84 Best Restaurants in Peru

Almost completely hidden in a small B&B down a dusty side street between Ica and Huacachina, this criollo restaurant still manages to draw a stream of customers. On the phenomenal menu, all the Peruvian national classics are present, but even better are the hard-to-find Southern Coast favorites like carapulcra with sopa seca (nutty pork-and-potato stew with green pasta), fish with pecan sauce, and beef with butter-bean tacu tacu. The attached guesthouse is so lovely that many diners end up staying the night. You won't find better eats anywhere in southern Peru.

The beach-shack decor at this family-run cebichería leaves no doubt as to the eatery's focus: fresh-caught seafood at budget-friendly prices. You can't go wrong with any of the cebiches or tiraditos, but an even better option is to put together a combo that mixes cebiche with a cooked-seafood dish like chaufa de mariscos (seafood fried rice). Don't overlook the hearty soups redolent of fish, crab, and shrimp: they're among the kitchen's many fortes. In the fierce battle royale that is Lima's restaurant scene, this joint punches way above its weight.

Dining in this charmingly refitted family home is like dining at Grandpa's house—if Grandpa were an internationally trained grill expert who served only the most exquisite cuts of meat. That's because the steaks, fire-cooked pork, and whole salmon at the sumptuous parrilla (grill) are the best in Ayacucho, with delicious sauces to boot. Sit on the red-tile porch after finishing and gaze up at the chirimoya trees.

Restaurantes populares—dining halls for ordinary folks—offer some of Peru's best eats, and no place better epitomizes this than this wildly popular seafood joint occupying a tiny stall on Paracas's boardwalk. Jhosselyn, the chef, dishes up dangerously fresh jaleas (fried seafood with pickled onions), scallops, and rice plates, with a creamy leche de tigre (cebiche broth) that's out of this world. Particularly impressive are the chupe de pescado and chupe de cangrejo (fish and crab soups, respectively). Visitors to Paracas frequently end up eating every meal here: it's that good.

A labor of love from someone born and raised in Ollantaytambo has resulted in a must-visit restaurant experience—one in which you will savor traditional ancestral foods (from cuy to anticuchos) made with the freshest of local ingredients and prepared to appeal to the foreign palate. The all-wood decor makes for a warm and rustic yet chic atmosphere, with Peruvian accents sprinkled throughout. If you like cocktails, you must try one using Destilería Andina’s artisanal hooch produced, like Chuncho, by the El Albergue family.

To savor the Andean delicacies that huaracinos eat on special occasions, take a 10-minute taxi ride from downtown to this excellent restaurante campestre (country restaurant) shaded by a trellised arbor. Here you'll find pachamanca (meats and vegetables cooked over coals in a pit), pork cooked in a cylindrical box, and yes, cuy, or guinea pig (it's actually quite delicious). The decor and service are hospitality personified, and the grilling is some of the most exquisite in the city.

Set in a colonial finca (farm house) that dates from 1780, this Lima institution offers some of the heartiest down-home cooking in the entire capital. Criollo classics such as seco de cabrito and costillas de cerdo con tacu-tacu (ribs with pan-fried rice and beans) are especially well done, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a weak spot anywhere on the extensive menu. After 11 pm on weekends, the back room turns into a festive dance hall.

One of the best restaurants in the Cusco region was serving Peruvian fusion before it became trendy, perfecting the art of combining flavors in a way that each one can be savored. You’ll need some time to decide between all the enticing options on the menu; the cuts of meat are amazingly tender, and there are some interesting vegetarian choices as well, not to mention an array of fabulous appetizers that might tempt you to just order a medley.

Had César Vallejo, the great Peruvian poet whose visage gazes out from the photos adorning this popular eatery, been able to order from the kitchen while living in his apartment upstairs, he might not have been so melancholy. The hearty norteño dishes here are the most comforting of comfort foods: stewed goat, duck, pork, and cuy (guinea pig), along with a bevy of belly-warming soups and small plates. The chefs running this decades-old establishment may not be poets, but their recipes show them to be artists all the same. If it's too crowded, there are others branches nearby at Jirón Orbegoso 303 and Avenida España 736.

This two-story establishment housed in a colonial casona takes Ayacucho dining to another level. As the name indicates, the program here is contemporary Peruvian cooking with plenty of international accents, but in reality, chef Pepe Gamarra uses the fusion angle as a pretext to flaunt his virtuosity with all manner of meats, from Argentine sausage to pork and top sirloin. Traditional favorites such as tallarines a la huancaína con lomo (spaghetti with Huancayo cheese sauce and steak) get a fresh update, but even better are plates like the osso buco with puréed yucca. Gamarra's rosemary potatoes alone are worth the price of admission.

A festival-hall atmosphere and mind-blowing updates of Peruvian classic dishes make this Huancayo institution one of the sierra's best restaurants. The papas nativas con tres uchus (potatoes in three scrumptious sauces) and cordero asado (roast lamb) are like nothing you've had before, and the brightly costumed waiters take joy in introducing the region's cuisine to visitors. The Lima branch ( Av. Javier Prado Este 1405) of this eatery is equally exquisite.

An engaging French-Peruvian couple manage one of the town's best restaurants, whose eclectic decor—think maritime kitsch—is worth a visit on its own. Quiche Lorraine, ginger chicken, and spicy trucha a la macho (trout in hot pepper and wine sauce) are favorites on the Peruvian-French fusion à la carte menu, but the reasonably priced (S/80), prix-fixe, three-course menu is the way to go, offering all the same options plus heavenly homemade bread. It's as good a place for dining with friends as for an intimate dinner for two.

Chalaco is an affectionate appellative for natives of Callao, Lima's rough-and-tumble port, and this lively seafood stand is chef Gastón Acurio's love song to the district's culinary heritage. As always, Acurio's genius is evident in the menu's mix of tradition and creative flair: jalea chalaca throws together fried fish, two types of squid, and abundant pickled onions, while the unusual tiradito chucuito combines raw fish, olives, and avocado in a Parmesan-based broth. Don't overlook the piqueos: the seafood empanadas and croquettes are heavenly. At this point, Acurio has shown that when it comes to showcasing the gastronomy of ordinary Peruvians, there's nothing he can't do. 

More a wine bar than a restaurant, La Cantina has walls lined with Italian vintages that are poured by a friendly and attentive staff, creating a setting that invites both sampling and lingering. For your meal, there are delicious pizzas with wafer-thin crusts and high-quality ingredients, plus meats and cheeses from the Old Country and a killer tiramisu for dessert. If the location in the center is full, there's another in the Magisterio neighborhood.

Set along the highway to Cabanaconde near Cruz del Condor and surrounded by ample fields, the Hotel Kuntur Wassi is best known for its excellent organic restaurant. All the food, including meats, is sourced or raised locally. You can go hiking or take a horseback riding tour after your meal.

Chef Mònica Huertas is one of the great promoters of arequipeña cuisine, and, to many, this is the most authentic restaurant in town. She uses many of the same classic recipes—some more than a century old—that her mother and grandmother used, and her preparations of regional standards such as rocoto relleno, adobo, lechón al horno (oven-roasted pork), chupe de camarones, and queso helado have become the definitive recipes. This sprawling picantería with a maze of pleasant patios and dining rooms is a great place to come on the weekend and spend the entire day eating, drinking, and listening to live music.

Located in a beautiful colonial building, there are a couple of intimate tables on the balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas, while the more lively interior rooms make it seem like a popular place to eat for both Peruvians and travelers. Mojsa, which means "delicious" in the Aymara language, serves reasonably priced Novo Andino cuisine, fused with fresh traditional and criollo flavors in an elegant space with wood floors and a long bar.

The menu at this restaurant, which is modeled after a typical open-air quinta, with wooden tables scattered around a large patio, gets its influences from all over Peru, and the waiters are happy to explain what makes each traditional dish special. For a special treat, go for the underground-oven-baked pachamanca, in which different types of meats are slow roasted together with potatoes and aromatic herbs. This dish, as well as the cuy, has to be ordered 24 hours in advance, so plan ahead.

Ask anyone in Piura the best place to go for typical local cuisine, and they'll tell you to come here. Two dining rooms—one air-conditioned, one not—with cracked white walls and waitresses in flowing peasant dresses form the backdrop for regional fare like tamales verdes (green tamales) and seco de chavelo (fried green bananas and pork). Wash everything down with algarrobina, a pisco-based cocktail flavored with the syrup from the area's carob trees.

Everything here—from its grand iron spiral staircase (built by Gustave Eiffel) and sillar stone walls to its Novo Andino cuisine, extensive wine list, and decadent desserts—is done with exquisite detail and attention. The menu, using a fusion of gourmet techniques from the Alps and Andes, is a harmonious mix of fresh local foods. Try the quinoa potato gnocchi (served with your own choice of mushroom or meat sauce), the meat fondue, or the notable Trios, a prime cut of three meats: alpaca, ostrich, and beef, slow-cooked and served on a hot stone with three dipping sauces. You'll want to make reservations, especially for dinner, and if you book ahead of time, you can reserve one of the romantic balcony nooks.

With this simple but classy Italian trattoria, artisanal pizza comes to Trujillo. The pies are, indeed, tempting—with thin, flaky crusts and generous toppings—but don't let them distract you from the excellent pastas, which are homemade and inventive.

With its placement in the gorgeous Casa Andina Premium hotel, a historic monument, this gourmet restaurant is worth a visit for the setting alone. The menu is quite varied, using local ingredients to create international dishes as well as give a new flair to traditional Peruvian ones, like rocoto relleno con pastel de papa (stuffed red peppers) or carpaccio de lomo (beef carpaccio). The bar has some tasty craft beers and a popular happy hour from 6 to 8.

This Italian eatery is the place to head on a cool night, offering a rustic but warm ambience and great food. The extensive menu includes a wide array of salads and fresh pastas served with your choice of a dozen sauces, but Antica is best known for its pizza: more than 50 different kinds baked in a wood-fired oven.

The San Isidro branch of this restaurant, located on Avenida Dos de Mayo, offers an even cozier atmosphere.

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.

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.

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.

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."