8 Best Restaurants in San Isidro, Lima

Astrid y Gastón Casa Moreyra

$$$$ Fodor's choice

The flagship restaurant of Peru's most celebrated chefs, spouses Gastón Acurio and Astrid Gutsche, occupies a meticulously restored colonial mansion named Casa Moreyra. Dishes are available à la carte, but the big event here is the 16-course, prix-fixe tasting menu, which takes you on a journey through Peru's culinary regions in the span of two hours. The menu changes with the seasons to ensure fresh ingredients, but expect a good mix of meat and seafood, plus a chocolate apocalypse at the end. Reserve tables at least two weeks ahead of time.

Even if you don't have a reservation, you can try to get a table on the patio, where you can order from the à la carte menu.

Malabar

$$$$ Fodor's choice

Chef-owner Pedro Miguel Schiaffino travels the Peruvian Andes and Amazon in search of weird and unfamiliar ingredients that most cooks—and locals—overlook, and then incorporates them into the menu at Malabar. His list of dishes changes several times a year to ensure fresh ingredients, but most of them are organic and free-range. The restaurant offers both à la carte selections and multi-course set meals that combine foods from the coast, mountains, and jungle. Added plus: the bar here, run by Schiaffino's father, has some of the best cocktails in Lima.

Av. Camino Real 101, San Isidro, Lima, 27, Peru
01-440–5200
Known For
  • true foodie experience
  • exotic ingredients
  • jungle-themed cuisine
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun, Reservations essential

Titi

$$ Fodor's choice
Chifa, Peru's version of Chinese food, is ubiquitous in Lima, with cheapo order-by-number establishments on practically every corner. In this glutted market, Titi towers above the competition, with a kitchen that works magic with even the simplest ingredients. Tallarín saltado with chicken and pork is subtly smoky and crackling with fresh vegetables, while kru yoc, the kitchen’s most requested plate, dresses crisp pork slices with a delicately sweet glaze. Chinese immigrants to Peru say the cooking here holds its own against heavy-hitters in Beijing and Shanghai.
Av. Javier Prado Este 1212, San Isidro, Lima, Peru
01-224–8189
Known For
  • best Chinese cooking in Lima
  • scrumptious suckling pig on Friday
  • super-fresh ingredients
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Como Agua Para Chocolate

$

One of Lima's few Mexican restaurants, this colorful spot near Parque El Olivar serves some innovative dishes as well as the usual tacos and enchiladas. The house specialties are barbacoa de cordero (lamb grilled in avocado leaves), pescado a la veracruzana (fish in a slightly spicy tomato sauce), and albóndigas al chipotle (spicy meatballs served with yellow rice), but you can also get fajitas and good quesadillas.

Cl. Pancho Fierro 108, San Isidro, Lima, 27, Peru
01-222–0174
Known For
  • great margaritas
  • traditional Mexican fare
  • super-friendly owners
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Credit cards accepted

Lima 27

$$$

This dark-gray mansion with a bright red foyer looks like Dracula's love shack at night, but inside you'll find a chic lounge and two elegant dining rooms. Local epicureans gather here to savor a creative fusion of Peruvian and continental cuisine, from cabrito loche (roast kid with squash ravioli) to atún costra (tuna in a sesame-pepper crust) to gnocchis crocantes (crispy gnocchi smothered in a mushroom-and-artichoke-heart ragout). The back terrace, hemmed by a wall of greenery, becomes a lively bar scene as the night progresses.

Matsuei

$$$ | Miraflores

The sushi chefs shout out a greeting as you enter the teak-floored dining room of this Miraflores standout, which dates back over 50 years. The kitchen specializes in sushi and sashimi, but if raw is not your thing, there's also plenty of hot food such as tempuras, teriyakis, and kushiyaki, a broiled chicken fillet with ginger sauce. The emphasis here is on traditional Japanese cooking, rather than Peruvian Nikkei.

Cl. Atahuapa 195, Lima, Lima, 27, Peru
981-310–180
Known For
  • ancestral Japanese cooking
  • super-fresh seafood
  • scrumptious stir-fried rice
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted

Nanka

$$
At this bistro run by an Australian-Peruvian couple, the emphasis is on sustainable, locally sourced, organic ingredients. Lofty sentiments, to be sure—but it also helps that this pair can really cook. Their cebiche is a fresh take on a criollo classic, combining bonito with avocado, pickled papaya, and watermelon, while the pulpo con tacu-tacu features octopus tentacles atop a bed of pan-fried garbanzos. Vegan-friendly options abound, as do scrumptious desserts.
Cl. Manuel Bañón 260, San Isidro, Lima, Peru
01-467–8417
Known For
  • environmentally conscious cooking
  • good duck dishes
  • lots of vegetarian and vegan choices
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: No dinner

Osaka

$$$$

This wildly popular Japanese-fusion eatery is renowned for its sushi bar, but its Peruvian tiraditos and Chinese seafood dishes like broiled scallops braised in a spicy sauce are equally masterful. Settle into one of the low tables, and sink your teeth into quinua maguro (seared tuna medallions served with mashed lucuma fruit and crunchy quinoa), or grilled sirloin and sautéed mushrooms atop miso mashed potatoes. The attentive service here truly sparkles.

Av. Pardo y Aliaga 660, San Isidro, Lima, 18, Peru
01-222–0405
Known For
  • sushi and sashimi
  • scrumptious cebiche
  • Chinese and Nikkei favorites
Restaurants Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Reservations essential