50 Best Restaurants in Lima, Peru

Those who've never tasted la comida amazónica—specialties from the Peruvian jungle—appreciate the cooking at this colorful fusion joint. Traditional standbys include juanes (stewed chicken with hard-boiled eggs and rice steamed in a bijao leaf) and tacacho con cecina (smoky jungle bacon with mashed plantains), but the chefs here also riff creatively on jungle themes, creating plates like Amazonian tacos (Brazilian sausage rolled in plantain "tortillas") and jungle-fried rice with Chinese-style pork char siu. The outdoor patio is an added plus.

On a quiet street a block and a half from the busy intersection of Avenidas Larco and Benavides, this small restaurant in a renovated house is known for its southern Italian cuisine. The Peruvian owner worked at one of Miami's best Italian eateries before setting up shop in Miraflores. The menu includes pasta dishes such as linguine in pesto with gamberi (shrimp), a small selection of risottos, and traditional osso buco. The restaurant recently added a handful of Peruvian specialties, but don't be fooled: Italian cuisine is still the star here.

With its flagstone path and leafy lucuma tree dappling a quiet patio with shade, this green café is an oasis. The gourmet teas and coffees, artisanal sandwiches, and fruity milk shakes rejuvenate even the most worn-out traveler.

Peru's sandwiches haven't yet attained the iconic status of Mexico's tortas or Louisiana's po' boys, but the revolution is coming. You can see what the fuss is about at this wildly successful Lima chain, which has branches all over the city, and whose Parque Kennedy outpost is inevitably thronged by nighttime partygoers looking to chow down. Here it pays to stick with the classics: chicharrón or lechón a la leña (wood-fired ham) both come heaped with zarza criolla, and the accompanying fries made with huayra potatoes are a revelation. Makes you wonder how the McDonald's up the street stays open.

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.

Located just steps outside Miraflores near the Mercado No. 1 in Surquillo, this rustic tavern harkens back to Peru's picanterías (country restaurants) of old. The drill is simple: sit down on one of the wooden benches, choose your fish (or shellfish), and tell the waiter how you want it prepared. Fried, grilled, as a cebiche, or as a delicious sudado (soup) or estofado (stew): it's all good. The menu has a few landlubber entrées, but make no mistake: it's the seafood that makes this joint a regular on 50 Best lists.

This old-fashioned Swiss eatery first flung open its doors in 1936, and little has changed since. It still serves a selection of quality European and Peruvian cuisine in a refined atmosphere, with ornately painted wooden details on the doors and along the ceiling that evoke the Old Country. Rösti (grated potatoes with bacon and cheese) and three kinds of fondue are among the traditional Swiss options. The kitchen also offers breakfasts and a range of sandwiches, and the glass case is filled with eye-popping pastries. The front terrace, which faces the busy Óvalo de Miraflores, is a great people-watching spot.

After a quarter-century in business, this remains one of Lima's better Italian restaurants. The proof is on the plate: dishes such as artichoke ravioli and fettuccine magnífico (with a prosciutto, Parmesan, and white-truffle sauce) are perennial favorites. Be sure to save room for dessert: co-owner Sandra Plevisani is one of the country's most famous pastry chefs. This is one of the few Lima restaurants that serve dinner on Sunday.

The sushi chefs shout out a greeting as you enter the teak-floored dining room of this Miraflores standout, which dates back to the early '70s. 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.

Venezuelan and Peruvian flavors dance an exquisite pas de deux at this tiny, brick-walled tavern on a Barranco back street. The choreography is provided by chef Juan Luis Martínez, a Central veteran who renders homage to his Caracas roots while making expert use of Peruvian ingredients, including scallops, huacatay (black mint), and cocona (an Amazon fruit). Among the recent standouts on the ever-changing menu: roasted Peruvian corn in yellow chili and glazed pork belly with arepas. In 2023, the restaurant made San Pellegrino's list of Latin America's 50 Best, so reserve well in advance if you want a ground-floor seat to watch the open-kitchen pyrotechnics. 

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 mediterráneo features octopus tentacles atop a bed of ratatouille and rustic potatoes. Vegan-friendly options abound, as do scrumptious desserts.

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.

This vast, whitewashed restaurant with a laid-back vibe is popular with limeños, who flock here for its inventive recipes and fresh seafood. The name is a play on the Spanish term for the seven deadly sins, and gula (gluttony) is one of many sins worth committing here—think fettuccine with a mix of scallops, shrimp, and squid in a spicy cream sauce. Another is avaricia, or covetousness: the paiche (jungle fish) fillet served with tacacho quinoa and the salad made of cecina and chonta (smoked pork and heart of palm) will have your palate lusting. Forget morality, and just dig in!

On a sunny afternoon, the view of the malecón and its graceful paragliders from the upper floors of this restaurant is as good as the food—which is excellent. Dishes include classic cebichería fare such as tiradito criollo (thin slices of marinated fish in a yellow-pepper sauce), conchitas a la parmesana (scallops on the half-shell smothered in garlic and toasted cheese), or pescado a la chorrillana (fish fillet in a tomato, onion, and chili broth). Piqueos, platters of appetizers, are fun to share. This place has another, less crowded (but also less scenic) location on Avenida Conquistadores in San Isidro. Arrive before 1 to get a window table.

Generous portions of quality seafood at reasonable prices are the reason there's usually a line at this Miraflores standby. Classic Peruvian fare such as cebiche, arroz con mariscos, and parihuela keep the locals coming back. The kitchen also offers some original concoctions, such as fettuccine in a huancaína sauce with spicy panko shrimp. Unlike many Lima cebicherías, this place stays open for through dinnertime.

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.

This small corner house is inconspicuous at first glance, but at mealtimes it's invariably packed with foodies feasting on Rafael Osterling's culinary creations. One of Lima's best chefs, Osterling mixes Peruvian, Mediterranean, and Asian influences in a menu brimming with innovation. There are plenty of pastas, such as gnocchi in a shrimp, scallop, and squid pesto, but the eclectic carta ranges from fish curry to roast suckling pig.

If you don't have a reservation, you may be able to grab a small table in the bar.

Basque food in Lima? Claro que sí—and it's one of the freshest, most welcome additions to Barranco's dining scene in recent years, with quinoa salads, ham-and-cheese empanadas, croquettes, quiches, and a range of tapas that is surprising for such a small kitchen. For something more substantial, try one of the Basque main courses like rabo de toro (oxtail) or bacalao al pil-pil (salt cod in garlic).

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.