On our most recent trip to Peru, our first stop off the plane (literally!) was the Pan de la Chola café. One of our favourite haunts since we discovered it’s fabulous bread, pastries and coffee a few years back.
The brainchild of bread lover Jonathan Day, Pan de la Chola has attained a cult following in Lima and has been featured in international publications like Vogue in just two short years. Jonathan learnt about good bread and good food while living in London studying theatre and decided to try sharing his passion in his hometown of Lima upon his return. He is one of those inspiring people who breathes passion and is up at dawn every morning to oversee the baking of the bread. Day is constantly searching for new recipes to perfect various traditional bread-making techniques.
Stepping through the doors you could be forgiven for thinking you are in an ůber-hip San Fran bakery instead of Peru’s capital. Décor is rustic with family-style wooden tables decorated with a simple flower in an open-plan space where you can see the bakers kneading dough and preparing your order. You queue at the counter to place your order where you can choose from a hand-written blackboard menu with a simple list of options including a range of delicious sandwiches, pastries or cakes.
The focus is on simplicity using fresh local ingredients. Delicious pastries include mouth-watering croissants that melt in the mouth and cakes like the apple cake which are inspired by his own family recipes.
The coffee is one of the best we’ve tasted in Lima and is supplied by another one of our favourite spots in Lima – Café Verde. This is currently one of Lima’s hippest cafes and has a fabulous mix of clientele from Barranco hippies to high society ladies that lunch from San Isidro. The menu is simple, fresh and healthy and it’s a great option for a casual brunch or lunch while in Lima.
NEW Chola Dasso!
We were delighted to discover their newest offering: la Chola Dasso on Calle Miguel Dasso 113 in nearby San Isidro. Jonathan gave us the tour himself and we fell in love with his newest concept. An industrial style space that serves 8 Peruvian craft beers on tap as well as of course you guessed it lots of amazing bread! The menu is slightly different to Pan de la Chola in Miraflores with stunning superfood salads, lighter sandwiches (don’t miss the ‘palteada’, creamy avocado mashed with fresh herbs and black sesame on wholegrain toast – delicious!) and their tasy selection of cinnamon buns, famous croissants and other sweet treats.
Chola Dasso morphs into a bar in the evenings with Neal’s Yard dairy cheeses being served from 7pm with craft beer and wine and they often have dj’s or live music. A must do on your Lima itinerary!
(Note: The photos on this review are of Chola Dasso.)
Best of Peru Travel Recommends:
- Try the caprese focaccia sandwich which was delicious or the simple avocado and olive oil toast served with Maras sea salt for a savoury treat.
- Don’t miss the melt in the mouth crosissants or the chocolate brownies for something sweet.
