01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Lima.
Limeño Bites
Lima
Eat Lima at lunchtime — ceviche from the mercado, tiradito and causa with avocado.
Criollo Nights
Lima
Discover Peru's coastal kitchen — ceviche, Nikkei tiradito and ají amarillo in everything.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Ceviche cured in leche de tigre, tiradito Nikkei style, aji amarillo in the huancaina, causa layered with avocado. Peru's coastal kitchen is built on lime and aji.
04 The pantry
- Aji amarillo, bright yellow chilli at the base of Peruvian cooking
- Aji panca, mild smoky red chilli for anticuchos
- Lime, key acid for ceviche and tiradito
- Rocoto, fiery red chilli from the Andes
- Purple corn, for chicha morada and mazamorra
05 In the kitchen
- Curing ceviche in leche de tigre for minutes, not hours
- Slicing tiradito Nikkei-style thin like sashimi
- Grilling anticuchos beef hearts on charcoal with aji panca marinade
- Blending aji amarillo into huancaina and other creamy sauces
- Whisking pisco sour with egg white to a foam
06 Eat this first
- Ceviche, sea bass cured in lime and aji with sweet potato and choclo
- Lomo saltado, wok-tossed beef with soy, onion and tomato over rice
- Aji de gallina, shredded chicken in a creamy aji amarillo sauce
- Anticuchos, charcoal-grilled beef heart skewers with aji panca
- Causa, layered yellow potato terrine with tuna or crab
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
Long-grain rice cooked with prawns, squid, mussels and clams in an ají amarillo, tomato and coriander sofrito. Peru's answer to paella.
Home-cured ham (jamón del país) sliced thin, piled onto a fresh French roll with a mountain of salsa criolla. Lima's classic sandwich lunch.
Peruvian-Chinese fried rice adapted for the Amazon: pork, chorizo, palm heart and river fish stir-fried into aromatic rice with a spoon of ají charapita. Iquitos on a plate.
Skewers of marinated beef heart grilled hard over charcoal, brushed with ají panca marinade, served with potato and choclo corn. Lima's street-grill king.
Raw white fish "cooked" in fresh lime juice with red onion, ají amarillo and coriander, served with sweet potato and choclo corn. Peru's national dish.
Peruvian purple corn simmered with pineapple, cinnamon, cloves and lime, chilled and served over ice. Peru's national soft drink.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Lima.
Weather
Mild coastal desert. Grey and cool from May to November (garúa fog, 15–18°C), warm and humid from December to April (25–28°C). Rarely rains.
Currency
The Peruvian sol (PEN). Cash for markets and taxis; cards for restaurants and hotels. Bring small notes for cambios.
Language
Spanish. English coverage is decent in Miraflores and Barranco, thinner in the historic centre.
Etiquette
Warm and formal. 'Buenos días' opens every interaction. Modest dress at churches. Be street-smart with phones in busy areas. Use Uber and Cabify after dark.
Getting around
The Metropolitano BRT buses cover a north-south axis cheaply. Uber, Cabify, and Beat all work reliably. Taxis are cheap but agree the fare first.
Prayer
Deeply Catholic. The Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros) procession in October is one of the world's largest religious gatherings.