16 Best Restaurants in Lima, 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

This bustling two-story eatery specializes in comida norteña—northern cooking from the city of Piura. That means delicious grouper cebiche, seco de cabrito (goat stew), and green tamales, all in gut-busting portions. This is a classic example of what Peruvians call a huarique: a hole-in-the-wall restaurant where in-the-know locals go for homestyle cooking, at prices that won't break the bank.

Those who've never tasted la comida amazónica—specialties from the Peruvian jungle—appreciate the cooking at this colorful fusion joint. Traditional standbys include juanes (stewed chicken with hard-boiled eggs and rice steamed in a bijao leaf) and tacacho con cecina (smoky jungle bacon with mashed plantains), but the chefs here also riff creatively on jungle themes, creating plates like Amazonian tacos (Brazilian sausage rolled in plantain "tortillas") and jungle-fried rice with Chinese-style pork char siu. The outdoor patio is an added plus.

On a quiet street a block and a half from the busy intersection of Avenidas Larco and Benavides, this small restaurant in a renovated house is known for its southern Italian cuisine. The Peruvian owner worked at one of Miami's best Italian eateries before setting up shop in Miraflores. The menu includes pasta dishes such as linguine in pesto with gamberi (shrimp), a small selection of risottos, and traditional osso buco. The restaurant recently added a handful of Peruvian specialties, but don't be fooled: Italian cuisine is still the star here.

Hungry office workers crowd this excellent criollo restaurant every day at lunchtime for heaping plates of fettuccine à la huancaína (pasta in cheese sauce) and pescado a lo macho (fish topped with spicy seafood). The setting, looking out over Lima's old fortified walls, is one of the greenest you'll find downtown. Don't miss the lomo saltado (beef stir-fried with peppers and onions): Gastón Acurio himself has called it one of Lima's best. A second, less-scenic branch can be found on the Plaza San Martín.

After a quarter-century in business, this remains one of Lima's better Italian restaurants. The proof is on the plate: dishes such as artichoke ravioli and fettuccine magnífico (with a prosciutto, Parmesan, and white-truffle sauce) are perennial favorites. Be sure to save room for dessert: co-owner Sandra Plevisani is one of the country's most famous pastry chefs. This is one of the few Lima restaurants that serve dinner on Sunday.

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.

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.

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).

The best chifa in Chinatown, Wa Lok is known for such memorable dishes as calamares rellenos (shrimp-stuffed squid tempura), taipá (wok-fried chicken, pork, shrimp, and vegetables), and pato pekinés (Peking duck). It's best to go with a group and share, or ask for half orders. Vegetarians can choose from more than 30 dishes. The surrounding neighborhood is sketchy after dark, so at dinnertime you're better off heading to the Miraflores branch, on the corner of Avenida Angamos Oeste and Calle Arica.