Discover the best of Peruvian gastronomy with our selection of the top 10 restaurants in the country. Immerse yourself in a culinary journey that combines tradition and innovation, where you can indulge in the authentic flavors of Peruvian cuisine. From iconic cevicherías to high-end dining establishments, this list will take you to places filled with exquisite tastes and quality. Get ready to experience an unforgettable culinary adventure in Peru's most renowned destinations.
Astrid & Gaston – Lima
Astrid & Gaston is one of the best restaurants in Lima. The owners, famous Peruvian chefs are Astrid Gutsche and Gaston Acurio. Acurio dropped out of law school in third grade and continued with his true passion: food. While studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, he met Astrid, and they moved to Peru to open a French restaurant.
However, they couldn’t deny the unique spices, products, and techniques that Peru offered. In this form, they replaced the cream and butter (of french cuisine) with Aguaymanto (golden berries), Ají Amarillo (hot yellow peppers), Peruvian quinoa, etc. Today, Acurio has become synonymous with Peruvian culture, gastronomy, and biodiversity. Currently, he owns 11 restaurants and chain stores in cities around the world, including Miami, Paris, and Doha, Qatar.
Mayta - Lima
Enjoy the 12-course Yachay tasting menu at Mayta by Peruvian-born chef Jaime Pesaque.
The lush dining room with various plants and building materials offers a contemporary setting. In 2008, with an entrepreneurial spirit and culinary artistry, Pesaque decided to open his flagship restaurant, Mayta, a contemporary Peruvian cuisine restaurant and pisco bar in Lima, Peru, where he is always looking for the traceability of local products, combining contemporary culinary techniques with local products to create sophisticated and modern dishes.
Pachapapa – Cusco
The famous Pachapapa specializes in high-quality traditional Cusquenean cuisine. It offers a Zen and cozy atmosphere in a whitewashed courtyard, warmed by outdoor heaters and a huge clay oven, it feels like you have stepped into a Cusquenean`s house. Also, its colorfully decorated indoor areas make Pachapapa the perfect place for a perfect lunch or dinner. And if you visit the restaurant at the weekend, the presence of a harpist adds to the restaurant’s atmosphere. As if you were in a traditional Cusco restaurant (These were called Picanterias and were the most traditional among Peruvian restaurants) Completely beautiful.
Rafael – Lima
In the 90s, Rafael Osterling traded lawyering for chef whites when he went to study at Le Cordon Bleu.
Rafael is housed in a townhouse in the Miraflores district, a block west of Maido. The menu reflects a confluence of Peruvian, Italian, and Asian influences.
Expect excellence, whether you order the ceviche with the fish of the day and avocado or the cacio e pepe gnocchi.
Zig Zag – Arequipa
Alpandina cuisine. What do the Peruvian Andes and the Swiss Alps have in common? The answer is easy, both are Mountain ranges that influence their surrounding town and countries. One of the first people who noticed this fact was a Swiss, the owner of the Zig Zag restaurant, the chef Michel Hediger.
Zig Zag Restaurant offers, through its Alpandina gastronomy, a creative culinary fusion that has deep roots in the mountains, where the sun fills the food with balance. This harmony, between signature cuisine and nature, is reflected in its great specialties: meat and fish cooked on volcanic stone, exotic salads, roesti from the Alps, as well as other original gastronomic proposals.
And please believe me, there is a very lot much more! Come to Peru and enjoy its cuisine!
Central Restaurant - Lima
This restaurant is a jewel in the crown of Peruvian gastronomy. If you are visiting Lima, this is the place. Ranked 1st on the list of the 50 best Latin-American restaurants, this project of the award-winning chef Virgilio Martinez, faithful believer and defender of native Peruvian ingredients from different regions, is a must stop for everyone; but be careful, reservations are not easy to come by
Maido - Lima
Maido of the prestigious chef Mitsuharu Tsumura is one of the best Nikkei cuisines in Peru.
Undoubtedly, nowadays, Maido, which means “Welcome” in Japanese, is a Peruvian flag restaurant, with amazing dishes of Nikkei Cuisine. This type of cuisine reflects the influence of Japan on Peruvian gastronomy. Sushi is its main dish, made with fresh ingredients from the sea, and uses Peruvian flavors and Japanese techniques to achieve its distinguished flavor. Obvious it is important to have a previous reservation
Chicha - Cusco
Chicha is the first restaurant of the famous Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio in the ancient Inca capital. The restaurant takes the name of a Cusco traditional drink made since Incas times, this beverage consists of macerated corn, and its flavor is similar to barley beer, with a unique bitterness that combines with the sweetness of the corn. Its name shows the purpose of the restaurant, rescue native ingredients from the Andes like Peruvian superfoods, quinoa, kiwicha, corn, potatoes, and all of them combined with contemporary ingredients and cooking techniques from international cuisines. In this form, Chicha restaurant offers tasty and unforgettable dishes belonging to Novo Andean cuisine
Kjolle – Lima
Kjolle takes its name from an orange-flowering tree in the Peruvian Andes. The restaurant reflects chef Pia Leon's ever-evolving culinary style.
Leon previously worked in Astrid & Gaston and abroad at the Ritz Carlton in New York City.
Following her success at Central, Leon opened Kjolle in Lima's bohemian Barranco district. She continues to showcase Peru's biodiversity through creative a la carte and tasting menus. Kjolle was ranked #52 in Latin America for 2022
Cicciolina – Cusco
The most famous cuisine in the world, Italian, may be present in the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco, with the Cicciolina Restaurant. This cuisine was found with the rising star: the Peruvian, and both were combined in the menu of Cicciolina. The most delightful Peruvian food accompanies Italian cuisine. And the most representative examples are shrimp with coconut, some tender pumpkin ravioli, osso buco with pumpkin ravioli covered with local cheese, and a touch of Andean mint or prawns with quinoa among others. Without mentioning the chicken, duck, beef, alpaca, seafood, and handmade pasta. The restaurant is a remembrance of an Italian Tuscan house, with handmade pasta and dry spices hanging from the rustic lacquered wooden beams of the ceilings, wooden shelves, and painted adobe walls that support blackboards, contemporary paintings, and old cabinets. All these by candlelight. Of course, Cicciolina is located on the second floor of an ancient Cusquenean mansion, just one block away from the main square. Definitely, there, you will feel like you are in an Italian house in the middle of Cusco!
