Where to eat in Miraflores for the right price
Lima is becoming increasingly popular on its culinary highlights. Thousands of different bakeries, eateries and restaurants accommodate for a full and varying tasting experience for all type of backpackers and budgets. Besides that, you can try our cheap and great hostel kitchen where we serve typical Peruvian delights, popular international dishes and organize the occasional barbeque!
This article gives you a peek into where to eat out in Lima, paying the right price for food, and some practical pointers when tasting Lima's highlights. To make it a bit easier, we divided the options in 3 categories:
- backpacker style - cheap and quick;
- decent meals for a bargain and;
- eating out in style.
Where to eat like a backpacker: quick and cheap
Miraflores is a booming backpacker hot-spot covered by many cheap eateries. An eatery generally offers a handy “menu” (appetizer, meal and drink), or you can order a separate dish with a cheap drink while sitting at a bar or on a simple table with some chairs.
These economical menus come in all varieties (read more in Lima’s cuisine) and you usually don’t have to grab more then US$ 3 or US$ 4 out of your pocket to satisfy a growling stomach. And to make it really cheap, you generally don't have to worry about tipping in an eatery.
Grabbing a bite in an eatery relies on your own best judgement when it comes down to cleanliness and hygienic standards. When passing an eatery, remember to select one that has a fresh and clean look, maybe even peek at already eating customers to get the best judgement of whether the eatery meets up to the standards you are looking for.
Read more: Eat safe in Lima with our practical food-tips
And don't forget to check out our great Peruvian cuisine in our Pariwana hostel Lima, with great local dishes for backpacker prices!
In the end, the handiest indication for good food with the right price, check out where the local Peruvians eat their cheap and quick meals in Miraflores and join in!
Here are some cheap eateries around our hostel in Miraflores:
- A chifa Or if you want to go Oriental style, try one of the many chifa’s on walking distance from our hostel. A chifa basically serves a Chinese-Peruvian food mixture where you can get great Chinese dishes with local ingredients.
Decent meals for a good bargain
If you have an extra buck to spare, or you want to have some more choices than in the eateries, check out the options available in the “middle range”. A mid-range restaurant is a typically a bit more fancy than an eatery, coming with higher levels of service, presentation, cleanliness and variety in foods.
Read more: Lima’s cuisine and its international influences
With some nice music on the background you don't have anything to complain if it comes to ambiance, feel and quality. For eating out in this type of restaurant, you can except to pay anywhere between the US$ 5 and US$ 15, mostly depending on the popularity of the exact location within Miraflores. Tipping is a more common and relied upon by the personnel in the mid-range restaurants. In some cases the tip will already be included in the bill.
Here are some of the mainstream restaurants around in Miraflores:
- Punto Azul Excellent local restaurant to enjoy fresh seafood dishes. We recommend going with a companion because the portions could be massive. A few blocks from our Pariwana hostel.
- Tradición Chami This restaurant serves all type of traditional Peruvian home food (mostly Creole, but also seafood). It’s located only a couple blocks away from the hostel.
- Canta Rana Owned by an Argentinean ex-football (soccer) player, the place is decorated with all the owners’ treasures from when he was a player. The food definitely matches his football skills in his younger years and it also serves as a great introduction into the Argentinian kitchen. The restaurant can be found just a few minutes out of Miraflores, in Barranco.
Eating out in style
Miraflores is one of Lima’s trendsetters if it comes down to displaying Peruvian culture and cuisine in all its glory. These stylish restaurants cater for the backpackers that really wants to dive into the wealth of Peru's culinary experiences. Enjoying the highest service on prime locations in Lima and compared to back home, you get 100% more than what you are used to for the same price!
The food in these places accommodates well for the western lifestyle, where Peruvian and international dishes are presented with class. Most restaurants are set on prime locations along the beautiful coastline or the main squares and hotspots in Miraflores.
For eating in one of these establishments, you do receive really the finest culinary delights that Lima can offer. With this also comes the slightly higher price tag, with prices generally starting around US$ 20, going up to some US$ 50 in Lima’s prime spots. But if you do have the money to spare, take this opportunity to enjoy the highlights from Peru’s cuisine!
Here are some recommendations of our classy restaurants in Miraflores:
- La Tratoria di Mambrino One of the best Italian-Peruvian restaurants in the city, owned by a famous couple; an Italian and a Peruvian chef. Perfect to impress someone. Just around the corner of the hostel.
- Astrid y Gaston Owned by famous chef Gaston Acurio, the top world chef if it comes down to fusion food. A perfect mix of Peruvian roots with a high international appeal.
Now you know where to eat, but still wondering what to eat? Read our post on Lima's great kitchen, or get some handy practical tips what to be careful for when eating out.