Trends and tropes in the U.K’s dining scene come in tremors. As the last decade wore on, foraging, minimalism and plates of delicate precision seemed to give way to big, barbecued, bloke food and beer in the blink of an eye.
In recent years, a more ingredients-forward, Basque style of cooking whole fish and cheesecake over coals has permeated just about every restaurant menu with its finger on the pulse, and, right now, sardines and sea moss are both enjoying some time under the heat lamps.
Although a relatively recent addition to the capital’s culinary landscape, London’s love affair with Peruvian food doesn’t look like it’ll be letting up any time soon. Light, vibrant plates of colour and zip, the use of ingredients sometimes unfamiliar on these shores, and a cooking style which feels both health-conscious and generous… It all seems to be chiming succinctly with the current foodie zeitgeist.
With Lima – arguably the best Peruvian joint in town – having recently celebrated its 10th year in the capital, we thought now was the perfect time to revisit our favourite Peruvian joints in the capital. So, here are 6 of the best places to enjoy Peruvian food in London.
Chakana, Hackney
Ideal for a succinct expression of Peruvian soul and spirit in the middle of Hackney…
Chakana is the most recently opened restaurant on our roundup of London’s best places for Peruvian food. In our mind, it’s also the best.
The work of acclaimed chef Robert Ortiz, who won Lima London its Michelin star more than a decade ago, it’s a space that chimes perfectly with the buzz of the Broadway Market just on its doorstep, a dynamism of place that’s reflected in a procession of vivid, almost psychedelic dishes on the plate.
Whether you’re here for a pisco sours and some deep-fried snacks, a bowl or two of the signature ceviche or a full tasting menu experience, there’s a feel of inclusivity in the air, with shoppers and shopkeepers, diners and the curious all dropping in. Yep, the door remains firmly open at Chakana.
Those settling in for a meal proper are in for a treat; the food here is a succinct expression of the diversity of Peruvian agriculture, climate and culinary culture, with both subtlety and proper knockout flavour in abundance.
We’ve written our full review of Chakana London here. Do check it out.
Address: 41 Broadway Market, London E8 4PH
Website: chakana-restaurant.co.uk
Lima, Fitzrovia
Ideal for modern Peruvian food treated with flair and a flourish…
Lima Fitzrovia, fresh from a refurb and a menu revamp, is a different proposition to its previous, Michelin-star holding incarnation.
To celebrate the restaurant’s 10th birthday, last year the pioneering Peruvian restaurant underwent something of a transformation to welcome its next decade, ushering in an arguably more contemporary take on Peruvian culinary culture and the country’s forward-thinking, fast-moving capital Lima.
The menu here is the work of newly-appointed culinary director Roberto Sihuay, who aims to reflect the diverse cultural influences of the Peruvian kitchen in dishes that celebrate the harmonious marriage between elements of Japanese (Nikkei) and Chinese (Chifa) cuisine, and Peru’s indigenous ingredients and traditional cooking methods.
The results are fantastic, with a lightness of touch, zest and energy to the procession of smaller dishes making way for the generosity of the mains effortlessly.
We found plenty to like in tuna Nikkei tartare, given textural intrigue via shisho tempura. Better still was the grilled secreto Iberico, a hidden cut of the famed pig breed found nestled either side of the neck. Here, it comes resting over purple potatoes, a traditionally rather dry tuber that responds givingly here under the weight of the pork’s resting juices. A soy caviar – essentially some top quality soy sauce given the ol’ spherification treatment – highlights both that contemporary and cross-cultural touch the revamped menu promises.
Lima certainly delivers on that promise, and we can’t wait to see where the next ten years takes them.
Address: 31 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1JH, UK
Website: www.limalondon.com
Floral By Lima, Covent Garden
Ideal for bottomless pisco sours and plates of verve and vibrancy…
The younger sibling of the above, Lima Floral certainly shouldn’t be dismissed as simply a spin-off.
With two AA Rosettes and rave reviews far and wide, this fantastic restaurant is making a name for itself in the capital on its own terms, with plates full of verve and vibrancy designed for sharing.
Though ceviche, tiridito, nigiri and the raw rest make up a good portion of the menu, we’re even more enamoured with the deep-fried bits here; beef empanadas, served with a velvety yellow chilli and corn cream, are particularly good. Chévere!
Floral also has a pisco bar, Lost Alpaca, which is renowned for serving some of the best cocktails in the capital, with a Bottomless Pisco Sours deal (£30 per person) running every Sunday from midday to 5pm. Pack that Gaviscon.
Address: 14 Garrick St, London WC2E 9BJ, UK
Website: www.limalondon.com
The Llama Inn, Shoreditch
Ideal for New York Nikkei cuisine, all. via London…
It’s not really an open-fired, frothy flagons of ale type of inn, that’s for sure, sitting pretty on the rooftop of the Hoxton so it is, bathed in natural light and every shade of orange and auburn the designers could conjure up (is that Sunbaked Terracotta 90YR 53/238I see?). But semantics aside, it’s not really a llama either, so I’m not sure why we’re getting into this…
Let’s get into the food instead, at this self-proclaimed ‘freewheeling, modern’ Peruvian restaurant, whose aim is to tell the stories of Peru’s diverse culinary heritage ‘through a New York lens’ (the original Llama Inn opened in the Big Apple in 2015).
What that means on the plate is a menu that nods to Nikkei cuisine (one of the world’s most successful ‘fusion’ foods, the harmonious marriage of Peruvian and Japanese culinary techniques and cultures) more than it does New York. So, that’s grilled skewers seasoned with the umami-bomb Japanese seasoning furikake, and ceviche whose cure features ponzu or yuzu kosho, its garnish nori seaweed or shisho leaf.
The highlight here is also the dish that best realises the whole Peru/NYC/Japan mash-up most succinctly. Lomo saltado traditionally sees strips of marinated beef, tomato and onion stir fried in soy sauce and vinegar until caramelised and piled high with french fries, served over rice.
Here, the rice has been subbed out in favour of an okonomiyaki style pancake, the beef soaking into that pancake to pleasing effect. A zigzag of kewpie mayonnaise brings that unmistakable tang and pulls together the disparate elements, suddenly helping the chips make sense with the pancake. It’ll cost you (£56 – woof), but it’s a delightfully idiosyncratic plate of food.
Speaking of prices, you won’t find a bottle of wine here for less than £38, and that particular bottom-of-the-barrel price tag actually comes from a tap. It’s also under a section of the winelist titled ‘enough acid to make you trip’. That is probably not a good idea on a rooftop.
Though on a regular evening you’ll struggle to get the bill to add up to less than £100 a head if you’re having a decent drink, the Llama Inn’s Speedy Lunch menu does make everything a little more affordable. Priced at two proper courses for £28 or three for £33, it also negates the awkwardness of trying to share this food. Job done, then.
Website: llamainnlondon.com
Address: 1 Willow St, London EC2A 4BH
Ceviche, Soho
Ideal for getting to grips with the huge variety of ceviche out there…
With a handful of the best Peruvian restaurants in London operating under the watchful eye of chef Martin Morales, it could be said that he has something of a monopoly on the Peruvian food scene in London.
And rightly so – he is, after all, a well-known ambassador of Peruvian food and arts, and since moving to the UK at the age 11, Morales has managed to bridge the far-flung gap between these two cuisines effortlessly.
Though we were sad to see the Shoreditch outpost close, the Soho rendition of Ceviche remains the mothership; an affable, animated restaurant defined by a central counter running the length of the narrow bar space. For those who prefer their elbows untouched, there’s a dining room out back, too.
Ceviche is named after Peru’s national dish (we didn’t need to tell you that) and what never fails to impress us is how many versions there are of this light, vivacious dish that’s all about celebrating the main ingredient. Here, there’s a theatre to the slicing and dressing of the fish that makes a perch at that counter the right move.
You’d be foolish to only go in raw, though. The charcoal grill plays a major role here, too, with the Peruvian love of barbecuing offal all present and correct here. The beef heart skewers are fantastic, and their smoked chilli marinade that turns into a self-saucing experience on the plate, even better.
Address: 31 Rathbone Pl, London W1T 1JH, UK
Website: cevichelondon.com
Andina, Spitalfields
Ideal for bold flavours and a boisterous atmosphere…
We’re heading east next, to Shoreditch, where sister restaurants come to thrive. Here, in buzzing Spitalfields, you’ll find another one from Martin Morales; Andina.
Nominally a ‘pisco bar’ that just happens to serve fantastic food, Andina is all heart and soul, with a rambunctious atmosphere, assertive cocktails, and big, bold flavours on the plate.
Come for the house special ceviche Andina, which sees slices of seabass bathing in Amarillo tiger’s milk; the requisite offsetting, fatty element here an avocado cream. Stay for something heartier, in the shape of a grilled octopus curled invitingly around a verdant puree of herbs (including the indigenous huacatay) and feta, the blistered tentacle seemingly making a ‘come hither’ gesture to hungry diners.
Andina is also famous for serving one of the best brunches in the capital. Running from 11am to 4pm, it’s a bottomless affair of pisco sours and larger plates of Peruvian home-style cooking. After 5 hours of it, you might be better off calling this one a Legless Brunch. Pack Alka-Seltzer accordingly.
Address: 60-62 Commercial St, London E1 6LT, United Kingdom
Website: andinalondon.com
Read: Where to eat near Liverpool Street Station
Pachamama, Old Street
Ideal for soul-nourishing Chifa-style dishes…
Pachamama, which translates as ‘Mother Earth’, is all about bold Peruvian flavours using British ingredients, placing an emphasis on seasonality and sustainability that we can very much get behind.
Though the original is in Marylebone, we’re even more enamoured with the East London outpost, a place that aims to shine a light on Chifa cuisine – a glorious meeting of Chinese and Peruvian cooking sensibilities.
The menu, as it is in Marylebone, is divided into Sea, Land, and Soil, but that’s where the similarities with its West End brethren ends. Here, the dishes feel more playful, with umami levels dialled up to 11 and ‘authenticity’ arguably not a huge concern. The wild mushroom mapo tofu is excellent, if not exactly brimming with Peruvian influence, whilst the crispy confit duck over Peruvian rice is just plain delicious, regardless of whether it’s suffering a crisis of identity or not.
There’s also a fantastic sunken bar a level below the entrance, where you’ll also find a compact, convivial private dining space, perfect for a group of friends looking to host a celebration. Oh, and they host Ceviche and Pisco Cocktail Masterclasses here – where do we sign up?
Read: The best private dining rooms for large groups in London
Address: 73 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3HU, United Kingdom
Website: pachamamalondon.com
The Bottom Line
Like other Londoners, we now crave tart and punchy ceviches and tiraditos. With the recent addition of Chakana, we think there’s never been a better time to eat Peruvian food in New York City.
Another thing we also crave is tacos on the regular. If you do too, then here are the best places in London to eat Mexican food…
