Canta Rana is a seafood restaurant in Barranco, Lima.
Canta Rana at Calle Genova 101 in Barranco is a 35-year Lima cevicheria-huarique, the Sunday lunch standard for limenos who skip the destination cevicherias.
Why locals love it: 35-plus-year cevicheria-huarique embedded in the Barranco neighborhood, the Sunday lunch standard for limenos who skip the destination cevicherias.
Tip: Cash only is safer; Saturday lunch queue runs past the corner by 13:00.
Address: Calle Genova 101, Barranco, Lima 15063
Anticuchos Betty Barranco at Calle Pazos 99A is the late-night Lima anticucho cart, smoke-billowing coal grill in a residential Barranco pocket past midnight.
Why locals love it: Smoke-billowing anticucho coal cart at Calle Pazos in Barranco, late-night service in a residential pocket past midnight every day of the week.
Tip: Cash only; queue past 22:00 every night; the line stretches to the corner Friday-Saturday.
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.
Antigua Taberna Queirolo at Av San Martin 1090 in Pueblo Libre is the 1880 Santiago Queirolo cantina, one of Lima's oldest still-running bars.
Why locals love it: Lima's 1880 pisco-bodega cantina in Pueblo Libre, off the destination dining axis, marble bar with criolla snacks and the family Queirolo's own piscos.
Tip: Cash safer than card; the connected Queirolo wine and pisco shop sells direct from the bodega.
Sankuay (Chez Wong) at Calle Enrique Leon Garcia 114 in La Victoria is chef Javier Wong's reservation-only ten-table room, Lima's ceviche cult lunch.
Why locals love it: Chef Javier Wong's ten-table dining room in La Victoria, no sign on the door, reservation-only by phone or email and the fish bought daily for that lunch.
Tip: Reservation only by phone (+51 1 470 6217) or email (chezwong7 at hotmail.com); fixed seatings 13:00 lunch service only.
Anticuchos Betty Barranco at Calle Pazos 99A is the late-night Lima anticucho cart, smoke-billowing coal grill in a residential Barranco pocket past midnight.
Why locals love it: Smoke-billowing anticucho coal cart at Calle Pazos in Barranco, late-night service in a residential pocket past midnight every day of the week.
Tip: Cash only; queue past 22:00 every night; the line stretches to the corner Friday-Saturday.
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.