10 Peruvian Dishes Every Traveler Should Try in Lima

Lima is home to several of the world's best restaurants, but the real Peruvian food experience doesn't depend on a reservation at a fine-dining spot — it's on every corner, from the market to the neighborhood picantería. Here are the dishes worth seeking out.

Ceviche

Peru's flagship dish: fresh fish marinated in lime, chili, and onion, served cold. Traditionally eaten around midday — Lima's most traditional cevicherías tend to close early in the afternoon.

Lomo saltado

A stir-fry of beef tenderloin strips, onion, tomato, and french fries, finished with soy sauce — the clearest example of Cantonese (chifa) influence on Peruvian cooking. Served with rice.

Ají de gallina

Shredded chicken in a creamy yellow chili, walnut, and cheese sauce, served over rice with potatoes and olives — one of the country's most beloved comfort dishes.

Causa

A cold layered dish of lime- and chili-seasoned yellow potato, filled with chicken, tuna, or seafood — light, versatile, and found as a starter on nearly every Lima menu.

Anticuchos

Skewers of marinated, grilled beef heart, traditionally sold street-side at dusk — one of Lima's most representative street foods.

Picarones

The definitive street dessert: fried rings of squash and sweet potato dough, drenched in chancaca syrup — a direct descendant of Spanish buñuelos, adapted with Andean ingredients.

Chicha morada

A non-alcoholic drink made from boiled purple corn with pineapple, cinnamon, and clove — found on nearly every Peruvian table, from the simplest restaurant to the most elaborate.

Suspiro a la limeña

A dessert of manjar blanco (dulce de leche) topped with port-wine meringue — sweet, dense, and uniquely Lima, unlike most other Peruvian desserts of Andean origin.

Tacu tacu

Leftover rice and beans, fried together into something like a savory cake, usually served with a steak or a fried egg on top — the perfect example of Peru's waste-not cooking tradition.

Pisco Sour

The national cocktail: pisco, lime, simple syrup, egg white, and Angostura bitters, shaken until frothy — the obligatory starting point before any dinner in Lima.

Where to try it

Miraflores, Barranco, and San Isidro have the widest variety, from traditional picanterías to restaurants like Central and Maido, regularly ranked among the world's best — reservations at the higher-end spots fill up weeks ahead, good to know before you land.

Moving between these areas without depending on traffic or hunting for a ride outside a restaurant late at night is, for many travelers, the difference between enjoying the food tour and spending half the evening figuring out how to get back to the hotel.