, they're served in a cool space. For omakase, go to Ototo: the price is great and it's led by a Maido alum."

If you try one lesser-known Peruvian dish, make it...
"Olluqioto. We eat it a lot at home. It's a pre-Hispanic stew made with a native tuber and meat [originally dried llama meat]. Try it at Isolina or Taberna Palacios."

A chef that deserves more attention
"Ricardo Ehni at Tragaluz [located in Miraflores Park, a Belmond Hotel] has been surprising me with his tasting menus, and Ricardo Goachet from Verbena in San Isidro has really captured the attention of local and foreign diners." 

Elizabeth Vásquez Arbulú
CEO, Designer and Teacher, Polen Ceramic Studio


My longtime favourites
"I love places where I can have long lunches with loved ones, like Nakachi [Nikkei], El Bolivariano [Peruvian], Timbo [Peruvian rotisserie chicken], Beto [seafood], Huascar [seafood and Peruvian dishes]."

The underground spot

The classic cocktails at Testeo are developed to complement its experimental food menu

"It seems like every month there's somewhere new or a classic to rediscover. I love El Encuentro Otani – a Nikkei restaurant that serves seafood and stews – and Testeo, which is more experimental and has great cocktails."

My top bar
"Juanitos. It's a very simple, traditional bar in my neighbourhood. I go often with friends."

For dinner in a gorgeous setting

The terrrace of Museo Larco is wrapped in pink and red bougainvillea flowers (Image: Museo Larco Café-Restaurant)

"The restaurant at Museo Larco is gorgeous, as is Rosa Náutica [set on a pier that juts into the Pacific]."

Header image credit: Los Primos de San Juan

The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 will be revealed live from Lima, Peru on 4 November 2026.