A 6 Day Culinary Adventure in Lima!
- Melanie Nordick
- Sep 15, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 26, 2022
In 2010 Rod and I toured Peru for 16 days it was an amazing trip (check out the album), we spent 2 days in Lima and one of the nights we treated ourselves to dinner at Astrid y Gaston, which at that time was one of the top 10 restaurants in the world. That was the best meal I had ever had in my life! Since then I would always say to people I would fly to Lima just to go there for dinner.
A Perfect 50th Birthday Gift
Fast forward to 2020, I turned 50 that year. It is a year everyone will remember and want to forget as we were in the height of COVID. My husband tried to make my 50th birthday special but was very limited due to the restrictions and uncertainty at that time. In 2022 Rod surprised me with a belated 50th birthday gift that was not only super thoughtful but allowed me to follow through on what I had been telling people for years! He booked a week-long gastronomic adventure in Lima! Not only were we going back to Astrid y Gaston for their tasting meal but we had reservations at two of the World's Top 50 Restaurants — Mayta and Maido. Along with this he lined up a gourmet food tour and a number other fun activities for the week to wear off all the calories we would be consuming.
Lima Is A Must Visit For Anyone Who Loves Food
There is astoundingly great food to be had everywhere, from the inexpensive to the top restaurants in the world. Lima is currently home to 3 of the world’s 50 Best. Lima is a food experience that is hard to equal anywhere. Be advised though, If you are looking to experience the top restaurants, these special food experiences do need to be booked well ahead of arriving in the city.
How did Lima became one of the best culinary destinations on Earth? Watch this CNN Travel video.
Astrid y Gaston Eleven Years Later
Astrid y Gaston was nostalgic as this is the very reason why we came back. They pioneered world class gastronomy in Lima and are the very reason Lima has grown into one of, if not the best food cities in the world. Since we were there in 2010 they have moved to a beautiful mansion in the area of San Isidro. We had the tasting meal, 17 moments, with wine pairings. The atmosphere, service and food was impeccable. The only negative would be that the timing that evening was a little off, taking five hours rather than the typical three and a half.
La Mar - Outstanding Cebiche and Seafood
On another day for lunch we went to La Mar, Astrid y Gaston’s cebicheria, no reservations, first come first serve. This is an absolutely wonderful spot for lunch and the seafood focused menu is sublime.
Museo Larco - A must visit museum with an extraordinary Restaurant
After touring the Museo Larco, a fascinating museum covering 5000 years of ancient Peruvian history, we had a light dinner at their fabulous restaurant set in the stunning court yard of the Viceroyalty mansion which houses the museum.
Mayta - Gorgeous and Delicious Peruvian cuisine
Mayta, also in San Isidro, is a beautiful restaurant. You must try one of their contemporary innovative cocktails. A tasting menu is available but this evening we chose to order appetizers and entrees from the menu with a bottle of wine. Considering this restaurant is also one of the World’s Top 50 the pricing was quite reasonable and the food exceptional. Another highly recommended dining experience.
Maido - Absolutely Incredible!
"Peru and Japan unite to create an explosion of fantastic flavour." - The World's 50 Best Restaurants - #11 (2022)
Now for Maido, this is my new reason for wanting to fly back to Lima to eat. We sat at the sushi bar and had the Nikki experience with wine pairings. Every single course was incredible — and indeed an explosion of fantastic flavour in every bite! The thought and effort that went into each course was second to none and the presentation simply amazing. The wine pairings were truly some of the best matched we have ever had as well. Not only was the food impeccable but so was the service. An absolutely exceptional evening. If I am traveling anywhere in South America I will look for at least a day layover in Lima so I can go back to Maido.
These are just a few of the highlights
These are just a few highlights from some of the restaurants we experienced during this adventure. For all food pictures with descriptions visit our Lima Peru Album at 4FeetBigWorld.com.
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