223 Best Restaurants in Peru

Although this casual café is part of the Supertramp backpacker hostel, the food is first-rate, with burgers, pizzas, and salads that are perfect for satiating an appetite forged by hoofing around Machu Picchu. Unlike at many of the places lining the main streets in town, this restaurant's pizza and burgers are worthy of being included in its name, and both are available with a variety of tasty toppings such as blue cheese and jamon serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham). If you come in the evening, be sure to check out the lively rooftop bar.

Situated in the Costa del Sol Wyndham Hotel, this graceful, white-tablecloth affair serves up better-than-average versions of Peruvian and international classics. The menu rotates, but the quality of the pastas, seafood, and desserts is reliably consistent. Try the anticuchos or arroz con pato.

Craving hand-pulled pasta in the southern Andes? Fight for a spot at one of the two rustic wooden tables, and belly up for authentic Italian cuisine. Pastas, sauces, and toppings are all customized to preference.

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!

Surf-and-turf Peruvian style is the focus at this down-to-earth joint that's half cebichería, half parrilla (grill). Expect no bells and whistles here, just top-quality steaks, cebiches (try the mixto), and seafood classics like arroz con mariscos. The prices are a steal for food this good.

On cold Andean nights, this wood-oven pizzeria will have you hugging yourself in the glow of its crackling fires. There's no decor to speak of, just delicious, belly-warming pizzas and pastas in a cheerful communal setting of wooden benches and stone walls.

This hugely popular Italian restaurant serves decent pizza on a wooden block fresh from the oven. The list of toppings is extensive, and there are some pasta choices as well. You might have to wait on the street to get in, and, once inside, you'll feel the almost-stifling heat from the pizza ovens, but you're guaranteed good food and old-country charm. The restaurant also delivers and has additional locations around town.

With its attractive rooftop patio dotted with greenery and plants, this vegan bistro tucked inside the courtyard of a traditional home is a perfect choice for a quick meal or spending a few hours away from the plaza. It dishes up a bit of everything from plant-based burgers to vegan salchipapas, and offers a selection of local craft beers.

This funky-cozy eatery is a mash-up between an art studio and a kitchen; owner Sansón Velásquez is equally adept with paintbrush and whisk. He'll whip up any dish that suits your fancy, from Ica-style beef stew to river-shrimp soup, discoursing all the while on the abstract and Indigenous elements in his colorful canvases. The cooking is fresh and delicious, and you may find yourself taking one of the paintings home.

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.

What the cooks at this tiny eatery do, they do very well. Sure, the menu is a bit limited, but it does feature local favorites like carapulcra with sopa seca along with vegetarian plates like mango cebiche and a great quinoa salad. The pizzas, too, are solid. It's a good option for those craving something a bit finer than the normal backpacker grub.

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.

Perched on the banks of the Huallaga River, this family-style restaurant offers the best of Huánuco cooking, including specialties like gallina con locro (chicken soup), pachamanca, and fresh river trout. Come at lunch, and lounge on the open-air terrace while you enjoy the view and live music. Make sure you check out their batanes, stone mortars used to grind herbs and peppers. Dishes are huge, so be prepared to share.

If you're craving an American comfort food, the scrumptious artisanal burgers, perfectly cut fries, and pulled-pork sandwiches on offer at this central bistro all go down extremely well. There's also a nice selection of creative cocktails.

This popular, country-style restaurant has simple local decor and lively lunchtime crowds. It serves tamales and sweet coffee for breakfast and comida típica—including hearty stews, rice dishes, grilled meat, and fish for lunch and dinner.

An upscale modern restaurant but with colonial-era artwork and antiques throughout, this two-decades-old local institution is filled with savory aromas of flavorful soups and grilled meats and fish. Try local fare, such as the alpaca steak or their take on quinoa soup, a must-try dish wherever you go in Peru. Or ask for the Menu Turistico, a set meal including an appetizer, main, and dessert for S/30.

This throwback restaurant, open for more than 80 years, still serves cheap, hearty Andean specials to a downtown crowd. It's the kind of place you come to with your grandparents for a leisurely Sunday lunch; tables are consistently packed, but the food is worth the wait. Try the chicharrón colorado (fried pork in red sauce) or patasca (beef broth with boiled corn) for a taste of some lesser-known Andean fare.

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).

Seco de cabrito is the star of the menu at this wildly popular Trujillo institution, and no wonder: the version here is among the best you'll find. Colorfully woven decorations and marinera music add to the atmosphere. There are also excellent cebiches and tiraditos, but before calling for dinner reservations, be advised: they serve only lunch.

The killer trifecta of delectable eats, verdant open-air terraces, and rock-bottom prices gives this restaurante campestre (outdoor country eatery) a winning hand. Dishes are mostly criollo standbys but with the intriguing addition of a few specialties from Arequipa, which are typically hard to come by outside the White City itself. Go on a weekend for the lechón al horno con pastel de papas (oven-baked pork with potato quiche). The place is a S/5 taxi ride from the Plaza de Armas.

This homey seafood joint has a lounge that looks like your grandma's living room, with lots of local crafts hanging from the walls. Portions are huge and prices reasonable: try the arroz con mariscos (seafood with rice), and enjoy the views of the bay as you linger afterward. Even if you're not interested in the beach at Tortugas, this makes a nice refueling stop en route to Trujillo or Chiclayo.

Perched overlooking the beach, Tato's is something of a cult restaurant, a rustic eatery known for seafood ranging from cebiches to fried calamari. The most famous dish on the menu is the tacu tacu con picante de mariscos (refried rice and beans topped with shellfish). Order a personal size: you can split it in two and still have leftovers—portions are that big.

Although this Trujillo old-timer has grown a bit shopworn since it opened in 1951, it still offers good food and friendly service. For dinner, enjoy seafood and pasta dishes, followed by excellent homemade desserts. Skip the dimly lit front room and—via a long, fluorescent-lighted hallway—enter the small, cozy back parlor with natural light and a more congenial vibe. This is a lower-key option from the same talented cooks who run Romano Restaurant, but with the same omnibus menu.

Enter this cozy, luminous café near the plaza and find the loaves of bread, empanadas, and cakes from Ricos Pan bakery. Beyond, a large loftlike room is a perfect place to sit, sip coffee, and work on your laptop.

This restaurante marino is a cut above other Cerro Azul establishments, with excellent chaufa de mariscos (seafood fried rice) and pulpo a la parrilla (grilled octopus). Try the tacu tacu a lo macho, a heap of pan-fried rice and beans topped with shellfish in a spicy sauce.

Locals in the know come to this rustic, bamboo-accented eatery for some of the best seafood in town, including marvelous cebiches and sudados (fish stews). There are also a few unusual entrées, such as peppers stuffed with kid goat, and a long list of mixed appetizers for those who like to sample. Prices are reasonable for the belly-filling portions.

On the Plaza de Armas, this is the place to get no-frills, typical food from the region. The menu includes authentic regional specialties such as cuy, perico (a lake fish), and Spanish-style tortillas. There's also an extensive selection of piscos, top-shelf liquors, and wines. Although the furnishings and staff look like they've been there since the restaurant opened in 1947, the food is fresh and delicious.

Specializing in both classic Andean meat and fish dishes, as well as international fare, this restaurant is in the quiet residential neighborhood of Vallecito, a 10-minute walk from the Plaza de Armas. Try the chef's favorite, a tender, juicy lomo al vino tinto (beef tenderloin in red wine), but if you're craving something more familiar, wood-oven pizza is another specialty of the house. Buffet specials are offered throughout the week.