Stunning Peruvian fine-dining experience.

I finished the tasting menu with the “Graviola” – a dessert made from the Guanabana fruit from the Peruvian jungle, chocolate, Maca cream, beetroot and a carrot reduction. My body was filled with tenderness while my mind retraced the culinary journey I had just experienced by chef Virgilio Martinez of Central restaurant.

Virgilio is himself a traveller, having spent time at the prestigious Lutèce in New York, the Ritz in London and Astrid and Gaston in Madrid before opening his Central restaurant in the Miraflores district of Lima. No sign adorns this unobtrusive restaurant, perhaps to increase the element of surprise once you enter Virgilio’s world?

The restaurant itself is elegant, yet sober and refined. The atmosphere evokes that of a museum of modern art. The ‘works of art’ are the dishes laid before you.

The dishes all represent a concentrated experience of Virgilio’s gastronomic universe, a mix of his know-how acquired in large restaurants, a taste for art and design inherited from his family and a great curiosity for discovering Peruvian products and the best way to use them.

A few examples…

The “Concha de Bahia Paracas”, is an abstract painting of a marine journey to discover scallops in a “Cushuro” (a local algae in the form of small bubbles) foam. A wise assembly of ingredients delivering a complexity of flavors and sensations with surprising clarity, a common characteristic in all his dishes where no element brings confusion but rather bears witness to his mastery.

The Amazonian Paiche fish illustrates perfectly the concept of culinary art: a photo of the Amazon is etched on the plate where the fish, lightly golden, bathes in the turbulent waters of the river (mushroom sauce from the Marayhuaca region) surrounded by colours of the forest (threads of the ‘arracacha’ variety of potato, heart of palm, and some green leaves…)

The crispy pig ‘s cheek, (« Carillera de Cerdo Lechal »), delicately smoked with ‘palo santo’ wood releases a delicate layer of fat that covers the honey, crunchy quinoa and elderberry flavors, diffusing an uninterrupted flow of sweetness on the palate.

Central is without a doubt one of the top if not currently the best restaurant in Lima and has won a slew of accolades including a prestigious 4^th place in the esteemed World’s 50 Best Restaurants List 2015. We recommend Central to all our friends and family passing through Peru’s capital as it is a must-visit for all foodies with a desire to discover Peru’s incredibly rich and diverse gastronomy.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• For a splurge opt for the tasting menu which takes you on a culinary journey across Peru. The menu changes regularly and is currently the ‘Mater Eco-systems’ menu with products sourced from an elevation of -10 metres to 3900 metres from around Peru.

• For wine aficionados let the knowledgeable sommeliers guide you on a wine journey to perfectly accompany each dish.

• Make sure to reserve a table at least 30 days in advance as Central books out fast!

To see more of our favourite restaurants in Lima click here

Top places to shop in Lima

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A great experience for foodies looking for a fine-dining tour of gourmet Peruvian cuisine.

The Astrid y Gaston restaurant is an iconic Lima restaurant located in the stunning Casa Moreyra in the San Isidro neighbourhood. This is the flagship restaurant of Peruvian celebrity chef Gaston Acurio. Named after Gaston and his wife Astrid, this has long been a firm fixture on the Lima restaurant scene and is currently ranked 33rd on the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants. It’s definitely worth a visit if food is one of the key reasons that you travel.

The tasting menu changes every 6 months and is currently based around the theme ‘Lima of all Bloods’. A tribute to the rich history and culture of the city designed to give visitors an insight into Peruvian culture and cuisine. It showcases the best of ingredients and traditions from the province of Lima and is a nice way to try some of Lima’s best dishes like ceviche, seafood caucau and suckling pig.

It had been over two years since our last visit to Astrid y Gaston and we had a memory of fabulous food but a somewhat stuffy, formal atmosphere. It was a pleasure to return and see all the positive changes including a more relaxed, laid-back ambiance, friendly staff and both a tasting menu and a-la-carte dining options.

We had the nine course tasting menu with wine pairing which took us on a journey of the signature dishes on their menu. We enjoyed the pisco scallops served on a bed of ice and seaweed with creamy avocado, basil pesto and nitrogenised apple ice. A visually stunning dish with a nice mix of flavours and textures that worked perfectly together. This is definitely a more traditional menu with the typical ceviche and fish chupe or soup making a tasty appearance.

Some of the courses were stunning like the Pekinese guinea pig. It came served with a purple corn tortilla with a soft texture that worked great with the crunchy texture of the guinea pig skin and the tender meat inside. We loved the gyozas with seafood caucau – dumplings filled with shrimp and a spicy seafood sauce which were delicious. The delicate flavours of the Northern murique grouper had a lovely mix of textures in the pea puree, crunchy radish and seco sauce.

Desserts are Astrid’s domain and include a modern take on the typical ‘tres leches’ or three milk cake dessert which was creamy yet light, with a subtle hint of vanilla and orange. We also loved the petit fours which came served in an ornate wooden box and accompanied with a cinammon pisco liqueur to enhance the flavour of the chocolate.

The restaurant has an extensive wine list with over 250 wines. Their focus is on pairing the menu with interesting bio-dynamic and organic wines from around the world which are suggested by their knowledgeable team of sommeliers.

Gaston Acurio is Peru’s original celebrity chef who now has over 40 restaurants around the country. We haven’t always had good experiences in his establishments but were pleased to see that his flagship restaurant Astrid y Gaston still remains a world apart from his mainstream eateries. While it has moved down the World’s 50 best list and the menu was definitely less technical than on our last visit, it still remains one of the top fine dining experiences in Peru and indeed South America.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• The tasting menu is only served until 14.30 and 21.30 each day so make sure to factor this in when booking.

• Check out the herb garden in the front of the restaurant. It was lovely to see so much space in the heart of the busy San Isidro district dedicated to the herbs and plants that are used in the kitchen. We also like dthat they work with lcoal schools and bring groups in once a week to teach them about plants and food.

Click here for more of the top restaurants in Lima

More of our favourite things to do in Lima

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An excellent choice for an introduction to Peruvian Nikkei cuisine in a laid-back setting with great service and an exquisite menu.

Nikkei cuisine is a blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines influenced by the intricate, meditative flavours and techniques brought to Peru by the Japanese immigrants with the spice and colour of Peruvian flavours.

Maido in the Miraflores district of Lima is the perfect place to discover Nikkei cuisine in one of Lima’s top restaurants run by renowned chef Mitsuhara Tsumura. Maido is a modern, bustling space with a minimalist Japanese-style décor – wooden tables, grey chairs and black walls and mirrors. The crowd is urban hip, service is quick and the vibe is laid-back.

Ranked 8th on the world’s best restaurant list, we liked the casual, busy atmosphere in Maido which is different to some of the fine dining options in Lima which can sometimes be a bit stifling. Wait staff were friendly and knowledgeable and we loved that excellent quality food doesn’t need to be in a formal fine-dining setting.

Some of our favourite dishes on the menu included the ‘cebiche de lapas’, a limpet ceviche served in a shell on a bed of yellow pepper frozen with liquid nitrogen. It was a delicious mix of textures and temperature and left the palate refreshed. The maido signature dish ‘asado de tira’ was heaven sent. Melt in the mouth beef cooked for 50 hours and served with a creamy potato puree was a strong favourite. So much so that we went back on our last night for more!

Each course was exquisitely presented with huge attention to detail. Chef Mitsuharu wants diners to have physical contact with food so several dishes are served without cutlery. The ‘choripan’ was served in a hotdog box. Unlike traditional chorizo sausage it was made from an innovative mix of fish and octopus served in a bun to be eaten with your hands and was a fun addition to the menu.

The sudado or fish stew was incredible with a slight smoky flavour that worked perfectly with the cod and cochuro or local seaweed. The sea urchin rice dish delighted the senses with the taste of the sea softened by the Chiclayo rice, baby corn and avocado cream.

Deserts were light and perfectly balanced the other courses. The reef dessert, smooth tofu cheesecake ice cream with camu camu and soy milk was a visual delight served in a glass fishbowl. It was followed by a refreshing granadilla sorbet served with lucuma ice cream and cacao pieces – the perfect end to a stunning meal.

The Maido wine list is fabulous and we particularly enjoyed the lesser known wines on the tasting menu which is also pairs some of the courses with some of Peru’s newest and best craft beers.

Chef Tsumura manages to make Nikkei cuisine accessible to even the most novice of diners offering a smorgasbord of texture and flavours that work exquisitely together. It was refreshing to find a restaurant offering such innovative, exquisite food without pomp in such a relaxed setting.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• • For a true culinary initiation, try the Nikkei Experience, a sixteen course tasting menu that will take you on a journey through Nikkei cuisine.

• If you want to read more about Nikkei cuisine get your hands on a copy of Chef Tsumura’ s excellent book ‘Nikkei Es Peru’ which comes in English and Spanish and is illustrated with fabulous photos of Nikkei food and it’s ingredients as well as recipes you can try at home.

To see more of our favourite restaurants in Lima click here

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The Isolina restaurant is named after Co-owner Jose de Castillo’s mother Doña Isolina and pays homage to her cooking and spirit. A single mother of four, she struggled to make ends meet until she took out a rent on a small shop and started her own restaurant. Little by little, she learnt how to cook and develop her own style of traditional Peruvian cooking.

Based on the concept of a traditional Peruvian ‘taberna’ or tavern this is a modern, high-end tavern serving traditional Peruvian and Limeño (Lima) recipes. The menu offers dishes similar to those that the locals eat for 6 or 7 soles in the local markets but this is the high-end version that you can eat in safety without fear of picking up an unwanted guest!

Isolina is located just three blocks from Barranco’s main square in a traditional Barranco style house that was once the summer residence of a wealthy Lima family. The house has been restored, giving it a modern feel with traditional touches like the original wood frame walls and old-fashioned sweet jars.

Nothing about this restaurant speaks of formality. The vision is clear – a place to come and share food with friends and family in a casual, vibrant atmosphere. Tables and chairs are wooden mismatched sets, with many chairs donated by friends of the Isolina family. Tables are set with old-school plates and dishes are served in large old-fashioned enamel bowls or dishes. The owners want you to feel at home in a modern setting that reminds you of when you spent time with your grandmother as a child, hence the  floral plates and old knives and forks.

Food is served to share and trust us when we say portions are LARGE. Pick a few dishes to share and don’t make the mistake of ordering a main just for yourself. (If you absolutely don’t want to share, our advice is to order a half portion.)

Starters include a delicious pejerrey sandwich served on a crusty bread roll with the typical salsa criolla (onion, tomato and cilantro salsa). Fried to a light crispy perfection, we fell in love with this entrée. We also loved the ceviche served with deep-fried squid (their ceviche is served the traditional way that you can find on food carts around the city) and were delicious.

For mains, the beef melted off the bone and was tender and succulent. (They don’t provide knives to prove that the meat is tender enough to eat with a spoon… and yes, it is!.) Isolina specializes in the more traditional dishes from Lima that have been forgotten over time. This includes a selection of innards such as the boiled chicken blood with potato and cow stomach or the tripe stew which are the signature house dishes.

Doña Isolina is famous for her deserts and this is a great place to come if you want to try traditional Peruvian deserts. The crema volteada was firm, creamy with a delicate caramel sauce and is one of the best we have tried in Peru so far. Other sweet treats include the mazamorra morada (a thick jelly with fruit made from purple corn) and the famous Peruvian rice pudding ‘arroz con leche’.

The Isolina restaurant is one of Barranco’s newest eateries and we really enjoyed the vibrant, laid-back atmosphere and their modern take on the traditional Peruvian tavern.

Best of Peru Travel recommends:

• Prices are very reasonable given that portions are large and can be shared between two or three people.

• Isolina has a nice range of cocktails which pack a punch. This is a good choice if you are looking for somewhere to spend a few hours drinking and tasting a few different dishes.

Check out more of our favourite restaurants in Lima here

Click here for great things to see and do in Barranco

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 Colourful, fun setting to discover Amazonian cuisine in Lima.

Amaz specializes in traditional Amazonian cuisine with a modern international feel. Our main memory of Amaz is one of playfulness from the décor to the combination of ingredients. It felt like we had been given permission to enter the colourful, magical world of the Peruvian jungle from the safe distance of Lima.

Owned by Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, Amaz aims to bring Amazonian cuisine to the city. The focus is on educating customers about the different ingredients and how they are combined to help preserve and rescue those elements of Amazonian culture and cuisine that are being lost. Lima feels a million miles away from the heart of the Peruvian jungle and Amaz tries to bridge the gap in an accessible, modern way.

The menu has been designed for sharing. Each dish complements the next and the menu mixes a range of colours, aromas and textures to bring you on a journey and allow you to explore and discover the magic of the jungle for yourself.

We had the ‘maduros de Doña Eli’ to start. This appetizer is named after the famous lady of the same name who has a restaurant in the jungle town of Tarapoto. These bite-size bowls of plantain were filled with an onion salsa and topped with fried bacon pieces. The tuna tiradito (sashimi style raw tuna) was delicious and different with an interesting nutty flavor from the cashew fruit juice, brazil nut oil and banana vinegar used to marinade the fresh tuna.

We were slightly less enthused by some of the mains we tried. Visually, the dishes didn’t look very appealing. They were certainly novel in their presentation wrapped in the traditional banana or bijao leaves or served in bamboo dishes but once we peeled open the leaves most of the dishes we tried looked rather mushy.

The ‘juane de pollo’ was a ball shaped mass of rice, chicken and egg wrapped in a banana leaf which was somewhat lacking in flavor. The ‘pacamoto de camaron’ or shrimps served in a slightly spicy sweet pepper sauce and cooked in bamboo were better.  The pacarashca was delicious, grilled mahi-mahi fish with a tomato and onion-based sauce wrapped in bijao leaves was our favourite dish on the menu

For sides we loved the heart of palm or ‘chonta’ salad which was served in delicate silky ribbons and topped with brazil nut flour for a light accompaniment to the meal.

The chocolate jungle desert was exquisite with a wonderful complimentary range of flavours and textures including chocolate cream, meringue and the cocona and macambo fruits from the jungle.

The restaurant is divided into two sections, the front part is more playful, looks out onto the street and has a definite tropical feel with bright turquoise walls, fuchsia and yellow chairs, and  full-size puma with rainbow coloured wings.  The second section of the restaurant is definitely more formal and conservative in feel. Decorated in natural tones – browns and beiges try and book one of the ‘moloka’ tables for a more intimate meal.

A visit to Amaz is an experience rather than just a meal. Visit Amaz with an open mind and be ready to try new flavours and textures.  We learnt a huge amount about Amazonian ingredients and culinary traditions but we did feel some of the dishes lacked a certain something.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• A big part of the Amaz experience is learning about this fascinating part of the world. When you make your reservation they will e-mail you links to the menu and photos so you can learn a little about the ingredients and the concept before you arrive. This is definitely useful if you want to learn about Amazonian cuisine and make the most of your Amaz experience.

See more of the best restaurants in Lima here

Things to see and do in the Miraflores district of Lima

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Fresh, tasty seafood dishes including excellent ceviche in a casual, rustic setting.

The Sonia restaurant is located off the tourist trail in the seaside suburb of Chorillos. This is a closed-door restaurant so look for the multi-coloured mural and fishing boat parked outside and you will know you’ve found the right place! Sonia is different from the über-hip cevicherias and seafood restaurants that can be found around Lima but its rustic feel has a definite charm.

The restaurant originally started as a shack in the Chorillos market where Sonia Bahamonde cooked the fish that was caught fresh that day by her husband Freddy. Their reputation grew and the whole family now runs this busy restaurant that specializes in the famous Peruvian dish ‘ceviche’ (a marinaded raw sea food dish typically served with corn, sweet potato and an onion salsa).

The house specialty is definitely the ceviche and the mixed and octopus ceviches were our favourites. The fish and seafood melted in the mouth and was perfectly cooked with the right amount of lime. Chilled corn and sweet potato were the perfect complement to the tangy onion salsa.

It was our first time trying the ‘chupe de camaron’ or shrimp chowder and we fell in love with this creamy, filling soup with shrimp, fava beans, carrots, egg, cheese and tomatoes. We have since tried many others around Peru but this remains our firm favourite! Other good mains include the seafood rice,  a colourful, heaped plate of rice with octopus, shrimp and fish.

Freddy is a minor local celebrity so don’t be surprised to see customers asking for a photo on their way out. You can usually find him sitting by the door weaving new fishing nets most days and on Saturday afternoons at 3pm he recites his poetry which can also be found on the walls around the restaurant.

The crowd is mixed with tourists, businessmen, couples and families. We really liked the laid-back, casual vibe and rustic feel of this restaurant that feels more authentic than some of the better known seafood restaurants in Lima.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• Sonia gets busy particularly on weekends so do book in advance.

See more great restaurants in Lima here

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