Best Restaurants in Lima: Top Dining Spots for Every Taste

Lima is a food lover’s paradise, offering an incredible variety of dining experiences that cater to every palate. From Peruvian Criolla to fresh and flavorful ceviche, this guide will introduce you to the best restaurants in Lima.

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The Best Restaurant in Quality-Price relation

Resturante Javier

Website | Address: Bajada de Baños 408, Barranco

Located just few blocks from the Main Park of Barranco, the restaurant offers the most traditional dishes of Peru like ceviche, lomo saltado, ají de gallina; besides a large variety of beers and pisco-based drinks.

Also from the Terrace you have an amazing view to the Pacific Ocean. With no doubts, the Best Price – Quality relation a restaurant can offer.

The Best Peruvian Creole Food Restaurants

What is Peruvian Creole Food or ‘Comida Criolla’?

‘Criollo’ was a term used to refer to something with Spanish origin, but born in the Americas. So Peruvian Creole food is the result of indigenous, European and African influences during the colonial period (16th-19th century).

Panchita

Website | Address: Calle 2 de mayo 298, Miraflores
Panchita is one of the favorite restaurants for locals and tourists. The restaurant offers you traditional dishes like anticuchos (Peruvian grilled beef heart), tacu tacu (rice mixed with cooked seasoned beans) and desserts such as picarones (Peruvian donuts).

Isolina

Website | Address: Av. San Martín 101, Barranco
Located in Barranco, Isolina has an early 20th-century tavern style and included in the List of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants by The Restaurant magazine.
Within the great variety that Isolina’s menu offers, we recommend you to try: Aji de Gallina and the Lomo Saltado.

The Best Peruvian Seafood or Ceviche Restaurants

Punto Azul

Website | Address: Calle San Martín 595, Miraflores
Located in Miraflores, besides the lunch schedule, they also open for dinner time (7pm to 11pm). If you want to try more options than the classic ceviche, we recommend you to try the Peruvian Causa, a kind of mashed potato cake filled with shrimps, tuna, octopus, among other delicacies of the sea.

Canta Rana

Instagram | Address: Génova 101, Barranco
Located in Barranco. Besides the classic Ceviche, another ‘Must Try dish’ for you is Arroz con Mariscos (Peruvian Version of Paella) and the options of Tiradito (fish in sashimi Style and very similar to Carpaccio)

The Best Nikkei Restaurants in Lima

What is Nikkei Cuisine?

The Japanese people who arrived to Peru brought a variety of cooking techniques and mixed them with traditional ingredients from Peru, that is how Nikkei cuisine was born.

Tomo

Instagram | Address: Francisco de Paula Camino 290, Miraflores
Located in the heart of Miraflores. Come everyday to enjoy the variety of sashimi, sushi and makis. A cozy and unique space to enjoy with some friends.

Osaka

Website | Address: Av. Pardo y Aliaga 660, San Isidro
This restaurant opened more than 10 years ago in Lima and since then has a long career. Osaka also is the first Nikkei Peruvian Restaurant that began with the internationalization by opening restaurants in Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Quito, Bogotá, Miami and in 2022 in London.

The Best Chifa Restaurants in Lima

What is Chifa?

The term chifa comes from the Chinese ‘chi’ and ‘fan’ which means ‘eat’ ‘rice’ and refers to Chinese people in Lima inviting to eat at their restaurants. Chifa is the Peruvian food that was influenced by Chinese onion, soy sauce, ginger root and other Chinese ingredients.

Chifa Amistad

Instagram | Address: Av. José Pardo 170, Miraflores
Only one step away from the Kennedy Park, and offering the option of enjoying the meal in the same lounge or you also have the option for delivery if you are in the area. A nice menu in English for foreigners is available too. We recommend you to try Lomo Saltado and Arroz chaufa with chicken.

Chifa (Chung Yion) Unión

Tripadvisor | Address: Av. Jirón Unión 126, Barranco
With a tradition of almost 100 years in the same location and keeping the same design since they opened. The perfect place where Chinese ingredients are mixed with the Peruvian flavor. Dishes like lomo saltado, Pollo con Durazno (chicken with peach) and Chaufa de Mariscos (Fried rice with Seafood) are waiting for you.

Vegetarian and Vegan restaurants in Lima

Many of the restaurants included in the List of The Best restaurants in Lima offer vegetarian and vegan options.

However, if you are looking for more variety, here we leave you some options, perfect for people like you.

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Visiting Lima is the first step you should do when you visit Peru. This is the capital of this country, for that reason is the most populated city around. Lima has more than 10 million inhabitants and the transportation could be chaotic especially during the rush hours. That is why today we have brought to you this transportation guide in order to move –and survive- easily in the city.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION – METROPOLITANO BUSES

Traffic in Lima could be a truly challenge in some hours of the day. Some journeys in the city that usually could take you 20 minutes in a regular day, during the rush hours could be transformed in a whole-hour-trip.

Fortunately, there are different options of transportation in the city. For us, the fastest and the cheapest one is METROPOLITANO BUSES.

This is a great system because their vehicles have an exclusive way where they drive avoiding all the traffic, besides they have several stations located in touristy areas of the city making it way easier.

HOW IT WORKS?

1. Locate the closest station to your accommodation.

If you are living in Miraflores, you got four: Estación Angamos, Estación Ricardo Palma, Estación Benavides, Estación 28 de Julio.

If you are in Barranco, you got two: Estación Balta, Estación Bulevar.

If you are in the Historical Centre of Lima, you got three: Estación Central, Estación Colmena, Estación Jirón de la Unión.

2. Use the passing card

To enter the station, you always need a passing card. If you do not have it, you can easily buy it in any of the Metropolitano stations. The card itself cost s/. 5.00, then you need to add it some cash in order to scan it before you get the station in. THE FIX RATE PER TRIP AND PERSON IS s/. 2.50 soles.

Other option you have is asking for help to some locals. Buying the card is not convenient in case you are here for a couple of days, so what you can do is showing the money for the trip to some random users and they use their cards to let you in. Peruvians are really helpful so do not hesitate in asking for that small favor.

3. Take your bus

This system is really simple because it goes from the north of Lima (Historical Centre of the City) towards the southern areas (Miraflores & Barranco).

In the system you have different lines differenced by letters. But the one you should always take is the LINE C. This line passes the stations we have already mentioned in the point number one of this tutorial, just pay attention in the correct direction you are planning to go.

4. Watch your station

Inside the buses you will see digital screens with the name of the stations they are about to stop. Remember to pay attention on them and do not fall sleep during the trip at least you like extremely emotions.

Finally, as I told you, some stations are located nearby touristy places, here below I will let you the name of the stations and the attractions close to them.

Estación Bulevar: Main Square of Barranco, the Bridge of sighs, access to the Barranco beaches.
Estación Ricardo Palma: Kennedy Park in Miraflores, Surquillo Local Market.
Estación Angamos: Huaca Pucllana Ruins.
Estación Estadio Nacional: Water Fountain Park (Parque de la Reserva), National Stadium of Peru.
Estación Central: The Exposition Park, Art Museum of Lima (MALI).
Estación Colmena: San Martin Square.
Estación Jirón de la Unión: Main Square of Lima, Government Palace, San Francisco Church.

TAXI CABS OR TAXI APPS?

The easiest –but not cheapest- way to transport in Lima is taking a taxi. This is a fast way to go wherever you need, however it could be complex if you do not speak Spanish. In Peru, taxis DO NOT have taximeters so you have to deal the price BEFORE you take the cab expecting not to pay way more than usual. Obviously, if you just got here it could be hard trying to understand how the taxi rates work, do not feel sorry for you, even locals do not know how taxi-drivers-minds work, so it is okay.

WHAT TO DO?

* We highly recommend, before taking a taxi, ask a local about the regular or maximum price you should pay from where you are until your destination. It would be helpful to know it in order to deal the actual rate with your driver.

* In case you are reading this before your arrival in Peru, we share with you some MAXIMUM RATES from the most important places in Lima, so you do not pay more than this.

FROM > TO

Lima airport* > Miraflores neighborhood s/70.00 soles (USD$ 23)
Lima airport* > Barranco neighborhood s/80.00 soles (USD$ 26)
Lima airport* > Historical Centre of Lima s/40.00 soles (USD$ 13)
Miraflores > Barranco s/12.00 soles (USD$ 4)
Miraflores > Historical Centre of Lima s/20.00 soles (USD$ 6)
Barranco > Historical Centre of Lima s/30.00 soles (USD$ 10)

(*) IMPORTANT: This rates are flexible, they could increase or decrease depending on different things like the current day, the current hour of the day, traffic jams, etc. Furthermore, the prices from the Airport of Lima to other areas are always higher because the taxis you take are licensed by the Airport itself, so they add commissions to the service they offer.

On the other hand, in Lima are working different apps like Uber, Beat, Easy taxi and more which are really useful in case you do not want to go for a traditional taxi cab. Just remember having internet data on your phone and you will be ready to explore the city.

Free Tours Lima and More

ABOUT LIMA BY WALKING

Lima by Walking is a proud member of the Free Tour Community, a global network of independent local initiatives operating in the pay-what-you-wish model.

If you like our Tours, click the logo Community to find the Best Free Walking Tours around the World.

Category: Lima

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN LIMA

Best Restaurants in Lima: Top Dining Spots for Every Taste