By admin I had mixed feelings about visiting Lima. On one hand, people had told me that the capital city of Peru was underwhelming compared to many of the other sights in Peru. On the other hand, the city was known to have one of the world’s best food scenes. Regardless, international travelers have to fly in and out of Lima to get anywhere else in the country, so it was a no-brainer to plan a few days in the city. My friends Lauren and Karen decided to join me for a nine night trip to Peru (aside from Lima, we’d also be visiting the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Cusco). The first stop? Peru’s capital, for better or worse.
The Logistics: Getting to Lima, Deciding Where to Stay
LATAM offered the only nonstop flight from JFK to LIM, a red-eye that left late on Thursday night and arrived early on Friday morning. Karen and Lauren opted to take that flight, but I chose a Delta flight leaving on Friday morning, with short layover in Atlanta (I wanted the extra night at home, I wanted to fly with Delta, and I didn’t want to take a red-eye). As such, I didn’t get into Lima until late on Friday night.
We didn’t plan on spending too much time in our Lima hotel, so we simply needed accommodations that were clean, modern, and conveniently located. We settled on the JW Marriott in Miraflores, one of the most affluent districts in Lima located on the coast. Our ocean view room was less than $200/night before taxes & fees, and my Marriott Titanium status scored us a room on a high floor, free breakfast, and access to the Club Lounge (complete with complementary wine in the afternoon).
In terms of transportation, Uber was cheap and easy. It wasn’t a problem to order a car from the airport, and we used the app to get around the city throughout our stay. Lauren and Karen did have a relatively crazy experience getting to the hotel (including a minor accident) during rush hour, so maybe try to avoid peak traffic hours, if possible.
Food Tour with Lima Gourmet Company
While Lauren and Karen had already experienced nearly a full day in Lima, I hadn’t gotten to the hotel until 1am, so I was excited to see the city on Saturday. We had booked a small group, five hour food tour through Lima Gourmet Company that started with a pick-up at our hotel at 9:30am. Our guide was a charming local guy with a great smile. We climbed into the van with our fellow travelers and headed to Barranco, known as the artsy, bohemian district in Lima.
First stop: Cafe Bisetti for local coffee and pastries.
Next, we walked around Barranco a bit. The neighborhood was quite charming, with a lot of cute buildings and colorful street art.
We crossed the Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs), making a wish and holding our breath as we crossed, as legend states that your wish will come true if you hold your breath during the entire walk. I no longer recall what I wished for, so can’t disprove that hypothesis.
Next up: the market, where we got to sample an abundance of Peruvian fruits. I had heard that Peru had some unique fruit to offer, and the market did not disappoint.
After some coffee, art and fruit, it was time to take things up a notch. Our next stop: a pisco sour and ceviche making “class.” The word “class” should be taken with a grain of salt since all of the ingredients had been pre-measured for us and set out in advance. We just needed to mix everything together without messing up.
I did learn a few things about Pisco. Technically a brandy, the liquor is distilled from wine and cannot be aged in wood, which makes it different from other brandies like cognac. The classic Pisco Sour recipe uses Pisco as its base (obviously), alongside lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters.
As if we hadn’t already eaten enough, our final stop for the day was lunch at the restaurant adjacent to the pre-Inca monument Huaca Pucllana (the restaurant shared the same name).
All in all, the food tour was a great introduction to Lima, especially given that I only had one full day in the city. We got to see a couple different neighborhoods, it kept us moving, and we were given plenty of delicious food and drink. We were also back at our hotel before 3pm, so we still had time to explore before our 7:30pm dinner reservation. Lauren opted to visit MATE, the Mario Testino museum, while Karen and I wandered around Miraflores, attempting to walk off all the ceviche and pisco. We eventually all reconvened at the JW Marriott to take advantage of the free wine before freshening up for dinner.
Dinner at Maido
As I mentioned earlier, Lima is known for its world-class food scene, so in addition to gorging on our food tour, we also had to eat at one of the famous fine dining restaurants. We opted to visit Maido, ranked #10 on the World’s Best List at the time of our trip, and well-known for its Nikkei cuisine (Peruvian-Japanese fusion).
The restaurant was located in Miraflores, a quick drive from our hotel. I had booked us seats at the bar since I usually find the bar to be more fun and engaging. Upon taking our seats at the lively and colorful venue, we reviewed our menu options. As much as I love tasting menus, we opted to order a la carte at Maido since Karen and I both have special dietary needs that don’t complement each other well. We were also still pretty full from the food tour and didn’t need a 10+ course menu to top off our indulgent day.
I don’t feel like I can offer a complete assessment of Maido given our limited experience. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed everything that we ordered and had no complaints about the service or hospitality. I’d love to return for the full tasting menu, wine pairings, desserts, you name it.
Spoiler alert: Lima was not the highlight of our trip to Peru. However, I was glad to see the capital city where the majority of Peruvians live. It was a quick, whirlwind of a trip, but I knew I’d be back for one last day.
Returning to Lima
Fast forward a week. I felt like a pro getting off my flight from Cusco, collecting my bags, and finding my Uber to the charming Atemporal boutique hotel. Also in Miraflores (but further inland than the JW Marriott), Atemporal was a lovely mansion-turned-luxe-B&B.
Dinner at Central
Since I only had two nights to dine in Lima, I needed to go with the most obvious options: Maido (#10 on the World’s Best list, as mentioned previously) and Central (#6). I know that lists like these are surrounded by a ton of political BS, so I try not to read too much into them, but they have been a good place to start when I’m looking for the top dining destinations in a city or region.
The big event for my last night in Lima (and Peru, for that matter) was dinner at Central, the restaurant that was currently rated #6 in the world and the best in Latin America, and whose chef, Virgilio MartÃnez, had been featured on an episode of Chef’s Table. High expectations, much? I was trying to go in with an open mind.
My Uber dropped me off in front of a modern building in the Barranco district. As a solo diner, I actually wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get a reservation at Central. American Express Platinum Concierge had helped me to book the table, and first reported that the restaurant required a minimum party of two people. I understand that businesses need to make money, but as someone who travels alone frequently, I find it so disheartening when I’m turned down for being solo. It’s already stressful and isolating enough to be on my own in a foreign place, and then I get rejected from a restaurant?
Anyway, I digress. Central agreed to take me, and they even set me up with a coveted table front and center overlooking the kitchen. On one hand, this was incredible. I had a front row view of the staff’s performance, which was especially appreciated when I had no fellow diners to talk with. On the other hand, I also felt like the rest of the dining room was staring at me as they also checked in on the scenes from the kitchen. I spent the entire three hour meal hyper vigilant about sitting up straight and ensuring that I didn’t spill any food or drink.
On to the main event already, shall we?
Unlike at Maido, at Central I opted for the full-on-give-me-everything-you’ve-got menu (plus drink pairings, of course). This was called “Alturas Mater,” which was effectively broken down into sixteen ecosystems in Peru, each represented by its own course sourcing only ingredients from the specific ecosystem. The Peruvian landscape is comprised of dramatic changes in altitude, which is where the “alturas” come in. Rather intellectual, right? After having seen just a glimpse of the diverse land that Peru had to offer, I appreciated the concept even more.
And there was much, much, much more. Overall, it was a memorable experience, and an excellent way to end my first visit to Peru.
Sorry to disappoint, but I did not end up going to the club with the staff of Central after dinner, so my Lima story ends here. Next up: São Paulo.
