Lomo saltado is the canonical chifa dish: beef strips stir-fried in a wok with red onion, tomato, aji amarillo and soy sauce, served with French fries and white rice.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Lomo saltado emerged from the 1849-1874 Chinese contract-labour wave that settled around Calle Capon in Lima's Barrio Chino. Cantonese wok technique met Peruvian aji and the Spanish-introduced beef and tomato; the French fries arrived in the 20th century. Now the most-ordered Peruvian dish nationwide.
Common allergens: Gluten, Soy
Tip from the editors. The wok must be smoking hot; cool wok turns it into stew. Sear in batches if your pan is small.
Madam Tusan at Av Santa Cruz 859 in Miraflores Lima runs till midnight every night, Gaston Acurio's chifa for late dinner with the canonical lomo saltado.
Try: Lomo saltado, arroz chaufa, wantan frito
Order: Lomo saltado and a chaufa, ideally past 22:00 when the room is quieter.
Tip: Open every night till midnight; bar service runs to closing.
Wa Lok at Jr. Paruro 878 in Barrio Chino is among the oldest chifa restaurants in Lima's Chinatown, Cantonese 100-dish menu and Peking duck nightly.
Why locals love it: The oldest chifa house in Lima's Barrio Chino on Calle Capon, Cantonese dim sum breakfast and Peking duck dinner away from the Miraflores axis.
Tip: Dim sum breakfast 09:00-11:00 has the variety; Peking duck dinner is the headline.
Salon Capon at Jr. Paruro 819 in Barrio Chino is a Cantonese-Peruvian institution on Calle Capon in Lima, a multi-level chifa with a vast classic menu.
Signature: Dim sum, Arroz chaufa, Wantan frito
Order: A dim sum tower plus arroz chaufa and the wantan frito, the chifa trinity.
Tip: Lunch service is calmer than dinner; cash is safer than card on weekends.
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 love it: A republican casona in mid-city Pueblo Libre, off the Miraflores-Barranco tourist axis, with criolla tradition dating to the 1780s.
Tip: Open 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.
Signature: Cau cau, Tacu tacu con lomo, Ceviche carretillero
Order: The tacu tacu with steak and a portion of the carretillero ceviche.
Tip: Weekend brunch service runs 09:00-11:00 before the regular lunch carta.
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