My whole life I have always wanted to go to Lima. Not only because I have good friends living there, also I heard so much about the great restaurants in the city. For my birthday I decided to do a trip through Peru starting in Lima. I have to say that the city itself is not the most cultural exciting city but the food is absolutely outstanding. We stayed 24 hours in Lima and tried to see and eat as much as we could. For us 24 hours in Lima was enough, however, if you are a foodie stay a bit longer to enjoy all the great restaurants.
However, for those of you who want to have an impression of the city and the food continue reading this guide.
What to see?
Lima is a big city, however there are just a view corners you should check out. There is the main square, Plaza De Armas De Lima, where you can find all the main old buildings. Like the Cathedral of Lima and the Museo Convento San Francisco. It is a beautiful area with lots of things to look at and even to do a bit of shopping. Just be aware that Lima is a bit of a dangerous city so just stay low key and don’t wear any expensive jewelry.
You don’t need a tour guide or something just walk around the city center and enjoy the beautiful architecture. Something I found very funny was that when you are walking around the main square, every five meters people will offer you to be tattooed 😉 my recommendation is, don’t do it! Take your time and also visit the the Casa de Aliaga. For this you need to book an appointment in advance.
One of my favorite areas was Barranco. It is like the hip and cool area in Lima where all the young and good looking people hang out. There you can walk around and enjoy the artsy streets with a mixture of old and new buildings. I really loved this area. There you will also find the famous Museum MATE where you can see work from Mario Testino (Mondays it is closed). Right next to it you will find the Museo Osama. Also worth the visit. It is a great area and even though you are in this huge city this area gives you a feeling of being in a smaller town. When you are there try the delicious ice cream from the famous BLU ice cream shop. I would also recommend you to stay in this area – first of all it is saver and you can move more freely around by foot.
Where to eat?
Ok this is very difficult because Lima has the most amazing restaurants in the world. Here are some tips from me (but I am not the craziest foodie) First of all I have to say that I normally do not eat fish but before the trip I decided to eat everything that was put infront of my face and that is what I did and it was amazing.
The first restaurant we went to was Osaka (Japanese-Peruvian Food). It was absolutely amazing! And the cocktails were to die for. I found my favorite new drink Pisco Sour, but at Osaka they served it with a beetroot ice cup. I was very drunk after two of them. Then we tried for lunch a more rustic cerviche place, which I loved, called Canta Rana in Barranco. Another great place we tried was Siete also in the middle of the cool area of Barranco.
Here are some more tips of restaurants we didn’t manage to visit but heard a lot about. Jeronimo, which serves delicious Mexican food. Rafael is a more elegant restaurant, so good for the evenings, which serves international Peruvian food and has the same chef as a famous lunch place called El Mercado. In Costanera 700 you can get amazing fish. So all fish lovers go there.
Then for brunch or lunch we recommend to check out these restaurants: Colonia & Co in Barranco. Pan de la Chola which is run by a celebrity baker – great Avocado and Hummus Focaccias. La Bodega Verde is a great place for maximum four people with a beautiful little backyard.
Something Good
A friend of mine who we visited in Lima opened his own company called Mondo where they produces 100 % organic fruits which are hand dipped in chocolate. It is the perfect healthy snack for any time of the day.