Three Great Lima Restaurants (No Reservation Needed)
Living in New York, I’ve come to resent the Rumpelstiltskinesque treaties and a-month-in-advance alarms that it takes to get a reservation at a restaurant. While I love trip planning and learning about local cuisine in advance, some of the best meals are the spontaneous ones in happened upon places rather than the critics’ darlings.
Lima is home to some of the best restaurants in the world but a lot of them need reservations at least a month in advance. If I’m not doing the wait at home, I’m certainly not doing it on vacation. Here are three restaurants I really enjoyed in Lima, Peru without having to book months in advance or sacrifice my first born-son (does my cat count?)
El Mercado, Miraflores
We were told there was an hour wait at La Mar, so we walked over to El Mercado and were seated immediately. Open only for lunch, El Mercado focuses on local seafood, the daily catches found in Lima’s fish markets. Its interior is upscale but relaxed, in the style of a covered courtyard.
Service in Lima is almost universally friendly, but here, our waiter was exceptional and very quick with his recommendations. He ordered everything he suggested, and we were not disappointed. The cocktails were refreshing, leaning almost tiki-style with tropical fruit juices and unusual liqueurs.
You cannot have lunch here without having a tiradito, a raw fish dish that is a cross between sashimi and ceviche.
Amoramar, San Isidro
We spent the afternoon at the Huaca Pucllana ruins, then walked over to window-shop in San Isidro. Window shopping can work up quite an appetite, apparently.
It was our last night in Lima so we wanted to end the trip with Peruvian food rather than Italian or Spanish (there are a lot of fantastic European restaurants in San Isidro). We walked to Amoramar hoping for a table. No tables were available, but we could sit at the bar, and they served the full food menu there. Sold!
Service ranged between attentive and absent. Most groups at the bar clearly came for a drink before they were seated, so there were long periods where it was hard to flag someone down and get an order in. That said, their by-the-glass wine list was fantastic, and their sommelier was determined to make sure that we got wines we enjoyed.
My favorite of the dishes was the small plates. Bite-sized takes on Peruvian food, we ordered the causa and the aji de gallina (stewed chicken on thin slices of deep-fried plantains). This was the only time I’ve really enjoyed causa (layers of mashed potatoes, avocado, and meat). They were both phenomenal. The entrees were good but not anything particularly special, especially after the small plates.
CaLa, Barranco
Ok, I did make a reservation here - I wanted to make sure we could sit outside to watch the sunset, but when we showed up, it turned out I made it for the following night. Oops.
It didn’t matter in the slightest. We got our beachside table in time for the 6:30 sunset, and the restaurant was practically empty. When we left around 8 pm, it was beginning to fill up. The first floor turns into a lounge as the night goes on, so if you want a later dinner or drink, I would recommend making a reservation.
The menu is Peruvian staples with a modern twist. Lots of seafood and potato dishes. The highlight of the meal was the cilantro cream-based ceviche. The cream didn’t make the ceviche too rich or heavy, but it kept the cilantro front and center without overwhelming the plate.
The cocktail and wine list is extensive. We split a bottle of Argentine sparkling wine, but given the restaurant's playful, modern atmosphere, I think cocktails would have been a better option.