Restaurants Overview

There's no need to get dressed up for dinner in the capital. The heat and humidity dictate a casual dress code at all but the top restaurants. Even at trendy places there's no reason for men to put on a tie. You will, however, get a few odd looks if you show up in shorts or with a baseball cap. Reservations are required if you hope for a table at a popular restaurant in Miraflores or San Isidro, especially on the weekend. Otherwise, you can simply show up at most places and be seated almost immediately.

Timing is important, as many eateries close after lunch and reopen for dinner. Limeños don't sit down for their evening meal until at least 7. It's not unusual for fish restaurants to close for the day at 5 or 6 in the afternoon. If you're in the mood for seafood, do as the locals do and have it for lunch.

Eating out in Lima need not cost much. One of the best deals is lunch in any of the hundreds of storefront restaurants scattered around the city. For a few bucks you get soup, a main dish, and even a dessert. How to pick among these no-name establishments? Just look for a crowd.

Seafood of all kinds, and especially cebiche (raw fish or shellfish in lemon juice), is a Peruvian specialty. The more creative chefs put a new spin on old recipes in a style of cooking called novo andino. Hearty dishes that once sustained farmers living far up in the Andes have become more heart-healthy. Gone are the thick sauces and the piles of potatoes. The result is much more palatable for nine-to-fivers in a hot coastal city.

It would be a shame to leave Lima without stepping into a chifa, one of the hundreds of restaurants serving Chinese food with a Peruvian flair. Use of local ingredients such as the ají, a thin pepper used in many Peruvian dishes, gives familiar dishes a distinctive taste. This exchange works both ways, of course. Peruvian standbys such as lomo saltado (beef stir-fried with onions and peppers) now often include soy sauce.