41 Best Restaurants in The North Coast and Northern Highlands, Peru

Ensconced in an elegant casona with a gorgeous carved-stone portal, this delightful café brings a touch of Argentina to northern Peru. The coffee and baked goods, which include Argentine-style empanadas, are scrumptious, but if you're in the mood for something more substantial, the place also dishes up charcuterie boards, pizzas, and pastas. The inner courtyard, with its creeper-entwined trees and gurgling fountain, is a delightful spot to while away an afternoon. 

Equal parts funky and friendly, this café offers light snacks, hot and cold beverages, free Wi-Fi, and a seemingly endless supply of newspapers and books in English. Warm up by the fireplace on a cold night, or sit on the outdoor terrace with your laptop and sip a fresh-pressed cup of tea.

This family-run huarique (hole-in-the-wall) is one of the best restaurants not just in Huaraz but in the entire Peruvian sierra. Chef César Rondán knows exactly what the body craves on chilly Andean nights after a long hike: pork belly in fresh herbs, risottos made with quinoa, osso buco in red wine—his comfort-food concoctions never fail to satisfy. More impressive still, even on days when just he and his mother are working, they somehow manage to make everyone feel like guests at a joyous family reunion. Andean food and hospitality at their best.

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.

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 exquisite eatery is one of Peru's not-to-be-missed culinary experiences. In 1983, the Solís family began serving modern interpretations of comida norteña out of their home. The business exploded, leading to a chain of top-shelf restaurants in both Chiclayo and Lima. Here, under the aegis of renowned chef Hector Solís, you can try a sumptuous cabrito and arroz con pato, as well as dozens of other local specialties and a long list of trendy, pisco-based cocktails. The restaurant has a Lima branch ( Miraflores, Av. Reducto 1278) that's no less impressive.

In one corner of the Mercado Central, amid stalls selling charqui (dehydrated meat) and rainbow-colored displays of quinoa, you'll find a lunchtime crowd lining up for cebiche frito, a locally famous fried version of cebiche. Chef Roxana Chávez Mestanza has become a local phenomenon for her invention, which here comes battered and topped with a spicy mayo, along with leche de tigre and all the usual cebiche fixings. You can also combine your cebichito with seafood-fried rice or other marine plates. The restaurant has become so popular, it's opened another branch in the La Colmena neighborhood east of the Plaza de Armas. Patience here is key: remember that authentic local traditions are sometimes worth the wait.

Chef Juan Seminario rides his motorcycle to local markets every day to find the fish and produce that make this narrow restaurant the rival of many top eateries in Lima. This means Mediterranean and Asian elements inevitably find their way into dishes such as Nikkei-style tiradito (Peruvian sashimi in a spicy sauce) and house-made seafood ravioli. Don't overlook the landlubber entrées: the osso buco risotto is heavenly, as are the tropical-themed cocktails.

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.

There's a reason why this 30-year-old criollo eatery is consistently mobbed by hungry locals at lunchtime: its innovative cooking is some of the best in northern Peru. From shellfish and goat to duck and causas, the menu goes on and on. Locals swear by the meat-and-rice norteño staples, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a weak spot here. Come hungry.

Inventive twists on classic seafood dishes make this one of Trujillo's best restaurants. The exhaustive (and exhausting) menu runs from risottos and tiraditos to chicharrones and rice plates, making choosing very difficult. Shrimp lovers will find something unusual in the langostinos Mister Berry, which are bathed in a coconut-and-mango chutney, while the crunchy causa of crab and shrimp is wrapped in a light, tempuralike shell. The drink list alone occupies six whole pages.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

The doyen of Casma eateries, this local favorite serves just about every type of seafood imaginable. The arroz chaufa con mariscos (shellfish with Chinese-style fried rice) is especially good, but if you're not in the mood for seafood, try the cebiche de pato. This isn't traditional cebiche but cooked duck, served with rice, yucca, and beans. Don't be put off by the cement floor—the restaurant may lack polish, but the cook knows his stuff.

A friendly staff serves a wide range of Peruvian and international specialties at this centrally located eatery open daily from 8 am to 11 pm. Pollo a la brasa, sandwiches, grilled meats, arroz con pato: it's all here. There's also an excellent breakfast menu, free Wi-Fi, big corner windows for people-watching, and facilities for big family parties. Prices may have crept up in recent years, but if you're looking for an eatery with something for everyone, this place is unbeatable.

Exotic flavors such as beer, avocado, and lucuma (a popular Peruvian fruit) make this ice-cream shop something special. Ask for a "macho" (two scoops) cone, and then stroll around the town's pretty Plaza de Armas.

The bland interior aside, this restaurant serves delicious grilled meats and specializes in parrilladas, with an extensive menu that includes every imaginable part of the cow. The anticuchos and ubre are well-prepared house specials. If this sounds unappetizing, you can always get grilled steak or head to the chifa (Chinese) restaurant next door, run by the same people.

Dining at this closed-door, reservations-only private house is like partaking of a sumptuous family meal in an Italian villa. There's no advertising, no sign outside: instead, the owner, Sheyla, comes to your table, asks what you'd like to eat, and then heads to her kitchen to whip up fresh, organic dishes such as melon-and-prosciutto salad, wood-fired pizzas, and fusilli with mushroom ragù. She'll even send her private car to pick you up at your hotel, gratis.

Cross a legit Amazonian eatery with a steak house, then splice in some DNA from a California taco stand: such is the makeup of this eclectic fusion joint east of Chacha's plaza. Amazingly, this culinary Frankenstein monster is fully functional, serving some of the best food in the city. Consider the pechuga de pollo al Shapingo (grilled chicken bathed with spicy Amazonian oils), and the equally zesty tallarines campesinos, an unusual concoction of spaghetti with jungle vegetables. The ribs and burgers are pretty good, too.

Neapolitan pizzas from a wood-fired oven are the focus at this romantic upstairs hideaway, which churns out some of the best pies in Peru. The margheritas have a smoky, chewy crust and fior di latte mozzarella, and you'll also find good lasagna and fettuccine. The owners run a lovely, ambient-lit bar right around the corner called Pasaje150 ( Pje. Porvenir 150) that serves the same menu—a nice alternative if you're here during the low season, when the original venue's hours can be spotty.

This jungle-themed restaurante popular specializes in seafood, but its versions of Amazonian specialties and the usual Peruvian standbys are more than creditable. If you're really hungry, try one of the unusual combos, many featuring cebiche, which will have you as sated as an anaconda after feeding time. The outside terraces are nice for lounging after lunch.

Feel like you've stepped back to the bohemian Paris of the 1960s at this retro bar and lounge beside the Museo del Juguete. With its creaky floors, dark-wood bar, floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets, and cushioned leather seats, it's a relaxed café in the afternoon and a hopping nightspot with live jazz in the early evening.

Sure, you'll find well-prepared seafood and comida norteña at this Lambayeque mainstay. But even better are the hard-to-find specialties, including langostinos en salsa de ocopa (shrimp in a green sauce native to Arequipa) and causa de mero (grouper in a mashed-potato casserole). Chill digs and an easygoing waitstaff make this an ideal spot to recover from a morning of information overload at the archaeological museums just two blocks away.