The rap on Peru‘s capital is that it is a spot you keep for just a few nights to get pleasure from meals at well-known eating places like Central or Astrid y Gastón earlier than persevering with on to the Andes or the Amazon. But Lima is a lot greater than a gateway city with nice meals. To know this seaside metropolis, really and deeply, is to know the sound of salsa throughout its rooftops and the jokes flying over kaleidoscopic mountains of fruit at its mercados. In colonial mansions that after housed elite Spanish households, up to date Peruvian designers have arrange store alongside aesthetic boutique lodges and wine bars the place DJs spin information. Lima is a spot the place you possibly can encounter layers of historical past (sure, these are pre-Inca ruins in the midst of that site visitors circle) in addition to fashionable Peru—and the creatives who’ve made it one in all South America’s nice cities. To know Lima is to love Lima—all you want is a bit endurance and the boldness to strike up a dialog with one of many laughing Limeños within the cevichería. It shall be definitely worth the effort.
Lima is one in all our Best Places to Eat in 2025. For the complete checklist, learn here.
Breaking down the barrios
Popular favorites Barranco and Miraflores are extra dynamic than ever, and there is lots extra to discover. Here’s what to do in every.
Cercado de Lima
Also often called Centro, downtown Lima is an enchanting collision of regal European structure and a bustling Latin American metropolis: site visitors, crowds, buskers. Grab a churro at Churros San Francisco, close to the Plaza Mayor, then go sip a pisco bitter catedral, a stronger model of Peru’s most well-known cocktail, at Gran Hotel Bolívar.
Pueblo Libre
This slice of outdated Lima has the town’s biggest focus of parks and fairly just a few storied watering holes. After perusing the gathering of pre-Columbian artwork at Museo Larco, head to the Nineteenth-century Antigua Taberna Queirolo, for homestyle dishes like ají de gallina. Or strive El Bolivariano (established in 1780) for dinner and dancing.
Barranco
This charming bohemian enclave is house to Virgilio Martínez’s acclaimed restaurant Central, the place company can now e-book behind-the-scenes kitchen excursions. Clon is the most recent spot from Venezuelan chef Juan Luis Martínez, of the laid-back but elevated eating places Mérito and Demo. Want one thing a bit extra informal and old-school? Nothing beats ceviche apaltado at Canta Rana.
Annika Huett
San Isidro
Well-heeled locals come to this glossy nook of Lima to store and dine. During a stroll alongside Miguel Dasso, pop into the beloved Blu: Il Gelato del Barrio and El Pan de la Chola bakery, which emphasize Peruvian elements. Or duck into the newly unveiled speakeasy Kero by Osaka.
Surquillo
Among the {hardware} shops of this former manufacturing unit district are the beloved huariques—casual hole-in-the-wall eating places—alongside fashionable new culinary outposts. Order an entire fish on the venerable La Picantería, or one thing extra informal at S’concha Barriada Cevichera.
Miraflores
Innumerable eating places and frequent occasions make this breezy neighborhood a pure hub for vacationers. Watch paragliders soar over the clifftop Parque del Amor, then get a drink on the tavern Casa Rebara 1921 or the buzzy Lady Bee, the place the cocktails showcase native elements.