Affordable Lima Food Guide (Updated prices 2022)

Around half of the year, the sky over Lima is covered in a thick layer of clouds. But the bustling metropolis makes up for it with some of the most colourful and delicious food - a culinary hotspot for every food lover.

Lima is especially known for its numerous Michelin star restaurants, but the city’s cuisine offers delicious food beyond the gourmet spectrum. From traditional Ceviche and Pan con Chicharrón to incredible sushi and Nikkei cuisine, the food in Lima is just spectacular. 

Most guides we found online focus a lot on the delicious, yet higher priced restaurants. We put together a guide with low budget to medium priced restaurants and if you want to go really budget-friendly, just look out for local places with a daily menu. You will find them all over the city, and even all over the country. 

Miraflores

---

Al Toke Pez (Surquillo)

£

If there was one restaurant you should try while in Lima, then it is this one. Technically Al Toke Pez is located in Surquillo, but it is quite close to Miraflores and a shame if you don’t check it out. Chef Tomas puts all his love into the small variety of dishes Al Toke Pez serves. They offer less than ten dishes and you definitely should have the ceviche. It is the best one we had in the whole of Peru. Very simple and honest, but yet incredibly tasty. If you want to try more, try the combinado. This is a smaller portion of ceviche, seafood rice and their version of calamari. The combinado also comes with a small bottle of chicha, a Peruvian drink made of purple corn, and can be shared between two people. The portion is gigantic! 

Each dish is around 25 PEN (~£5.50), even the combinado. So if you share, it is going to be £2.75 per person.

Av. Angamos 886, Surquillo 15047, Peru

K.O. Asian Kitchen

££

This is definitely our favourite sushi place in Lima. It is not that cheap, but you definitely get the bang for your buck. Our favourites are the Lime Salmon and the Crispy Passion - and even if you don’t get the Crispy Passion, always ask for a side of the passion fruit sauce. It goes with literally any sushi and is mind-blowing good.

They do not only have good sushi, but also their poke bowls are tasty, as well as their starters, although starters are quite pricey for the size. Still very delicious. 

10 pieces of sushi are around 30 - 32 PEN (~£6.60 - £7) and we found 30 pieces between two people quite enough. 

Larcomar - Local 207, Mal. de la Reserva 610, Miraflores 15074, Peru

Mercado 28

££

Looking to sample lots of different cuisines? From crunchy pizza, fresh seafood, juicy meat and burgers to authentic dishes from the Amazon, at Mercado 28 you can try all kinds of food. 

We can recommend Street Burger. The burgers are some of the best we had. Also, the pizza place has really good focaccia (we didn’t try the pizza yet, but it looked promising), the seafood place offers delicious crab and salmon burgers with incredible chips and the meat place is a bit pricey, but also super delicious. 

Best go with some more people and try to sample as much as you can. 

A main dish at any of these places, except for the meat place, is between 30 - 35 PEN (~£6.60 - £7.70). At the meat place it is more around 40 - 45 PEN (~£8.80 - £9.90).

Av. Vasco Núñez de Balboa 755, Miraflores 15074, Peru

L'autentica Pizza

££

Good pizza is quite hard to find in South America, especially Napolean style pizza, which is our favourite. The pizza at L’autentica is real Napolean pizza and really tasty. The pizzas are not that cheap, but the place is also located in the heart of Miraflores. We only tried their pizza, but they also offer Parmigiana or Bruschetta as starters, which looked very good.

Prices for pizzas start from 35 PEN (~£7.70) and can go up to 60 PEN (~£13), but the toppings are quite special like pistachio creme and burrata. 

C. San Martin 516, Miraflores 15074, Peru

La Plazita

££-£££

If you are looking for a more upscale restaurant with meat and veggie options, we can recommend La Plazita. It is very popular with Lima’s younger crowd and serves a nice mix of Mediterranean style dishes. The steak and Quinoa salad we had were super tasty, as was the Pisco sour. Portions are not too big though, so you might need a starter or a dessert as well.

Prices are a bit on the upper end. You pay around 40 PEN for a main (~£8.80) and 25 PEN (~£5.50) for the Pisco sour.

San Fernando 380, Miraflores 15074, Peru

La Lucha Sangucheria

£

You can find this chain in various locations in Lima, but the most known is probably the one right next to Parque Kennedy. Obviously we recommend their staple Pan con Chicharrón and never skip some chips on the side - Peruvian potatoes just hit differently. Oh, and there is also one at the airport. So, make sure to make that your last stop before leaving Lima. 

A combination of Pan con Chicarrón, chips and a side of chicha are around 19 PEN (~£4.15).

Diagonal 308, Miraflores 15074, Peru

Beso Frances Crepes

££

Craving a sweet treat? The crepes of Beso Frances can be found in many locations, but we like to get one at the Larcomar mall with a view of the pacific ocean. The crepes are not super cheap, but really delicious and quite big. If you just had dinner, sharing one is definitely enough. We are very basic and like nutella and strawberry, but they have many variations and even savoury ones. 

Crepes average around 15 PEN (~£3.30).

Larcomar Miraflores, Mal. de la Reserva 610, Miraflores 15074, Peru

Barranco

---

Juanito de Barranco

£

This sandwich bar is full of character and heritage. It has been founded and led by the Casusol family since 1937. Their sandwiches are incredibly delicious and their Pisco sour is one of the best and strongest you can find in Lima. On top it is amazing value for money, definitely worth a visit for a snack and a drink in the afternoon!

Prices for sandwiches are around 12 PEN (~£2.60) and the Pisco sour is 16 PEN (~£3.50).

Av. Almte. Miguel Grau 270, Barranco 15063, Peru

Pan Sal Aire

££

We recommend this super delicious place especially for their bread and sandwiches, but also the pizzas looked really good. The bread they make and use for their sandwiches is probably the best bread we have had in Peru so far. It is light and fluffy on the inside and has a nice crust outside. We can recommend the sandwich mixto, a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. 

Sandwiches are a bit on the pricier side with 18 - 20 PEN (~£4 - £4.40), but definitely worth it.

Av. Almte. Miguel Grau 320, , Lima, Barranco 15063, Peru

Chorillos

---

Estación Vista Mar Luis Casas

£

If you want good fish and also good ceviche, you will have to leave Miraflores and make your way south to Chorillos. It is a true fisherman's neighbourhood and feels like you are more in a little village than in a big city like Lima. A bit up the main street with a view of the ocean is Estación Vista Mar, a true cevicheria. The colourful little restaurant has lots of character and some really good ceviche. You can have a look into the kitchen and see how ceviche is made. Next to the ceviche, we can also recommend the tiraditos, which is a different way of preparing ceviche - mainly without onions and cut sashimi style instead of cubes. 

A portion of ceviche is around 25 PEN (~£5.50).

P.º Soldado Desconocido, Cercado de Lima 15064, Peru

Centro Histórico

---

El Chinito

£

When you are around Plaza de Armas, the main square of Lima in the historic centre, then you have to visit El Chinito. Like La Lucha, El Chinito is famous for its sandwiches and also like at La Lucha, you have to try the Pan con Chicharrón. The sandwich is really big and comes with quite a lot of meat, there are no chips on the side here though. Make sure to come outside of lunch or dinner times, otherwise the chances are quite high that you have to queue. 

A sandwich is around 19 PEN (~£4.15) without a drink, but the portion is very filling. 

Jirón Carabaya 303, Cercado de Lima 15001, Peru

La Victoria

---

Caldo Cesar

£

A bit off the tourist path, in La Victoria, is this traditional restaurant. As it is in the name, Caldo Cesar is known for its caldos, which is soup. The chicken soup is incredibly tasty and comes as quite a big portion. We ordered two half portions and even that was too much for us. We recommend ordering one normal portion and then share, as this is way more economic. 

A classic chicken soup is around 30 PEN (~£6.60) and the half portion 25 PEN (~£5.50).

Jirón Sebastián Barranca 1852, Cercado de Lima 15018, Peru