The best restaurants in Lima you can't miss

The unique and powerful flavors of Peru have always been there for centuries, but just during the last couple of decades Peru’s culinary boom has caught the world’s attention and made of this city the undeniable food capital of South America.

Matematically speaking, not other city in the world has as many restaurants on the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Practically speaking, the diversity, history, and richness of Peruvian food makes it a world’s top attraction on it’s own. Below, we have narrowed down the top restaurants to try while learning Spanish in Lima, from our local perspective:

Prices reference (per dish): $ = PEN 8-20 / $$ = PEN 21-50 / $$$ = PEN 51-120 / $$$$ = PEN 120-450

El Bodegon ($$)- Peruvian criollo food

Address: Calle Tarapacá 197, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 444-4704

Panchita ($$) – Peruvian criollo food

Address: Calle 2 de Mayo 298, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 242-5957

El Mercado **($$) – Peruvian criollo food – Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants🏆**

Address: Hipolito Unanue 203, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 221-1322.

Ámaz ($$) – Peruvian Amazonian food

Address: Avenida la Paz 1079, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 221-9393.

Belisario ($) – Peruvian beloved roasted chicken

Location #1: Avenida Benavides 529, Miraflores.
Phone (location #1): +51 1 242-3069
Location #2: Avenida José Larco 449, Miraflores
Phone (location #1): +51 1 611-3333

La Lucha ($) – Peruvian sandwiches

Location #1: Diagonal 139, Miraflores.
Location #2: Avenida José Larco 999, Miraflores
Notes: No reservations accepted

**Central ($$$$) – Creative Peruvian – World’s 50 Best Restaurants** 🏆

Address: Av. Pedro de Osma 301, Barranco, Lima.
Reservations: https://centralrestaurante.com.pe/en

**Maido ($$$) – Creative Peruvian sushi fusion – World’s 50 best Restaurants🏆**

Address: Calle San Martín 399, Miraflores
Phone: +51 1 446-2512

**Isolina ($$$) – Peruvian Criollo – Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants🏆**

Address: Avenida San Martin 101, Barranco.
Phone: +51 1 247-5075

Madam Tusan ($$) – Peruvian Chinese “Chifa’’

Address: Av. Santa Cruz 859, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 505-5090

EDO ($$) – Peruvian sushi/fusion

Address: Calle Berlin 601, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 243-2448

Tanta ($$) – Peruvian criollo food

Address: Inside Larcomar shopping mall, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 446-9357.

Pardos Chicken ($) – Peruvian beloved roasted chicken

Location #1: Avenida Benavides 730, Miraflores.
Phone (location #1): +51 1 444-2126
Location #2: Inside Larcomar shopping mall, Miraflores.
Phone (location #1): +51 1 447-8023

La Grimanesa ($$) – Peruvian anticuchos

Address: Avenida Ignacio Merino 466, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 941 869 568

Rafael ($$$) – Peruvian/Mediterranean fusion – Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants🏆

Address: Calle San Martin 300, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 242-4149

Fiesta ($$$) – Northern Peruvian – Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants🏆

Address: Avenida Reducto 1278, Miraflores.
Phone: +51 1 242-9009

**La Picanteria ($$$) – Peruvian criollo food – Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants🏆**

Address: Francisco Moreno 388, Surquillo.
Phone: +51 1 241-6676

WORTH MENTIONING:

Try some street food in Lima:
Some of the best culinary experiences in Lima are not only in sit down restaurants. In fact, some of the favorite spots for Peruvians are on the street, and don’t worry, these recommended places are regulated by local municipalities so they comply with health and safety protocols and regulations.

When visiting the historic downtown of Lima, a popular place to try some solid street food is in “Alameda Chabuca Granda“, located 1 block away from the Presidential Palace (Google maps location here). Don’t miss your opportunity to try traditional foods such as “picarones” (fried peruvian doughnuts), “arroz con leche y mazamorra morada” (rice pudding and traditional purple corn pudding), “butifarras” (traditional Limeño turkey sandwhiches), “anticuchos” (grilled cow’s heart on skewers, perhaps the most iconic Peruvian street food of all times), or some “papas rellenas” (large, deep-fried mashed potato dumpling stuffed with spiced beef and vegetables).

Another iconic street food place is right in the heart of Miraflores: Inside Kennedy park you’ll find several street food vendors that just like those in the historic downtown, cook and sell food under strict health and sanitary regulations. Enjoy!

Mercado de Surquillo:
The fruit and vegetables market in the district of Surquillo (located only 15 minutes walking from/to our Spanish school in Lima. Google maps directions here), is an absolute MUST during your time learning Spanish in Lima. This is one of the very few traditional markets left in the metropolitan area of Lima, and you will be able to find here the largest selection of Peruvian exotic fruits. Some of the best we recommend trying are: “chirimoya“, “lucuma“, “pacay“, “granadilla“, “pepino dulce“, “tuna” (cactus fruit), and “pitahaya“. Chirimoya and lucuma are specially used in Peru to make smoothies/milkshakes, so you may either bring one home to make your own or get one at “La Lucha” in Miraflores.
Also, please take note that our Spanish School in Lima regularly organizes a tasting every Thursday at 11:00am, as a way to introduce our students several exotic fruits and foods from Peru as a part of their learning Spanish abroad experience.

The best restaurants in Lima you can’t miss