Canta Rana is a seafood restaurant in Barranco, Lima.
Canta Rana at Calle Genova 101 in Barranco is a 35-year cevicheria-huarique in the Lima neighborhood, the Sunday lunch standard for limeños in the know.
Signature dishes: Ceviche con alcaparras, Parihuela, Arroz con conchitas
Must order: The ceviche with capers and avocado, plus a parihuela seafood soup for the table.
Tip: Cash only is safer; the Saturday lunch queue runs past the corner.
Address: Calle Genova 101, Barranco, Lima 15063
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.
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.
El Mercado at Av Hipolito Unanue 203 in Miraflores is Rafael Osterling's daytime seafood room, a terrace cevicheria with gyoza, taco and curry bridges too.
Signature: Ceviche, Tiradito, Pulpo grillado
Order: The ceviche of the day plus a tiradito; the gyoza fusion course is a sleeper.
Tip: Lunch only, no dinner; busy at 13:30 and quiet at 15:30 Walk-ins usually OK.
Wa Lok at Jr. Paruro 878 in Barrio Chino is among the oldest chifa restaurants in Lima's Chinatown, with 100-plus Cantonese dishes and Peking duck nightly.
Signature: Dim sum, Lomo saltado, Pato laqueado
Order: The dim sum sequence at breakfast or the Peking duck for dinner.
Tip: Go for Chinese breakfast (09:00-11:00) for the dim sum variety; lomo saltado at lunch.
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.
Madam Tusan at Av Santa Cruz 859 in Miraflores is Gaston Acurio's chifa house, a celebration of Chinese-Peruvian cuisine in a dramatic dragon dining room.
Signature: Lomo saltado, Arroz chaufa, Dim sum
Order: The lomo saltado is the canonical version; add a chaufa and a wantan frito.
Tip: Open till midnight every night, useful for late dinner; reservations recommended on weekends.
El Bolivariano in Pueblo Libre Lima is the criolla institution housed in a republican casona, tracing tradition to the 1780s with the canonical carta.
Signature: Aji de gallina, Lomo saltado, Anticucho
Order: The aji de gallina and the lomo saltado; finish with a suspiro limena.
Tip: Open from 07:30 for breakfast, useful for tamales and pan con chicharron.