Trattoria di Mambrino
Manuel Bonilla 106
Lima, NY 18 Peru
Tel: 51 1 446 7002
Owner Ugo Plevisani oversees the main courses while his wife Sandra prepares the 38 delicious desserts on the menu, combining simple and healthy cooking with choice ingredients and epicurean seasonings. Italian specialities include veal raviolis with porcini mushrooms, Malfatti, Eggplant Parmesan, spaghetti with prawns, four-cheese gnocchi and a signature dish, Sigaro made with mozzarella, prosciutto ham and radicchio greens. The wine list includes a varied selection of imports and the homemade bread is delectable. No reservations are accepted, so arriving early is recommended as the place is small and becomes crowded quickly.

Hucca Pucllana
General Borgono Colra 8 s/n
Miraflores
Tel: 51 1 445-4042
Restaurant Huaca Pucllana is located in a breathtaking setting: within the ruins of the Huaca Pucllana, an archaeological compound built between 200 and 700 AD by the early inhabitants of Lima. The adobe pyramid, digs and walls of the complex one of the main administrative and ceremonial centres of the Lima Culture are illuminated by night, making some amazing views for the clients dining at the covered terrace.

The cuisine is a reinterpretation of the Peruvian Criollo tradition by chef Marilú Madueño (Cordon Blue Paris), as she combines local flavours and ingredients with contemporary techniques. Some excellent choices are the duck risotto, the ceviche de camarones a la piedra (stone prawn ceviche) or the locro de costillas de cordero (lamb-ribs with a pumpkin stew). They have delightful desserts prepared with local fruits like chirimoya (custard apple), maracuyá (passion-fruit) and lúcuma (eggfruit). The bar has a wide variety of pisco and an excellent wine list. After dining you can tour the ruins with one of the restaurant’s guides.


Pescados Capitales
La Mar 1334
Miraflores
51 1 421-8808/222-5731
A lunch-only seafood restaurant that has unconditionally conquered the demanding palates of locals. Placed in the furthest corner of Miraflores, inside an unpretentious building with rustic décor, this is one of the best places for initiating in the pleasures of ceviches, tiraditos, and causas.

The name puns the similarity between fish (pescados) and sins (pecados), a joke echoed in the menu with such entries as Vanity (grilled salmon with capers and lemon, accompanied with a veggie risotto) or Wrath (barbecued octopus with aromatic butter and asparagus). The tacu-tacu de camarones (leftover beans and rice, with a prawn sauce) is simply delicious, a heavenly bless by cuisine gods.

Dalmacia
San Fernando 401
Miraflores
51 1 445-7917
Situated in a quiet square of Miraflores, not 200 metres from the cliffs that overlook the ocean, Dalmacia is the sort of eclectic and cosy café-bar-restaurant that makes it a pleasant stay anytime: at mid afternoon for a coffee, at dinner, or at night for some drinks. It is, in every case, one of Lima’s favourite spots for a chatty good time among friends. Formerly a gourmet shop, Dalmacia cuisine offers a mix of Mediterranean and Italian dishes, alongside with Spanish tapas and Peruvian appetizers. Excellent the pulpito a la parrilla (grilled baby octopus).

Café Café
Martir Olaya
250 Lima
Tel: 01 445-1165
Irish coffee is too tame for this jazzed-up java joint. Here the drink of choice is the cappuccino calypso, combining a jolt of joe with frangelica, Kahlua, and rum. Don’t worry—you can still order your espresso straight up. Most people forgo the food, but that’s a shame, as the roast-beef sandwich is a sizzling slab of meat atop a wedge of crusty bread. Even the lowly BLT is decadent, served open face with huge chunks of avocado. This is definitely a see-and-be-seen kind of place. Tables on the second level let you check out the crowd below, and those on the street give you an unobstructed view of Parque Central.

Café Haiti
Avenida Diagonal 160
(on the Ovalo, near El Pcifico Theatre)

Miraflores
While there are many cafés in Lima, perhaps none is as emblematic as the Café Haiti, which first opened its doors on February 23, 1962.

Overlooking the main park in Miraflores, the Café Haiti has welcomed politicians, writers, artists, tourists, and local residents who have been flocking there for almost half a century in search of quality coffee and good food and drinks, served in a welcoming atmosphere.