6 Best Restaurants in El Centro, Lima

Dating from 1905, this venerable Lima institution has served up ham sandwiches and pisco sours to Peru's presidents for over a century. Every inch of the decor—the worn wooden bar, the old black-and-white photos, the well-stocked saloon shelves and cabinets—oozes history. Try the butifarra (marinated pork with zarza criolla, or pickled onions, on a homemade roll), or, if you're famished, the bistec con tacu-tacu (steak with pan-fried rice and beans).

Born in a run-down barrio in central Lima in 1960, this chain of sandwich shops has exploded in recent years to become a Peruvian institution. It's a business that focuses all its energies on a single goal: making first-rate chicharrón (fried pork) and turkey sandwiches slathered with zarza criolla. The result is a shining example of Peruvians' genius for turning humble ingredients into culinary art. Look for other locations in Miraflores and Barranco.

This bustling two-story eatery specializes in comida norteña—northern cooking from the city of Piura. That means delicious grouper cebiche, seco de cabrito (goat stew), and green tamales, all in gut-busting portions. This is a classic example of what Peruvians call a huarique: a hole-in-the-wall restaurant where in-the-know locals go for homestyle cooking, at prices that won't break the bank.

Hungry office workers crowd this excellent criollo restaurant every day at lunchtime for heaping plates of fettuccine à la huancaína (pasta in cheese sauce) and pescado a lo macho (fish topped with spicy seafood). The setting, looking out over Lima's old fortified walls, is one of the greenest you'll find downtown. Don't miss the lomo saltado (beef stir-fried with peppers and onions): Gastón Acurio himself has called it one of Lima's best. A second, less-scenic branch can be found on the Plaza San Martín.

Hearty, no-frills criollo cooking in classy digs: that's what this wildly popular downtown eatery is all about. Seafood and piqueos (appetizer samplers) are standouts, but those looking for something lighter will find a broad array of soups and sandwiches. The muted, upscale ambience, in particular, is a welcome refuge from the chaos of Lima's Centro.

The best chifa in Chinatown, Wa Lok is known for such memorable dishes as calamares rellenos (shrimp-stuffed squid tempura), taipá (wok-fried chicken, pork, shrimp, and vegetables), and pato pekinés (Peking duck). It's best to go with a group and share, or ask for half orders. Vegetarians can choose from more than 30 dishes. The surrounding neighborhood is sketchy after dark, so at dinnertime you're better off heading to the Miraflores branch, on the corner of Avenida Angamos Oeste and Calle Arica.