Lima’s Legendary Central Reinforces Why Fine Dining Is Alive and Thriving

My son is dapper in a blue suit he picked out for this occasion. He is an 8-year-old play-obsessed child who seven days a week wears track pants and Dri-FIT shirts, knocking a ball ’round with foot or stick. Despite his predilection toward activity, he is neither uncomfortable nor apprehensive in his fancy digs. Or about the idea of sitting for hours at a table in a dim-lit quiet place void of children but him. Instead, Gabriel is totally embracing of the moment, having fine-dined through Peru for a week. The knowledge gained along the way makes him very aware he’s about to stride smartly into the current pinnacle of gastronomical greatness: Central.

Virgilio Martinez and his wife, Pia León, are among the most influential culinary leaders on earth. The two chefs have attracted top aspiring talents from around the globe to work in their kitchens, most notably at Central and León’s Kjolle, which share the same artistic mansion in Lima’s historic Barranco neighbourhood.

Central is the flagship of their operations. The 2023 World’s Best Restaurant and focus of a notable “Chef’s Table” episode is the inspiration for many chef-driven restaurants in Lima and beyond. I am here for a second time. The first, six years earlier, was to celebrate Gabriel’s birthday. He turned two in a glimmering white suit with a pocket full of crayons, colouring manically during the three-hour meal with his parents. This time, it’s just me and him, on a father-son evening I will cherish for however long my lungs can host oxygen.

My son, in his best clothes and shimmering black dress shoes that dangle off the ground beneath his feet, sits across from me in the centre of the room where the closest tables are several feet apart. And he talks. As course upon course arrives, he speaks, without his usual shyness or hesitation, pausing politely for the server and then the sommelier to do their work, and returns to explaining about: the machinations in his classroom; the drama on the playground where he, as protagonist, is constantly defending justice against the primary antagonist who, he testifies, is mischievous by habit but perhaps not a cheater, though there is debate; and about questions to which he hasn’t deciphered the answer. They concern nations and why they exist, the Amazon and the importance of it he has heard so much about in Peru but which remains mystifying and abstract, the school days he is missing and whether teachers are more or less important than what he learns while travelling, and the food and wine in front of me, and whether it’s good. As good as what I’ve tasted on our many other meals along the way. As good as what I’ve sampled in Spain or France or Bangkok, or in all of the restaurants we have encountered together back home.

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That one is easy to answer. The food and drink on our night together are superb in every way, as you would want and expect from a restaurant of Central’s stature. It is what’s not on the plate that impresses me, though. I tell Gabriel I am happy there is no Wagyu, no sturgeon caviar, no elaborate take on fried chicken. Those ingredients are among the most trendy in the zeitgeist of fine dining, and they can come across as derivative more often than not. Pricey items for the sake of extravagance, but lacking soul or meaning or connection to chef or place. They’re for rich people who want to be around extravagance and ornate places that exude it.

Central is deep with refinement and sophistication. It feels of a place. Not simply in a place.

What sets it apart, I determine, is Martinez’s confidence, which pushes Central deeper and deeper into its journey for cultural meaning; thereby, making the restaurant worthy of every laurel it receives. The famous latitude menu showcases the range of Peru’s bounty: From sub-sea level ingredients of the Pacific coast, like sea weed and octopus and decadent crab, to Andean mountain flowers and potatoes, and the Amazonian fish and fruit that seem determined to linger in my imagination.

 

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It’s magic, I tell my son. My sight is on him while the food tingles my other senses. Scintillating aromas, exotic flavours, textures that veer from airy to flesh soft.

Now, to be clear, Gabriel is no connoisseur. He is used to the environment of fine dining, but doesn’t partake in the activity. Roast chicken or fish, patatas fritas, and bread and butter are enough to keep him satiated for hours on end — patient minutes as he awaits ice cream or some chocolate delight to tickle his senses before bedtime. He has gotten used to tasty mocktails, seeing fruit manipulated into novel creations, and colour-popping dishes that dominate the lens of his father’s camera. While he doesn’t yet get why food at places like Central attract people from continents and hemispheres away, he knows a reason exists. He is on this trip because of those reasons.

What he understands in such settings is community. He’s not intimidated by fine dining. Gabriel will walk into any top-rated room in any country and feel at ease. More at ease than he would at a noisy sports pub or food court. Chefs, servers, hosts, and guests mingle in an atmosphere that comes across as part of a show. He knows it’s special, worth remembering. Worth getting dressed up for. Rewarding enough to that effort to keep the practice of it alive, even if some life-long chefs question whether it’s worth doing still.

Fine dining can’t die. Not when it gives occasion for a child to see beyond his usual to observe adults striving for perfection. At Central, with its orchestration of flavours, precision of service, charms of personality made without effort, and atmosphere that, despite its quietude, makes a child comfortable enough to elucidate, perfection is often achieved.

 

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When the World’s 50 Best descends on Lima at the start of November to announce its 2027 winners, the global food scene’s tastemakers will shine an unrelenting spotlight on what is inarguably the leading gastronomic capital in the Western Hemisphere. Central and Kjolle are at the forefront of the current list of shining stars and their influence and partnerships are seemingly everywhere among the notable places in the Peru metropolis and beyond. Their MIL Centro restaurant near Cusco and in the heart of the Sacred Valley uses the draw of a one-of-a-kind fine-dining experience in the Andes to help support the local Indigenous community, providing hospitality jobs and revenue from tourism. It’s a project that extends the couple’s love of their country in an altruistic direction.

“We believed gastronomy could contribute something beyond the traditional expectations of tourism, especially through the lens of a more reflective kind of fine dining, one that seeks projects with deeper motivations rather than simply promoting destinations or experiences. What we wanted was to help create a different kind of system, a shift in paradigm — one where gastronomy works alongside local communities in unexpected places, creating something that could perhaps serve as an example for the world,” Martinez and León said in an interview conducted by email. “We are still in a moment of discovery in Peru. We continue to encounter territories, knowledge, and ways of understanding this country that were completely unknown to us and that feel deeply worthy of our time, energy, and investment. That’s why so much of our focus remains here.”

That focus continues to garner the attention of connoisseurs, chefs, and the culinary industry. Not only has the couple brought the adoring spotlight to their projects, they’ve spread that attention to other restaurants, including these ones that I dined at during my visit this spring.

More of Lima’s Best Restaurants

MAYTA: Chef Jaime Pesaque dives deep into the Amazon with a menu that is full of one wildly imaginative dish after another. In the stylish Miraflores district, Mayta is a marvel of ingenuity and dedication to the jungle ingredients.

Pesaque takes multiple trips each year into the Amazon and returns every time with items and learnings that work their way onto his plates. He has recently launched a test kitchen across the street from Mayta, where his team perfects creations before introducing them to patrons. Among the discoveries for him is the way that fish will change flavour based on the tide of the Amazon. In the months with low tide, the flesh may be more muscular and more amenable to searing because it is closer to the bottom of the river floor; whereas in high tide, the flesh is softer, more supple, better for sashimi or non-traditional ceviche. An impressive cocktail and wine program adds to the wondrous experience.

MERITO: Juan Luis Martinez, a former executive chef at Central, serves impeccable cuisine in his exceptional restaurant in Barranco. With a focus on fish and seafood that are sublime in flavour. The tasting experience begins with what Martinez now describes as a “tostada ceviche”. Made with yacon, whitefish, and kiwicha, he originally listed it with just those ingredients as the menu name. “I changed the name to Tostada Ceviche and they started flying out like fried chicken,” he says with a grin.

Trout and huacatay, with foam and intriguing texture, and a goat cheese ice cream are among the other highlight items on the menu.

DEMO: Juan Luis Martinez’s breakfast spot features the same level of craftsmanship and exceptional flavours as Mérito. Just a block from Mérito, Demo is a gem full of delicious pastries, eggs, and breads. Born in Venezuela, Martinez celebrates both his heritage and Peru’s culinary merits at both of his establishments.

CICLOS CAFE: Coffee connoisseurs will be hard pressed to find a more immersive or satisfying experience than what Felipe Alegria Ramirez offers. Ciclos, in the heart of Barranco, has the soul of an artist. Ramirez is determined to serve the best coffee he can. His sourcing is impeccable, the flavours of the roast are masterful, and the experience is enriching.

Paired with a seminar on chocolate making, the coffee tour is a look into Ramirez’s thinking and his commitment to his craft. He approaches coffee with a sommelier’s perspective, learning about terroir and farmers’ practices as he decides what products to stock in Ciclos. Go here every morning and your day could hardly have a better start.

LA PERLITA: La Perlita is a classic bistro with an introduction into Lima’s seafood-focused fare. More casual than the fine-dining restaurants in the city, La Perlita gives visitors a chance to try a la carte dishes that are representative of Lima’s food scene, including tiraditos, ceviches, and brothy fish plates.

LA MAR: The legendary spot from acclaimed chef Gaston Acurio is located in Miraflores in a bustling, entertaining space that resembles a lively cantina. The fresh fish are on display at the counter and servers hurry about the expansive room carrying dish after eye-catching dish.

Most frequent among them are the ceviches. Acurio made Peruvian ceviche a thing around the world and La Mar is the flagship restaurant where it first gained notoriety. The dish includes raw fish cooked in citrus, most often lime, and served with corn nuts, fried yam, and leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), a mixture of leeks, lime, and salt. It’s historically a peasant’s or fisherman’s lunch. La Mar has kept it true to its roots but elevates it with the freshest halibut from the Pacific coast. La Mar is a must-try in Lima for an understanding of the origins of Peru’s food scene and for the unforgettable flavour of the ceviche.

ASTRID Y GASTON and MAIDO: I haven’t tried these two restaurants with worldwide fame. Maido topped the 2025 ranking of the World’s 50 Best (once restaurants like Maido and Central reach the top of that list they are no longer eligible to win again; instead, graduating into a “Best of the Best” category). Astrid y Gaston is Acurio’s fine-dining restaurant that reputedly showcases the heights of his cooking techniques and is a partnership with his pastry chef wife, Astrid Gutsche.

More About Visiting Lima

Getting There: Air Canada and LATAM Airlines offer direct flights from Toronto and Montreal to Lima.

Where to Stay: Casa Republica is a glorious four-star hotel in the heart of Barranco and features a rooftop patio that’s perfect for drinks before or after dinner. The historic property—a former mansion—dates to the 1920s and is rich with modern and classic art, an inviting second-floor library, and rooms that are large, comfortable, and stately. It’s a short walk to the Malecon, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, and to the notable attractions in Barranco, including the restaurants featured in this article. Art galleries, museums, music venues, and locally owned boutiques are also a vital part of the neighbourhood that can be experienced safely during your stay.

Note: Vacay.ca occasionally features content from outside of Canada that our editors believe will be of interest to readers. In this article, Managing Editor Adrian Brijbassi visits Lima on a culinary tour. The featured restaurants provided transportation, hospitality and dining, with support from tourism partners. No organization reviewed the article before it was published.