Article updated on January 5, 2025
Text & photographs: Claire Lessiau & Marcella van Alphen

If Lima hosts some of world’s best restaurants, delicious Peruvian specialties, inventive chefs, and interesting fusion cuisine can be experienced in other areas of Peru from the snow-capped Cordillera Blanca to the white city of Arequipa and the not-to-be-missed former Inca capital of Cusco…

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Cusco: For a romantic evening and Peruvian dishes – A Mi Manera

In search for a romantic dinner focused on elaborated Peruvian specialties? Chef Jilly Flores de Cusco expertly blends Peru’s diverse ingredients to create visual and gastronomic delights. The open kitchen provides diners with a sneak peek into the tasty creations by the passionate while the small venue is stylishly decorated with colorful contemporary art pieces by the local internationally acclaimed artist Carlos Olivera.

On the menu? An array of exquisite Peruvian dishes, including the beloved causa; impeccably prepared smoked trout; and a perfectly grilled alpaca steak served on three sorts of the healthy superfood quinoa, native to Peru. Worth a try too is the fusion of Peruvian sweet potato wrapped in an Italian ravioli.

Amidst a charming and intimate candle-lit ambiance in a colonial mansion, just around the corner from the tourist path, the family-owned A Mi Manera prides itself on using locally and organically grown ingredients from their own patch of land in the nearby Sacred Valley, accompanied by an excellent selection of fine Peruvian wines and top-of-the-line piscos.

Cusco: Peruvian fusion at its best – Cicciolina

In the mood for a cosmopolitan culinary journey? Chef Luis Alberto Sacilotto who hails from Argentina (and whose wine list you can trust!) has elevated tapas to an art form, seamlessly merging flavors from all around the world in his well-crafted menu.

Some of the highlights are the original barbecued octopus, with its Japanese ponzu emulsion, served alongside sliced avocado and a subtly spiced onion salsa on a crispy yuca biscuit for crunchiness; the interesting textures of the chorizo on a soft potato cake, complemented by a sweet red onion sauce; the beautifully-plated white fish tiradito, the lesser known raw fish Peruvian specialty; the perfectly seared salmon from the cold waters of Chile, softened by a Japanese batayaki butter and warm mango pieces, and delicately spiced up by a yellow chili and yuca puree, with shallots adding subtle Asian nuances. Conclude your culinary odyssey with strawberries in a sweet red port sauce, served alongside a decadent scoop of creamy Pisco ice cream for a Peruvian twist.

Under the 16^th century timber beams in the elegant setting of its historic casona, or colonial house, a stone’s throw away from Plaza de Armas, Cicciolina is a celebration of Peru’s famous fusion cuisine, where each beautiful dish is a blend of flavorful harmonies.

Cusco: Andean cheese raclette – Masha Charcutería Andina

High up in the cute and trendy San Blas district, a true low-key gem awaits cheese lovers and romantics. Passing the heavy wooden door and following starry lights, Luis delightfully welcomes his guests to Peru’s first raclette restaurant.

Whether raclette is Swiss or French becomes an irrelevant discussion at Masha where organic Andean cheese and cold cuts are enjoyed. With a stammering cheese culture in Peru, Luis presents very respectable raclette-type cheeses, some plain, some with herbs, and some aged, alongside alpaca charcuterie, and Argentinean wines. A bread of red, black, and white quinoa, potatoes from the Andes of course, and a family recipe of salsa based on a reduction of wine and vegetables complete the inviting table. If the restaurant is named after his grandmother, it is Luis’ great grandmother’s silverware that is laid out on the cozy tables alongside blown wine glasses and candle holders he brought back from all over the world. Everything here has a story to tell, and especially Luis!

With an excellent playlist and a delicious host, the evening flies by while enjoying the cheesy tradition from the Alps in a Peruvian fashion in the heart of the former Incan capital.

Huaraz: Fine dining in the Cordillera Blanca – Andén Verde

Embark on a true gastronomic voyage in the first fine-dining restaurant in Huaraz, in the heart of the Cordillera Blanca. It will be the best reward after an intense multi-day trek amongst Peru’s highest peaks! Indulge in the innovative dishes by chef Joman Herrera as each is a modern twist of Peruvian culinary traditions.

Begin your gastronomic experience with the pan de la casa a delightful fusion of sourdough, carrots, Peruvian tree pepper, and mango. For starters the territorio cucurbitácea brings the best out of an ordinary zucchini that comes alive in various ways, textures, colors and flavors; a true treat to the palate and the eyes in this new interpretation of an otherwise common squash. The main courses showcase the richness of Peru’s culinary heritage from the coastal regions and the Andean mountains, each containing a wealth of lesser known ingredients. Conclude your dining experience on a sweet note with the delectable postres al plato, such as the vibrant pampas de ica with mandarins, peach, olives, and raspberries.

Immerse yourself in the rich variety of flavors and pair each dish to perfection with the great selection of Peruvian wines and spirits: Andén Verde is taking Huaraz to new heights, maybe as high as Huascaran, Peru highest peak less than an hour away!

Arequipa: signature cuisine by a young acclaimed chef – Clandestino

Young Peruvian Chef Mauricio Mello takes you on a carefully crafted gastronomic expedition through the diverse ecosystems of Peru, where he unearthed forgotten recipes and rare ingredients that form the soul of the country. After working with renowned chefs worldwide, including Virgilio Martinez Véliz of Central in Lima (world’s best restaurant per The World’s 50 Best Restaurant list at the time of writing) his explorations of his own country have led him to learn recipes from humble family cooks to Peru’s award-winning baker. Before establishing Clandestino in the gastronomic capital of Peru, Chef Mauricio spent seven years reviving and reinterpreting recipes lost to revolutions, earthquakes, wars, and epidemics.

The perfectly balanced 10-course tasting menu is a masterpiece of unique flavors, textures and nuances taking you to the roots of Peru where each dish tells a very specific story of the country’s rich history and diverse cultures. Superfood and rarely used ingredients such as liccha, or the leaf of the quinoa plant, accompany local meat and fish plated in an original and earthy way to create a complete experience that the mixologist complements with original cocktails perfectly paired with the dishes.

Embark on this fine-dining culinary journey like no other at Clandestino Restaurant in Arequipa!

Lima: where Peru meets Japan – Tomo cocina nikkei

The purple bougainvillea attracts the eye in the narrow residential side street of Miraflores, a stone’s throw away from the trendy clubs and bustling bars along the famous Calle San Ramon. Yet, behind the large wooden door quietness exudes, reminiscent of a traditional sushi bar in Japan. At Tomo, Peruvian ingredients are prepared with a Japanese twist.

Past the intimate dining room facing the open kitchen, an outside staircase leads to a party-style rooftop where mixologists craft cocktails to the beat of trendy music. The eye-candy Peregrino cocktail, a citrusy mix of gin with umepon, a Japanese shochu-based plum liquor, activates the taste buds, as does the Tomo cocktail, a reinterpretation of the classic pisco sour with a Japanese twist where a smooth pisco meets a milky sake and chai tea.

Luis, manager and passionate sommelier, proudly introduces the menu in which only the freshest seafood from the Pacific Ocean are blended and dressed in a Peruvian and Japanese coating. With such an extensive menu, the omakase (or chef’s selection) takes the pressure away!

Wonderfully plated dishes follow each other building up the umami: tiraditos (a fusion of sashimi and ceviche); raw Chilean salmon with avocado, spiced up by an endemic parizu rocoto pepper, and the Japanese shiso basil; clam ceviche with crispy octopus, cushuro (a green algae from the Andean rivers) topped off with salmon roe in a tigers milk sauce; razor clams with a foam of sweet chili and flying fish roe; and the Tomo nigiri with its fatty cut of salmon melting in the mouth, fried shrimp, and a reduction of a secret fruit from the jungle… Some other highlights include the nigiri bachi with its scallop seasoned with truffle oil, a shrimp volcano seared at the table, and a delicious scallop nigiri topped by smoked duck breast, foie gras, and eel sauce.

Tomo is the perfect way to experience Peru’s freshest seafood with a delicious Japanese fusion twist.

Lima: fine dining in trendy Miraflores – Matria

Chef Arlette Eulert Checa is one of the best female chefs of Lima. A multi-award winner and a famous TV host in various culinary shows in Peru, she is the co-owner of the trendy Matria restaurant in Miraflores, the culinary district of the Peruvian capital.

In a warm, dark wood decor, with funky paintings depicting jungle scenes, beautifully plated dishes come out of the partially open kitchen. Beyond the à la carte menu, Chef Arlette also crafts an exquisite 7-course tasting menu.

A delicious avocado tiger milk cooks the sliced raw fish of the tiratido palteado in a colorful palette. In the tosami, thin slices of seared tuna are plated with avocado, kiuri chestnut, and a Peruvian relish of jalapeño and red onions, enhancing flavors subtly. A wonderfully presented grilled scallop cooked to perfection with a yuzu butter honors the ocean seaboard of Lima, while pork croquettes with a delectable salsa with a kick pay tribute to the mountains, as well as the yucca served with cow, goat, and sheep cheese. The still simmering arroz brutal, a creamy rice with crab, wild prawn, mussels, vegetables, and salsa steals the show of the night with its rich and savory flavors.

Matria is the ideal place to experience Lima’s fine dining in a rather low-key atmosphere.

Travel tips:

• Booking is essential in all these restaurants.
• Check out this interactive map for the specific details to help you plan your trip and more articles about the area!

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