Lima

Lima: The Food Capital Peru Built Almost by Accident

Lima is grey. The garúa, a coastal fog that sits over the city for most of the year, gives the sky a flat white quality that photographs badly and discourages people from appreciating what is actually one of the most rewarding cities in South America. The food alone justifies the flight. Central, run by Virgilio Martínez, has regularly appeared in lists of the world’s top five restaurants – and when it was awarded that position by the World’s 50 Best in 2023, it was the highest any restaurant had ever reached representing South American cuisine. Lima is a food destination by any serious measure, not by local boosterism.

Miraflores: Start Here, Don’t Stay Too Long

Miraflores is where most visitors base themselves. It is safe, has reliable transport connections, the cliffs above the Pacific are genuinely dramatic, and the restaurant density is extraordinary. Parque Kennedy is pleasant on a Sunday evening. Larcomar, the shopping centre built into the cliff face, has a view of the ocean that costs nothing and a cinema that costs normal prices.

The problem with spending all your time in Miraflores is that it does not feel particularly Peruvian. It feels like a comfortable international neighbourhood. The food is outstanding but the context is missing.

Barranco

Barranco, 20 minutes south by taxi (around S/10), is the neighbourhood that makes Lima make sense. It was the bohemian quarter in the 19th century when wealthy limeños built summer houses here, and it has retained an atmosphere of faded elegance that is now, unfortunately, accelerating into full gentrification. The Puente de los Suspiros, a small wooden footbridge over a flower-filled ravine, is technically a tourist attraction and is actually charming. The Bajada de los Baños steps lead from the bridge to a narrow beach. The MATE museum, dedicated to Barranco native photographer Mario Testino, is worth a serious look.

Historic Centre

Lima’s UNESCO-listed historic centre contains the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, and the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco. The centre requires a day visit on a weekday morning, when the plaza has local life in it; it is less safe for wandering alone at night.

The Convent of San Francisco is the highlight. The library holds 25,000 books dating from the 16th century. The catacombs beneath the convent hold the remains of around 25,000 people, visited on guided tours departing every 30 minutes. The ossuary where bones were arranged by type into geometric patterns is either macabre or fascinating.

The Food

Lima’s culinary identity comes from the combination of indigenous Peruvian, Chinese (chifa), Japanese (Nikkei), and African traditions applied to exceptional coastal seafood and Andean ingredients. There is no real parallel cuisine anywhere else in the world.

Central (Virgilio Martínez) requires booking months in advance. The tasting menu explores Peruvian ingredients by altitude – ocean floor to Andean plateau. Around $300 per person. If this is within budget and food matters to you, it is among the best meals available anywhere.

Chez Wong in a residential area between Miraflores and the city centre serves ceviche and tiradito that many experienced Lima visitors consider the best in the city. The owner cooks himself for about 12 tables. Lunch only; no reservations; arrive before noon or wait.

La Mar in Miraflores does the volume cevichería version with consistent quality. El Mercado is more relaxed. Anticuchos – grilled beef heart on skewers – are street food from the carts that appear in Miraflores and Barranco from about 7pm. Less confronting than they sound, considerably better than most meat on skewers you will eat this year.

Practical Notes

The garúa is worst from June through October. Sunshine is most reliable in December through April. This is opposite to the Andean and Amazon regions, which are best in the dry season (May through September) – worth thinking through if you are combining Lima with Cusco or the Amazon.

Taxis do not use meters. Agree a price before getting in, or use InDriver or Cabify (both work well). Uber operates but surge pricing applies frequently. Miraflores to Barranco: S/10-15. Miraflores to the historic centre: S/20-25.