Which Lima restaurants have been named the best in the world?

Central was named the world's best restaurant in 2023 and Maido in 2025, both at The World's 50 Best Restaurants.

How far ahead should I book Central and Maido?

Months ahead. Tables at both go early, so book as soon as your dates are set.

When do people in Lima eat ceviche?

At lunch. Limeños eat ceviche midday, so go to a cevichería like La Mar early.

What street food should I try in Lima?

Ceviche, anticuchos (grilled beef heart skewers), lomo saltado, causa and picarones, the sweet potato and squash doughnuts sold by street vendors.

Lima Food Guide: World's Best Restaurants

Lima is home to two restaurants that have been named the best in the world: Central in 2023 and Maido in 2025, both at The World's 50 Best Restaurants. The cevicherías and neighborhood spots are just as good a reason to come.

Where should you eat in Lima? Book Central and Maido months ahead, then add Kjolle for Pía León's own menu. Fill the gaps with ceviche at La Mar at lunch, home cooking at Isolina in Barranco, and anticuchos and picarones from the street. Two or three days lets you eat well without rushing.

Key facts

Book ahead: Central and Maido take reservations months out. Kjolle is in the same building as Central.
Ceviche is a lunch dish: Limeños eat it midday, so go to La Mar early.
Where to eat home cooking: Isolina in Barranco, or Tanta for lomo saltado.
Caviar trip: Lima isn't on The Peru Experience itinerary, which runs Arequipa to Cusco, but it's an easy add-on before or after.

The essential restaurants

Aerial view of the Miraflores clifftop and Pacific coastline in Lima, Peru Photo: Anton Lukin / Unsplash

Central: Peru told through its ecosystems, one altitude at a time. Book months ahead.
Maido: Nikkei, the Japanese-Peruvian cooking Lima does better than anywhere. Book well ahead.
Kjolle: Pía León's restaurant, built around Peru's biodiversity.
Astrid y Gastón: Gastón Acurio's flagship, where modern Peruvian dining took off.
Isolina: Big plates of traditional Lima home cooking in Barranco.
La Mar: Ceviche at lunch, the way Limeños eat it. Go early.

Understanding Peruvian food

Smiling Black woman stirring a steaming pan at a Peruvian cooking class

Peruvian cooking grew out of a remarkable mix. Indigenous ingredients like quinoa, ají peppers and thousands of potato varieties met Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese cooking over centuries.

That's how you get ceviche bright with lime and ají, chifa dishes like arroz chaufa from the Chinese-Peruvian kitchen, and Nikkei plates that marry Japanese technique to Peruvian fish.

Bowl of red ají peppers and tomatoes ready for a Peruvian kitchen

The street food circuit

Close-up of fresh green limes, the base of Peruvian ceviche

Ceviche: raw fish cured in lime. Any good cevichería, or La Mar.
Anticuchos: grilled beef heart skewers. Tía Grimanesa is the famous name.
Lomo saltado: stir-fried beef with fries, a chifa classic. Isolina or Tanta.
Causa: a layered, chilled potato terrine.
Picarones: sweet potato and squash doughnuts with syrup, from street vendors.

Once you've eaten your way through Lima, read Peru beyond Machu Picchu for the rest of the country, and my Machu Picchu guide for the trip up to the ruins.

Book a free consultation and we'll hold those hard-to-get tables for you. All you have to do is show up hungry.

6X Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist with 65+ countries visited across all 7 continents.