Visit Lima’s Favorite Local Chinese Restaurant
Lima is famous for its food scene, but when people think of the highlights, they think of ceviche or quinoa or its Japanese “Nikkei” fusion dishes. But a trip to Lima would be incomplete without trying “Chifa,” the unique Peruvian Chinese fusion cuisine.
While you could go to the Barrio Chino (the Chinatown neighborhood) near Lima’s historic center to try this food, there is a restaurant renowned for its chifa dishes, closer to Miraflores, where locals have gone for their Sunday family dinners since it opened in the 1960s: Titi.
A Quick History of Chifa
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chinese immigrants, primarily from Southern Chinese regions such as Guangdong and Hong Kong, came to Peru to work as laborers on railroads, sugarcane and cotton plantations, or to extract guano off the Peruvian coast.
They brought their food with them, which in turn took on a distinctly Peruvian bent. Local peppers and vegetables such as aji amarillo, scallions, and cabbage were added, along with traditional soy sauce and ginger, to wok-fried noodle and rice dishes. The name Chifa comes from the Cantonese saying chi fan, meaning “to eat rice,” and has come to define the cuisine and the restaurants serving it.
Eating at Titi
Titi started off in the Barrio Chino by the Chan family but, as its popularity grew, moved to two locations: One in San Isidro and one in the Lima suburb of La Molina.
When I visited Lima, I was warned that Titi is very popular, especially on Sundays, and that I should make a reservation well in advance. Thankfully, the reservation process was easy. I made a reservation about two weeks in advance on Titi’s website.
What I didn’t expect was to get caught in a gnarly traffic jam in the few miles between our hotel in Miraflores and Titi in San Isidro. Despite leaving 30 minutes before our 6:45 pm reservation at Titi, we were stuck in traffic for over an hour. I called Titi in a panic, apologizing in broken Spanish and saying that we were stuck in traffic but on our way. The guy on the phone laughed and basically told me to relax. We had a table either way, and we would get there when we get there. Phew!
The phone call also set the tone for TiTi’s service once we arrived. Everyone working there, and a few people who looked like family members, were upbeat and friendly. Even though we talked and ordered in Spanish, they offered my Mom and me English menus-much to her relief.
The inside of TiTi was simple but relatively upscale: menus bound in black leather, black lacquered tables, and black decorative screens separated the tables and booths from the bar and kitchen. There was a mix of families across generations gathered around large, round tables set up with Lazy Susans, and couples dressed up for date night.
What We Ordered
Shumai
We ordered cocktails, shumai (steamed dumplings), the classic chaufa (Chinese-Peruvian fried rice with roasted pork), and the “Titi” vegetable-and-chicken stir-fried noodles.
The cocktails were just fine; my blueberry-flavored one ended up being quite sour, while my Mom’s was more of a watery punch. If I ordered drinks again, I would probably stick to beer or wine.
The chaufa, fried rice with roasted pork, and the shumai, which were stuffed to the brim with pork and scallions, were the stand-out dishes. Compared to the fried rice, the noodles were slightly bland and needed the soy sauce, ginger, and garlic that the rice had. We definitely overordered. Each dish could easily feed four people. It’s easy to see why TiTi is so popular as a family gathering spot; no one is going to leave complaining that they didn’t eat enough!
We ended up taking most of our meal as leftovers and came back to our hotel bloated and completely stuffed. If I came back, I would order the chaufa again and something from the dim sum, like the shumai, again, but I would also get the roast duck because I saw pretty much every other table order it and I had order envy.
TiTi Details
Address:
San Isidro
Av Javier Prado Este 1212
La Molina
Calle Los Bambúes 198
Hours:
San Isidro
Monday: Closed
Tuesday to Saturday: 12:30 to 2:45 pm - 6:45 to 8:30 pm
Sunday: 12:45 pm to 3:45 pm
La Molina
Monday: Closed
Tuesday to Saturday: 12:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Sunday: 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Takes Reservations:
Yes, via their website