Lima Airport & Restaurant Questions
 

First, the airport: We have an 8:00 flight from Lima to the United States on American Airlines. Do we need to be there at 5:00? We are flying business class to Miami, using frequent flyer miles. Would anyone know if we could possibly go to a business class lounge there (Sumaq?) after we check in at the airline counter? I read an old thread on here which basically says the answer is "maybe." But I was wondering if anyone could tell me more. Of course, I'll also contact American Airlines and ask them.

And in terms of restaurants in Lima, we would like to go to dinner somewhere that's not terribly, terribly expensive, upscale, innovative or requiring fairly fancy attire. Can anyone suggest a restaurant that's not quite in the same "league" as Astrid y Gaston but that still has excellent food and a decent atmosphere and service? We're not totally adverturous eaters, but willing to try traditional Peruvian food. We do like seafood, at least the seafood we get in the U.S. We'd like a restaurant in Miraflores (where we're staying) or not too far from there.

Thanks!

There are four or five lounges at LIM and the chances are one of them will have a tie up with AA. Best just to ask AA . If not you will have the option to pay for access. I recall my Amex Card granted access to one of them there as well.

All airlines suggest arrive at the airport 3 hours prior to an international flight. Personally, I always accept that recommendation in order to avoid the stress and financial consequences of missing a flight. I visited Lima many times and have known the trip to and from the airport to take anywhere between 45mins and two hours. Early morning should be fine but one never knows. It is not the most efficient airport in the world and queues at immigration and check in etc can be quite bad.

We have several favourite restaurants in Peru but we usually stay in Barranco, the adjoining barrio of Miraflores (10 min taxi). In Barranco La Cuadra de Salavdor is a great grill type restaurant in a lively setting in an ex Casa Cor house with a great Pisco bar. Good service and nice atmosphere. Also in Barranco is a more local type restaurant serving traditional Peruvian food - we probably eat there more than anywhere else - cheap and cheerful.

In Miraflores itself the best seafood restaurant I can think of is Punta Azul . Amazing fish and seafood and certainly the equal of anything you will find in the US. It is very popular so I would advise reserving in advance or maybe be prepared to queue.

Is dinner the only meal you're eating in Lima? There are some seafood specialist such as Punto Azul that stay open for dinner but it's more traditional for lunch. Many of the Miraflores cevicherias do stay open for what we consider dinner although Peruvians dine much later.

For reservations (which are not always an option) you can usually message through Instagram or What's App. Someone there will be able to translate. Note many Peruvian businesses do not keep websites or social media up to date, so it's a good idea to at confirm hours. Also Taxi and Uber will probably know most restaurants by name.

A good pair of related restaurants are Cevicheria Puro Mar and Cevicheria Lobo de Mar.
Cevicheria Puro Mar is near Punto Azul but not necessarily near all Miraflores hotels. (Alcanfores 592) A good backup if the line for Punto Azul is too long. More tourist-oriented so probably open for dinner.


Alternatively try Cevicheria Lobo de Mar which is also in Miraflores (Colon 587) but closer to the Marriott and Larcomar Mall. ( I think earlier closing hours on this one).

https://www.instagram.com/cevicheriapuromar/
https://www.facebook.com/cevicherialobodemarmiraflores/

If for lunch go before 1pm or you will wait in line.

Not sure if my links will post but one is for FB and one for Insta.

I know crellston likes Cuadra del Salvador but maybe he can comment if he thinks it is kind of fancy and not really Peruvian cuisine (more of a steak house?)

Thank you. I'm putting this info in my notes.

Thank you both. If you're willing to share the name of the local restaurant in Barranco, we my want to visit, either for lunch or dinner. And if lunch is the lighter meal in Lima, or our particular lunch is pretty heavy, I guess we'd want something much lighter for dinner. I'm OK with a steak house, and I think my spouse would too. And as I'm seeing a lot of octopus on menus, I have to ask: For a less adventuresome eater like me, are shrimp (or maybe langostinos or prawn, but not cerviche?), sea scallops, or crab meat avaoilable?

Octopus is a rather specialized item. You will find all types of fish and seafood, not all of it raw.

Cuadra is more or less a restaurant that specializes in American beef.

There are so many excellent restaurants in Lima, it would not be my choice to include it. Especially for an American (but crellston is English)! I know crellston also likes Canta Rana in Barranco, but there is no reason to taxi over there if not staying nearby, it's a local ceviche place, similar to the ones already mentioned above in Miraflores (but with more of a pub atmosphere). I ate there on my first trip to Lima and was underwhelmed.

If you mention the hotel or cross streets near where you are staying, we can probably suggest something within a short walk.

One warning, the portion sizes at normal restaurants (not the fancy places) are huge!

There are other dishes that Lima is known for, I suggest reading more about Peruvian cuisine before you go.

There are many restaurants that I would happily recommend (El Hornero steakhouse in Chorillos with an amazing view of the bay; El Mar for seafood, although it’s pricey; Mayta; Osaka). However, keeping in mind the request for restaurants in the Miraflores area (as well as the desire to get to know Peruvian cuisine without being too adventuresome) you might enjoy Panchita. It is a chain of restaurants with a large menu of traditional criolla style Peruvian food (with English menus)- our family there enjoy it and it’s always full of Limeños! The lomo saltado or aji de gallina are “safe” traditional dishes that I personally enjoy.

One of the things I love about Lima is the chance to eat the main meal of the day at lunchtime- and eat well. In the evening we go out for a smaller meal at a cafe or a Chifa (there’s a lot of choice).

Regarding going to the airport 3 hours in advance: the drive to the airport can be long(an hour at least) even early in the morning, so it’s good to allow for that when timing things out. The check in process for business class is generally fast (although for some reason they seem to take a long time if checking in bags). The security and immigration have also been getting faster the last 3 years (~30 minutes).
One thing to take note of: when boarding there is another security check and they inspect bags, taking any liquids they find (good to know since many people buy water for the plane and then get them taken away at this final check).

Panchita is another good option. I had seafood restaurants in mind because the OP mentioned that, but now wonder if a wider menu is a better choice. Although the seafood restaurants also offer dishes such as jalea (fried mix), and stirfries of rice with cooked seafood. If it's a mixed seafood dish you can always request no octopus (pulpo). Another seafood dish that is from Lima is a Causa (pureed potato layered with avocado and usually a seafood salad such as shrimp or tuna).

My friends who try Peruvian food for the first time also enjoy papa rellena as well as aji de gallina. Non adventurous eaters rarely go wrong with spit roasted chicken. I'm not against Pardo's (chicken specialist) if one is nearby.

The local restaurant I mentioned in Barranco is indeed Canta Rana. Whilst the ceviche is great, we mainly go for the whole range of traditional Peruvian dishes ( and yes , the portions are huge! ).

We often stay in Barranco sometimes @ 3b barranco ( on mlgb’s recommendation) and sometimes in a rented apt . One of the things I like about the area is the array of small restaurants and bars there. It has a very village like feel and is the sort of place you want to just wander and pop in somewhere to eat . There is one place, the barranco social club where they do a great menu del dia for a few soles and those menus are worth looks for if you just want a quick and tasty lunch

Hi crellston! I love the staff at 3B most of all. Believe it or not I have a birding cruise booked for next year with an overnight on the ship in Callao. I am seriously considering taking off on my own that evening just to pop in and say hello to Elizabeth and eat somewhere nearby (I will be sick of cruise ship food by then).

If the OP comes back and tells us which hotel they are at, I'm sure there are many options nearby. I do recall trycke has family in Lima so would trust his opinion.

It really is difficult to have a bad meal in Lima, but I'm sure it can be done, LOL. The high-priced places charge extra for smaller portions, ambience and "innovation". For lunch (which is the main meal for many) I would pop into busy no-name restaurants as I was walking around, often ordering from the daily menu posted outside, which is a good sign that it's fresh. Or if I was in Barranco I'd get recommendations from the 3B staff. They know what's new and what's good. If not staying at a big corporate hotel you can often get great suggestions from the desk staff.

This is an old topic but the 8 am American flight doesn’t start till November. It’s 6:30 am till then.

Anyway this week we were on the 6:30 am American flight, left Miraflores at 4:00 and arrived inside the airport in 25 minutes! Maybe a record. At check in 2 hours in advance and had plenty of time. The international wing of LIM is nowhere near as chaotic as the domestic wing.

Adding: The American check in counter is barely marked, it’s 49. For Panchita a reservation is recommended.

Last thought: we stayed in Miraflores once and “downtown” (San Isidro) twice. Both are fine modern areas, but it’s Central Lima that has the sites, wished we stayed there. Everywhere we went in Peru including Central Lima seemed completely safe.

I'm catching up on responses. Thanks for the airport information. Hopefully navigating through the airport will be reasonably uneventful; thanks for the tips. American Airlines has now changed our flight to 7:00. I'm a little annoyed that we got no notification about it. We will probably ask the person we're renting the apartment from to call a taxi for us or recommend something else. (Does Uber go to the airport? I've read it's in Lima, but I wasn't sure if they were allowed in the airport.) Also, in business class, if we arrive early without breakfast, does American have a business class lounge we could visit? And is there a problem taking non-narcotic medications/supplements in pill containers or unmarked bottles when we leave LIM? (We will be flying into another city.)

We like both seafood and many other types of food, except perhaps those that are quite spicy. I mentioned seafood because it's widely available and while we like it a lot, we would consider other places. We're staying at an apartment on the Malecon Cisneros, close to C. Madrid and C. Roma, a little south of the "Marine Lighthouse." From Google, Punta Azul looks easily walkable, and I suppose the places in the shopping center a bit farther down are too. The person I'm traveling with would probably appreciate having no more than a 10 or maybe 15 minute walk, however. As I may have stated above (though perhaps under different name, as another person shares this computer) something ideal would be something fairly casual, without a lot of waiting to get in if don't reserve, and reasonably priced - perhaps no more than 20 USD without alcohol or dessert if possible?? Google didn't show me many restaurants really close by, but I imagine there are some. And I tasted cerviche at our favorite Mexican restaurant last week, and to my surprise, liked it a lot!

Uber is in Lima and we used it other times but used Taxidatum for the airport, terrifically reliable, cash 60 soles or US $18.

You can order breakfast on the American app, it was “Spanish tortilla” or fruit, the tortilla is an egg dish.

We did not seek out a lounge, I kind of doubt there is one for American passengers.

I just realized we are not staying quite close to Punto Azul (restaurant, 20 minute walk). Instead, it is Punta Sal.

United business uses the Sumaq lounge. Have no idea about American

Lima is not listed as having lounge access, in SA just Santiago.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...-locations.jsp

Some restaurants not too far from you…
El Señorio de Sulco
Porcus (traditional pork sandwiches and more)
Francesco
Mattoni (ok Italian, Santa Cruz neighbourhood place)

There are websites with menus for all of the above.

The Buenavista Cafe on the maleçon has a great view, but food and cost are not the attraction.

If you are OK to go a little further into the Santa Cruz neighbourhood:
El Mercado
la Red
Mayta

A favourite panaderia is La Negra or El Pan de la Chola.

Thanks for the info! One (maybe final!) question: I read something about restaurant tax in Peru. It implied that some restaurants charge tax and others don't. Is this true? And just what percentage/amount of tax is charged for food at restaurants?

Normally any tax is included in the item list price.

In tourist restaurants (100% tourist clientele) a service charge (propina) may be added.

Hotels: Peru residents are charged 18% but not you.

Comment on Senioro del Sulco.. I went ages ago, with a travel agent (on a private tour of the now closed Enrico Poli Collection). It is popular with tour groups (perhaps the food is not as flavorful or spicy as some) and has a nice atmosphere.

There is also a branch of La Mar not too far, but I'd probably not walk to that one. In general watch out for sidewalk issues in Lima when walking.

Assuming you are going to the Larco Museum, they do have a restaurant onsite.

If I haven't promoted the Amano Museum yet, it's one of my favorites
AMANO - Pre-Columbian Textile Museum