We are long back from Lima by now, but I wanted to write down a quick take on a number of restaurants and coffee shops we visited on our summer 2017 trip. Bottom line here is that Lima has an amazing number of very high-quality dining options. All of the places mentioned here are good enough to recommend, though you'll see I'm much more excited about some than others. The coffee scene is still developing, but it has progressed markedly over the past couple years (our last visit was in 2015). All of the places I mention here are in what I would consider the top tier of coffee spots in Lima. There was no clear winner, but these are all worthy options. This list just scratches the surface. I'll perhaps add to it as I think of more places and make more return trips.
Aromia Cafe - A great cafe serving a variety of coffee and espresso drinks. They do pretty much the gamut of coffee preparations and use good beans. Like many places in Lima, the beans tend to be roasted on the very dark side. But the final product here is pretty great. Also some light breakfast items. The space is bright and comfortable. There is not a ton of seating, but what is there is very functional. A good place to work if there is space available.
Astrid y Gaston - This is Acurio's flagship. The setting is beautiful. It is an old estate house with multiple dining rooms and bars. It is immaculately restored and a serene setting for a meal. The food is amazing, but there are certainly places you can eat as well for less money in Lima. Still, for an experience and a splurge it is definitely worth it. I was not happy with my suckling pig, but all else was delicious.
Barra Maratazo - This is a ceviche place. It has a smaller menu that some of the more complicated ceviche and seafood places. At lunch they have a great combo option where you can get portions of a couple different things at a very good price. The portions are pretty large, so be careful not to over-do it with your initial order. All the ceviche here is solid. It's not mind-blowingly good and it is not super creative or anything. But it is good, basic ceviche served in a very pleasant atmosphere. And the owner is really friendly as well.
Central - Hands down the best and most interesting meal I've ever had. This is clearly a Michelin 3-star experience, and ranks as one of the best restaurants in the world. Virgilio Martinez (who I bumped into on the street after dropping the LL off at her preschool) is the chef, and he is both compulsive in his quest for excellence and amazing in his ability to inject creativity and take risks in his cooking. The tasting menu is about 18 courses, and is organized by elevation. Essentially, Martinez tries to capture an ecosystem on each plate. He constantly travels Peru searching for new ingredients, some of which are not even known to be edible (or not) when he starts using them. Rest assured he tests them out before putting them on the menu, but this is serious, thought-provoking, and edgy cooking. The food is beautiful. Some courses are more delicious than others. Some are merely interesting and edible. But for the most part the food is amazingly tasty and beautifully presented. It is an opportunity to take a tour of Peru on a series of plates. The food and the experience are to be savored, and prepare for about a 3 hour commitment, with reservations placed at least a month or two in advance. By the way, what you pay here is a great value. It's very expensive by Lima standards but a third or less what you would pay for such a meal anywhere in the US or Europe.
La Bodega Verde - One of our favorite spots in Lima. Outdoor seating. An area for kids to run around. Very good coffee and breakfasts. Portions are small but food is high quality. Good and interesting beer selections as well. Connected to the Museum of Contemporary Art
Cafe Bisetti - Great cafe. This was one of the first places in Lima really serious about coffee. They've been at it for a while. Plenty of single origin options. They roast their own. Preparations abound. Some good pastries and cakes. Excellent espresso. Beans to take home. Nice homey atmosphere. Dark, with couches and reading material. Not the greatest place to work but a good place to hang out on a weekend morning. In Barranco, so a nice stop there before hitting some art galleries and fashion boutiques in that neighborhood.
Cate Tasting Room - If I could choose any cafe to work in, this would be it. There was always plenty of seating and the espresso was as good as anywhere. They also had nice breakfast items, including baked goods, eggs, french toast, etc. Did not go here as often as I would have liked because it was a hike from our apartment. But if you are close, it is a place to go.
Don Mamino - This is a bakery and sandwich place for the most part. They have good breakfasts and that is what we ate here most often. The criollo breakfast is a lot of food for very little money. Can easily be shared between two people. Delicious baked goods. A reliable option for desserts.
El Chinito - This is a classic Peruvian sandwich place. You'll find roast pork, roast and then fried pork, ham, turkey, and several others. Chinoto is similar to La Lucha, mentioned below, in several ways. Chinoto does not have quite as many meat options as Lucha. Chinoto has really good tamales in addition to the sandwiches. And, most importantly, Chinoto has some sandwiches with a bit more of an Asian flavor profile - 5 spice and soy sauce are clearly used for instance. Their prices are good, they deliver, and they have multiple locations, one of which is on a relatively quiet street in Miraflores. Another is right on the square downtown. A safe bet if you need a quick bite while visiting the center.
Isolina - This place is right on the main drag in Barranco. But if you don't go to Barranco it is a bit out of the way. However, this restaurant is good enough that you should go to Barranco just to eat here. It is Peruvian comfort food. The dishes are what grandmas cook for Sunday dinners and holiday meals. It is served family style, and it is not hard to accidentally order too much. The ideal way to eat here is with a group of six or more so you can order a wide variety. We just went back several times in order to achieve the variety. And of course we always ate too much. Order anything that has osso buco in the name or anything that is braised. Also, the beans here are noteworthy. Beans are usually just something to fill space for me. But here, they are so delicious that I had to mention them specifically. I could eat a meal of just their beans. There is little doubt, of course, why the beans are so good. LARD. This is one of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants according to San Pellegrino. This is quite an honor and speaks volumes for the food, because this place is decidedly not fancy. We ate at just about every one of the other Lima restaurants on the 50 best list and this one was the most casual by far. To make this list as such a casual place is truly amazing.
La Lucha - Excellent classic sandwiches. The roast pork here and the chicharron (that's roasted then fried pork) are excellent. There is a location at Larco Mar, so if you are there and want something fast and good, this is a great option in the food court, believe it or not.
Maido - Japanese/Nikkei food in an extremely elegant atmosphere. The dining room is beautiful. The service is friendly yet formal. They do a great job of serving at a relaxed pace and making sure you are well taken care of. Nikkei is basically Peruvian-Japanese fusion. There is plenty of Nikkei on this menu as well as pure Japanese items. Seafood is the star. There is a great tasting menu that we did not have time to try. This is not cheap but is a very good value, as the cooking is at a very high level - Michelin 3-star if they rated Lima restaurants almost certainly. In San Pellegrino Top 50 for good reason. A memorable meal. You will eat something you've never eaten before here unless you have traveled and eaten and spent a ton of money doing it. If you have eaten everything you try here previously, you will be paying half what you paid for it elsewhere.
La Mar - Always great ceviche. They have a combination of more modern seafood dishes as well as a great selection of classics. The fish is provided by co-ops of fishermen in towns up and down the Peruvian coast. Nearly everything is sustainable. This is one of the top 50 in Latin America and I don't feel the need to say much since there is plenty of information of this place elsewhere. They have locations in many cities now, but the original in Lima is still the best one I've been to.
Mayta - This is one of the best places for cocktails we've found. Really inventive drinks with a focus on local ingredients. Try the drinks on the "Intocable" section. Great twists on classic Peruvian cocktails and some very inventive things of their own. And they also have about 100 different chilcano and/or pisco sour flavor options. Better take your dictionary (or your smartphone, I guess) if you don't have good command of fruit and herb Spanish vocabulary. Or just order stuff you've never heard of. It will be good. The food is also excellent, with modern takes on classic dishes by a young and energetic Peruvian chef. It turns out if you're ever in Dubai there is also an outpost of this one there.
Osso - This is also on the 50 best list. The service is impeccable. The sausages and charcuterie are fabulous. You can get some cured offerings here that are very hard to find in Lima otherwise. The steaks are good. But they are insanely expensive. We are talking Manhattan prices in Lima (maybe not quite, but close). That is crazy. And it is just not worth it. If you're on an expense account, fine. But you'll be happier ordering chorizo or ribs than steak unless you go with a really high-end cut and spend even more than I was willing to. Good wine list.
Pan de La Chola - This is hands down the best bread in Lima. It's actually the best bread I've had anywhere. The croissants are excellent, not the best ever (that honor still goes to Wild Love Bake House back in our Knoxville neighborhood) but the best in Lima that we found. Get the house loaf of bread and you will not be disappointed. So crusty on the outside. So soft and elastic and chewy in the middle. Perfect texture. Go for breakfast on the weekend and be prepared to wait. Fresh squeezed juice that somehow seems to be just a little bit better than all the other places in Lima with fresh squeezed juice (which is every single restaurant in the city), toasts with various spreads including the now ubiquitous avocado toast, panini, good beer selection, very good espresso. They know what they are doing here.
Papacho's - It doesn't seem like great burgers are all that hard to find anymore. It's a worldwide phenomenon. Papacho's does burgers in a truly Peruvian style. The undisputed king of Peruvian gastronomy, Gastรณn Acurio, started this place to put a Peruvian twist on an American classic. The quality of the beef is great. Really flavorful without being insanely greasy. The burgers are large and the rolls are high-quality. But there are other places in Lima that get that much right (Jucy Lucy is a perfect example and another great burger option with a more American style). Papacho's uses interesting ingredients with deep connections to Peruvian cooking. And the fries are great, which is to be expected in the country with the best potatoes in the world bar none.
Pardo's - Chicken. Peruvian, rotisserie chicken. That's what you get here. They also have plenty of other grilled items. But the rotisserie chicken reigns. Pardo's is a big chain, and they seem to have a location in every neighborhood. It's not quite as common as McDonald's in the US, but a Pardo's is not hard to find. And they provide a pretty decent and easily accessible version of the classic Peruvian rotisserie chicken. I cannot explain exactly why this chicken is so good. The skin is perfectly crispy. It is cooked over hardwood charcoal. They do not skimp on the seasoning, and I think the use of some cumin and maybe even some smoked paprika really make this a delicious version of roast chicken. One of my favorites when we are in Lima. It's definitely not fancy. But for an easy weeknight meal it's a great option. FYI, the location at Larco Mar, where most Americans are probably most likely to happen upon a Pardo's is a dud of a location. The one on Benavides is much better.
Pez Amigo - This is a great seafood restaurant in a residential area of Miraflores, but not far from the main tourist haunts in that neighborhood either. I cannot recommend this place more strongly. The fish and seafood are obviously fresh. And very well prepared. You would be wise to simply follow the advice of your server and order what they tell you to order. They never steered us wrong. Go easy on the pisco sours here as they pack a serious punch. Octopus ceviche is a favorite here, as well as anything with paiche (a white river fish from the Amazon that is mild with a firm texture, and is sustainable as well from what I've heard). But the winner of all the dishes is the chupe de langostinos or camarones (lobsters or shrimp). Sometimes you have to ask if these are available. They will make it if they can. It is so good, a rich and creamy seafood stew with an egg and thickened with bread. Do not order this and think that it is like a soup appetizer. It is a meal on its own. This was our favorite place on the current trip. It was only a few blocks from our apartment and did not break the bank. I could eat here once a week, and we came close on our most recent trip.
Puente Azul - Seems to be a more well-known seafood place in Miraflores. Pez Amigo is better as far as I'm concerned and there is usually a longer wait at Puente Azul. It's good and I recommend it. The portions are insanely large and the food is prepared correctly. But not worth a not uncommon hour-long wait.
Raphael - This is where Raphael Osterling does some of his experimental cooking along with classic pastas and modern twists on classic Peruvian. The pastas here are quite good. The arroz con pato (duck and rice) is amazing. Don't order the pizzas, as it seems like the proper way to make pizza dough has not found its way to Lima yet. (Though I admit we were not looking that hard this time since our next stop was to be a year in Manhattan.) The menu is large and diverse, especially given how good the cooking is. Food prepared at this level usually requires a much tighter focus. They do a great job with a great variety here. If you're not sure what you want or where you want to go or have a diverse set of preferences in your group, this is a good option because you've essentially punted on your selection of cuisine type until you look at the menu.
Tierra Santa - Israeli place in Miraflores. Very solid food. Good pita, good hummus, good gyros and various meat skewers. Lamb skewers were a bit tough, but the chicken dishes were quite good. Solid inexpensive option if you are nearby and needing some Middle Eastern food.
True Artisan Cafe - There are a lot of places in Lima these days that do just coffee and espresso. This is one of them. Little seating, but great coffee.
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