Aji de gallina is shredded poached chicken in a cream sauce of yellow aji amarillo, walnuts, queso fresco and bread soaked in milk, served over white rice with potato and olive.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
A Spanish-colonial criolla dish descended from manjar blanco, the medieval Spanish almond-thickened poultry. Walnut and queso fresco replaced the almonds in viceregal Lima kitchens; aji amarillo gave the sauce its yellow colour and gentle heat. Now the canonical Sunday lunch criolla dish across Lima homes. El Bolivariano in Pueblo Libre, Isolina in Barranco and Astrid y Gaston all keep defensible versions on the menu year-round.
Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten, Tree nuts
Tip from the editors. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon; if thin, simmer longer; if thick, thin with chicken stock.
El Bolivariano on Pasaje Santa Rosa in Pueblo Libre Lima is a criolla institution in a republican casona, far quieter than the Miraflores tourist axis.
Why locals goA republican casona in mid-city Pueblo Libre, off the Miraflores-Barranco tourist axis, with criolla tradition dating to the 1780s.
TipOpen from 07:30 for breakfast tamales; Sunday lunch is the family-table service.
Isolina at Av San Martin 101 in Barranco is Jose del Castillo's 2015 criolla taberna, a tribute to his mother Isolina Vargas and her Lima home cooking.
OrderThe tacu tacu with steak and a portion of the carretillero ceviche.
TipWeekend brunch service runs 09:00-11:00 before the regular lunch carta.
Astrid y Gaston at Casa Moreyra in San Isidro is the 1994 flagship of Gaston Acurio and Astrid Gutsche, in a 17th-century San Isidro hacienda from 2014.
OrderThe tasting menu, anchored by the cuy pekines, Peking-style guinea pig.
Book4 weeks ahead
TipClosed Mondays; the patio of the hacienda is the seat to request when booking.
Cosme at Calle Tudela y Varela 162 in San Isidro is chef James Berckemeyer's comfort-Peruvian room, opened 2015 after training under Gaston Acurio.
OrderThe chef's tasting plates, anchored by the modern aji de gallina and the beef tartare.
Book1 week ahead
TipSunday lunch is the easier reservation; closed for dinner Sunday.
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