223 Best Restaurants in Peru

Chalkboard menus, shelves piled to the ceiling with locally made wines and piscos, a worn wooden bar, and even a hand-cranked telephone give this venerable institution—a Lima mainstay since 1880—its nostalgic charm. The place serves delicious ham sandwiches smothered in zarza criolla and chilcanos made with pisco bottled in the factory next door, but in recent years has also expanded its menu to include a range of pastas and meat dishes.

Grilled meats, wood-smoked pizzas, and hearty sandwiches draw a diverse crowd of travelers and locals alike to this dimly lit, wood-paneled restaurant. Try the anticuchos (charcoal-grilled skewers of beef heart) and a glass of Peruvian wine while enjoying the live band, and stay for the disco atmosphere that prevails after midnight.

Just a block from Plaza de Armas, this hip coffee spot stands out for its facade etched with colorful murals. Proudly vegan, it dishes up meat-free versions of Peruvian mains, plus a plethora of salads, juices, and coffee. Upstairs it functions as a social coworking zone with fast Wi-Fi that can be accessed with a food or beverage purchase. 

This Pisco institution hosts pool parties and dancing on weekends, but it's the seafood specialties like whole fried chita (rockfish) and sudado de choros (shellfish stew) that keep the crowds coming. Roast goat, grilled meats, and sopa seca (noodles in basil sauce) round out the extensive menu. On any given afternoon, the place is packed with jovial Peruvian families celebrating together.

This cozy and colorful juice bar with charming white sillar walls serves coffee, fruit salads, smoothies, yogurt, waffles, and empanadas. At happy hour, try one of the reasonably priced pisco sours.

This open-air eatery in Parque Intihuatana is a great spot to grab a crepe, coffee, or fresh juice. Sit at one of the tables that line the back of the park for a sweeping ocean view. There are other branches around the city, including one at Parque del Amor.

Skip the first floor and head upstairs to the terrace for great views of the beach at Huanchaco's largest and most popular restaurant. Enjoy huanchaquero specialties, including cangrejo reventado (baked crab stuffed with egg) and cebiche de mococho (seaweed cebiche). Prices have crept up in recent years, but this open-air eatery continues to draw crowds for its compendious menu and sunset drinks from a special wine and cocktail list.

This attractive restaurant boasts an extensive international menu packed with European-inspired salads, sandwiches, and entrées, as well as plates mixing local and imported ingredients. Whether it's Thai salad or lomo saltado, panini or Peruvian butifarra (ham sandwich), expect to savor your meal. Relax in the serene dining room, and don't miss dessert—along with, well, a cappuccino.

Sequestered inside the walls of the colonial palace that houses the Museo Larco, this is one of the most charming places in Lima to enjoy a meal. The Peruvian-fusion menu offers everything from empanadas to ravioli stuffed with squash to beef with wild mushroom sauce. Tables on the terrace overlook a lush garden with blazing bougainvillea, ancient statues, and tinajas—Peruvian amphorae.

Pouring some of the best coffee in the city from a special house blend, this café is a Cusco icon; Martin Chambi photos help anchor it in Peru, but the jazz and bohemian atmosphere make it feel more cosmopolitan. It's great for a quick bite, as well as for picking up fliers on current cultural offerings. Try the passion-fruit cheesecake or tiramisu with your cappuccino, and head next door to the Cusco School of Fine Arts to see what's on display.

A great hangout and meeting spot for travelers, this eclectic café with cheery yellow walls and wood-beamed ceilings works with local farming co-ops and has a commitment to organic principles and fair trade. The menu is small, but of good quality. Try the juanes (an egg, rice, herb, and spice mixture, topped with chicken and tied into a bijao leaf), sandwiches, or any of the tempting desserts.

It's best to hunker down for a day or two in Ollantaytambo, but if you've only got time for a pit stop, Café Mayu is conveniently located at the train station. This tiny spot serves big-city-style coffee, quick bites like empanadas, and to-go sandwiches that are perfect for your ride to Machu Picchu. The chocolate chip cookies are as good as they smell, but you can't go wrong with any of the baked goods here.

The green-and-white-striped awning ensures that you won't miss this café, which is a favorite among young couples and harried parents with children in tow. Although its menu includes pastas, sandwiches, and economical lunch specials, most people come here for one thing: ice cream. The more than 50 varieties of gelato include sassy tropical flavors like tamarind, coco (coconut), and the local fruits chirimoya and lucuma.

This is a good spot for a break after visiting the nearby archaeological site of Huaca Pucllana.

Try this wonderfully artsy and hip Italian bistro, café, and outdoor beer garden, filled with chill vibes, colorful mural art, and driftwood furniture. Regulars swear by the lasagna, claiming it's some of the best in Peru. 

One of Lima's surprisingly few waterfront dining options, this elegant eatery has an impressive selection of dishes to complement its ocean vistas. The Peruvian-fusion cuisine ranges from crab ravioli in seafood soup to quinoa-crusted salmon and tenderloin with mushrooms, quinoa, and spinach. You can also order from the sushi bar. The dining room is upstairs, with a wall of glass on the ocean side and tables on a narrow balcony above the rocky beach.

Grilled meats and local fare like puca picante are the stars at this popular lunchtime spot, housed in a pretty, old mansion with both front and back patios. During the week, the three-course fixed-price lunch is a steal at S/12.

After years working in some of the best kitchens of Europe and Asia, superstar cuisinier Virgilio Martínez returned to Lima to launch this chic, airy venue for his culinary talents—and quickly garnered a reputation as one of Latin America's most innovative chefs. He and his wife, María Pía Leon, change their menu constantly, but each iteration celebrates the country's edible biodiversity as it thematically explores the different altitudes of the Peruvian landscape, from sea level to the peaks of the Andes. There's no à la carte here, only 12- and 14-course menus which take your taste buds on a journey through Peru's coastal, Andean, and Amazon regions. The restaurant reached its apotheosis in 2023, when it was voted the world's best by San Pellegrino.

This is currently one of the world's hottest restaurants, so it's imperative to reserve tables at least three months in advance.

Don't let the unremarkable facade fool you: the food at this historic chifa can hold its own with the best in Lima's Barrio Chino. Soups are a standout, as are delicacies such as chancho asado (roast pork) and pato al ajo (garlic duck). Locals typically refer to this joint as "Chifa Unión," after the street on which it's located.

This cute coffeehouse serves as a nice break from seafood if you find yourself surfeited by Huanchaco's cebicherías. The Dutch-and-Peruvian-owned pit stop sources its coffee and other organic ingredients from local and regional producers. You can grab wraps, sandwiches, pastries, pies, crepes, and other quick bites here as well.

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.

With a breezy terrace upstairs and a cozy bistro downstairs, this French eatery covers a lot of bases. There are couscous and fondue, as well as hard-to-find local dishes such as grilled alpaca. Don't miss the sumptuous dessert crepes and good wine selection. Added plus: after almost four decades in Peru (the place opened in 1986), chef and owner Patrick Bertrand now offers homemade goodies you can take with you, including liqueurs, jams, mustards, granola, and more.

With an extensive variety of sweet and savory crepes, as well as quality espresso, pisco sours, and craft beers, you could easily spend the day in this artistic, Euro-styled restaurant, little sister to the Zig Zag restaurant on Calle Zela. Check out the terrace for great views of the Monasterio de Santa Catalina and volcanoes. Crepisimo also offers prix-fixe menus for S/30 or S/35 and happy hour specials from 4 to 6 and 9 to 11 pm.

A great place for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the menu here is so vast that even the pickiest eaters will find something to enjoy. Selections include lighter fare such as soups, salads, and grain bowls, as well as heartier mains that include Peruvian favorites, American-style comfort food, international dishes, and plenty of vegetarian/vegan options. Coffee, smoothies, and desserts round out the menu, so no matter what time of day you go to people-watch along the malecón, you will leave satisfied.

Rustic wood tables and soft candlelight set the mood for a meal of roasted lamb, grilled trout, pasta, and other platos típicos in this cozy restaurant just steps from the cathedral. Service can be slow, so be prepared to linger or take advantage of the free Wi-Fi.

Chachapoyas's trendiest eatery tends to elicit sharply polarized reactions: for those in the "love it" camp, local chef David Sancón's take on Amazonian cuisine is a foodie's dream, with imaginative presentations (think guinea pig on a clothesline and ant-studded cocktails), hip jungle decor, and a level of culinary imagination previously unseen in Chachapoyas. For those in the "hate it" faction, it's all style and no substance. A local puts the case well: "Whatever your final opinion, you can't leave town without trying El Batán."

Just when you thought Gastón Acurio couldn't possibly do anything more for his country's gastronomy, he opened this nostalgic homenaje to Peru's home cooking of yesteryear. In a corner tavern filled with dark wood and old photos, he polls his customers on their favorite dishes from their childhoods, and then makes them new. Oven-baked chicken with papa a la huancaína, juicy meatballs like grandma used to make: it's all here. This is his love letter to Peru's common people, at prices just about everyone can afford.

With just a handful of tables and a couple of employees, this local patisserie surprises with some of the neighborhood's most delicious homemade pastries, juices, and hot drinks. Savor the local coffees, hot chocolates, and Andino herbal infusions. 

Set on the ground floor of a local casa, this homey vegetarian café is a favorite stop for travelers in search of a satisfying espresso drink and some local knowledge. You'll find organic local coffee, all-day breakfasts, and even some well-prepared Indian fare (think vegan curry, paneer tikka masala, and butter chicken). The café's doors, completely plastered with flyers, also function as a bohemian message board, where you can discover many local activities, including shamanic breath work, yoga courses, and ayahuasca ceremonies. 

With its wooden balconies overlooking the street and rustic-chic interior, this steak house gets high marks for ambience as well as flavor. Vegetarians have a few pastas to choose from, but the main reason to go are the rib eyes and filets mignons. There's also an extensive, if pricey, drink list.