- Lima
- (21)
-
Peru
A great restaurant, nice food, not too pricey but a little bit different.
Av. Pedro de Osma 102, Barranco, Lima
It is a suburb of Lima that is a lovely old place, has some nice restaurants and gets you out of Lima. A great place to stay. Easy to get into the city from here, but also nice to get away once you have done the sights.
A suburb of Lima
For days I wondered why the locals were rarely seen without a bottle of this luminous yellow beverage in hand. I decided to try it, and drank it constantly for the rest of my trip. If only they'd import it here!
In practically every shop and bar.
Lovely Peruvian egg-white, lime and alcohol cocktail. Sold everywhere and totally delicious!
all over Peru
Many people get out of Lima as soon as possible, fearful of its poor reputation. Yes, Lima is big, dirty, grey-skied, and you need to keep your wits about you. But if you don't see anything of this capital city of 8 million people, you're missing out on an important part of Peru.
So don't be scared: Check out the colonial architecture around the Plaza de Armas, eat ceviche by the sea in Barranco, sit and enjoy a Pisco sour in the cafes around Parque Kennedy, and visit museums like the Museo de la Nacion for the best introduction to the archaeological sites you'll be visiting later in your trip.
Museo de la Nacion, Av. Javier Prado Este 2465 - San Borja. Teléfono: 476-9933 anexo 229 / 231
e-mail: museodelanacion@inc.gob.pe
Open: Tues-Sun 9-6
When in Lima I can recommend a tour guide named Cinthya. She is very knowledgeable and her English is excellent.
She does not offer a fixed itinerary or fixed fee. She allows you to choose what you wish to see and after completion she leaves it up to you to decide how much to pay her.
Her e-mail address is cinandb@hotmail.com
Buried in the back streets of suburban Lima, surrounded by faceless modern office blocks, lies a rich reward for the intrepid seafood lover.
A cheap painted sign over a metal door leads into the less-than-salubrious interior of the restaurant. But once you get over the decor (or lack of) you’ll notice that the place is packed with locals – a sure sign that the food is what matters there. And it does.
Scallops, crab, the freshest of fish, Pisco, and the ceviche...a hidden treasure.
Address: Leonardo Da Vinci 505 (On the corner of Marie Curie 108),
Urb. La Calera, La Merced, Surquillo.
Telephone: (51-1) 271-6455 / 9756-7394
Website: www.laislaescondidaperu.com
Email: reservas@laislaescondidaperu.com
I strongly recommend this place if you are in Lima. You will find everything here with the bonus of having a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean in front of you: excellent restaurants, cool bars, clubs, cinemas, shops and places to play and have a good time!
It is located at the end of Larco Avenue in the upscale Miraflores district.
I can highly recommend the Mansion San Antonio bed and breakfast in Lima, Peru. The property is located on a very quiet residential street in the Miraflores area of Lima. While some areas of Lima are reported to be unsafe, Miraflores is situated in one of the more upscale neighborhoods and I felt comfortable walking to bars and restaurants at night (about 10 minutes walk).
Many good restaurants and some of the larger well known hotels are nearby. Even though the San Antonio is on a quiet street,you need to only walk about 1 minute to a reach a busy intersection where it was very easy to find a taxi.
The large room I had was spotless. TV, DVD, room service available. And a full size bar of soap in the bathroom! Maybe that's a small detail but as a frequent traveller who's used to the matchbox size sliver you usually find,it was appreciated.
The best part was the friendly and helpful staff. Always available to assist and answer questions, not only about the property but about anything a tourist would need to know about Lima. I especially remember the manager, Jean Carlo, whose helpful advice and attention to detail was more in line with what you'd expect from a concierge in a 5 star hotel.
I'll definitely be returning!
Av. Tejada 531 Miraflores.
Lima , Peru
www.mansionsanantonio.com
A nice restaurant with good food and good service, nice steak + lyonnese potatoes for $10, and everything else is cheaper than that. Great choice of main dishes, desserts, sandwiches and drinks. Friendly waiters.
In Miraflores, Larco Mar, end of 2nd floor row, if you sit outside you get a nice view of the sea.
Really, there is other food in Miraflores other than pizza.
Once place to try is Aventuras Marinas. They are one of the few cheapy local places that stay open until 9pm-ish. Especially good is the Ceviche Mixto, and the Aquaditas, a heady soup made with coriander and mixed seafood.
One more recommendation is the most perfect little lunch place at 180 Alcoflores (parallel to Av La Paz). It has no name, just a menu outside with 4 starters and 6 main courses at 6 Sol for the full meal, plus complementary lemongrass drink (the name escapes me). The food tastes like home cooking, and they use real stock for their soups and sauces. Dishes change daily, but don’t change much, so expect soups as starters and chicken, rice, and bean dishes for mains.
This is a gem of a place that is always packed by 1:30pm, so get there just after 12 if you can.
Aventuras Marinas is at 130 Jr. Manuel Bonilla, just round the corner from Pizza Hut.
In an area heavy with pizza competition, this little place is a slice of the unusual. Excellent pizza and garlic bread, but it’s the décor that makes it stand out – the walls are covered in graffiti. Fully sanctioned by the owners, customers have recorded their thoughts for posterity, spidery handwriting reaching all the way to the ceiling. It makes for interesting reading as you enjoy your pizza.
On the little street behind the Virgen Milagrosa Church next to Kennedy Park, Miraflores.
A kind of Shangri-la for fast food lovers, an oasis of pepperoni and mozzarella in a desert of rice. An entire street dedicated to the worship of deep-dish and stuffed crust, located just two blocks from the buzzing Ovalo at the heart of the plush district of Miraflores. Don’t waste time comparing menus – they have whatever you want, as long as you want pizza, so just tuck in.
Opposite Kennedy Park, Miraflores.
Location, location, location – the Rosa Nautica has it in spades. Perhaps there are restaurants serving better food in Lima. But nowhere else comes close as a culinary event. At the end of a long pier that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, waves crashing around its pillars, the Rosa Nautica is the ultimate in sea-view dining experiences. And the food ... incredibly fresh seafood, sinful desserts ... all washed down with Pisco Sours. Many on a traveller’s budge will balk at the prices, but by the standards of most cities it is incredibly reasonable. Take one look at where you’re sitting...
Address: Espigón 4, Circuito de Playas, Lima 18; tel: 51 445-0149, 447-0057, 447-5450;
ventas@larosanautica.com
Website: www.larosanautica.com
Not one for the claustrophobic or faint of heart, a walk through the narrow, eerie catacombs deep in the belly of the San Francisco Monastery is hard to forget. They were once used as a cemetery for the city, and subterranean pits still contain the skulls and bones of about 200,000 people. If being underground in low tunnels in a city known for seismic activity with enough bones to make a reasonable-sized dinosaur is not your thing, there’s plenty to see at street level too.
The yellow Moorish-influenced church photographs well, and the mosaic-lined courtyards and an old library Dan Brown would feel at home in make a guided tour worthwhile. But it’s the oppressive nature of the catacombs that sticks in your mind after you leave. Be warned.
Address: Plaza de San Francisco (between Lampa and Ancash), a short walk from the Plaza Mayor; tel: 51 1 427 1381; guides in English and Spanish
Sitting on the Plaza Mayor in Lima’s Old Town, the cathedral is impressive from the outside and interesting within. Here you can see the mausoleum that contains the bones of the original conquistador and founder of the city, Francisco Pizarro, along with a huge, heroic mosaic depicting him in messianic terms. The exquisitely carved choir and general opulence do jar in such a poor country. A relic of Spanish legacy that may not be politically correct, the cathedral shows how it used to be.
Plaza Mayor, Historic Centre, Lima
Peru's luminous yellow answer to the competition. I don't usually drink soft drinks but this is surprisingly good and probably more popular.
Life in Lima exists because of and for the ocean. Limeños are ever so aware of the importance of the Pacific Ocean in their lives. Seafood, therefore, is the most important of the many bonds than bring us and the sea together.
Take your time. Don't jump to it right away. Put aside a whole afternoon to sample (unfortunately only a fraction of) our seafood. Head out to a cevichería around lunch. Order a few dishes to share with your party; this is the best way.
Some of the dishes you might want to taste:
Ceviche - white fish cooked in lime juice (the acid cooks it) with corn and sweet potato on the side and onions. There are mixed ceviches, octopus ceviche, langostine ceviche, etc.
Tiradito - ceviche with no onions.
Chicharron (of fish or calamari) - deep fried usually surved with yuca and tartar sauce.
Causa rellena (with tuna, crab, langostines) -a pionono made of yellow potato mash and avocado filling.
Jalea -huge mixture of chicharron.
Choros a la chalaca - muscles with corn, onion and chili sauce (granted they don't look good but are delicious).
Conchitas a la parmesana -scallops on their shells oven cooked with cheese and butter (and a pinch of lime juice); amazing!
Arroz con Mariscos - this is the most crucial test for any cevicheria. If they do a good 'Arroz con Mariscales' then then you are bound to get a great taste of Peruvian seafood. This is rice with seafood. Give it a try!
Each place will have its own version of each one of these dishes. And if you go elsewhere in the coast you'll get the local variations as well.
Just ask for a good cebicheria.
Quite a few in Chorrillos; El segundo Muelle is a good one; there is a new place in La Mar in Miraflores; anotherone just opposite where they only sell Causas (brilliant!); La Rana Verde in El Callao is one of the very best.
Barranco is the artists’ quarter of Lima, made up of narrow cobbled streets under the shade of some of the oldest residents of Lima. Most of the backpacker bars can be found in and around the Parque Central. The Boulevar' is lined with small pubs and bars where you can enjoy a beer and listen to some live music.
There is also beautiful cathedral and countless art galleries.
Go for a walk and catch a glimpse of a Lima long gone, but still alive.
Barranco is to the south of Miraflores and north of Chorrillos. Get there via el Zanjon or head south through via Larco Mar or the coast highway. It's lively any time of day, but don't miss it on a Saturday night.
La costa Verde (the Green Coast) is the name given to the clifts and beaches from La Punta to the North and la Herradura to the South of the Bay of Lima.
Most people come to Peru thinking about the Andes and forget that the country has a large coast-line. Most of Lima is, in fact, made up of small sea-side towns that were incorporated to the metropolis as it grew (visit Miraflores, Barranco, Chorrillos, Magdalena del Mar, La Punta).
La Costa Verde is full of beaches for everyone in any group. There is excellent Surfing on the Miraflores part of the coast! Or just spend a few minutes or hours every day watching the sun set in the Pacific Ocean, behind the San Lorenzo Island.
Just head West on Salaverry, Larco, or Arequipa Avenues; or look at the map -you wont miss it: its the big Ocean to the left.
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