Where to Find the BEST Ceviche in Lima, Peru
These 5 restaurants will take your taste buds on a culinary roller-coaster ride.
Of course, if you come to Lima, you need to try ceviche—Peru’s most famous dish.
Ceviche is typically white fish (like sea bass) that’s “cooked” with acidic lime juice and accompanied with thinly-sliced red onions, cilantro, choclo (Peruvian corn), and sweet potato. And, it’s deliciously spicy—the traditional Peruvian peppers give it a real kick.
Lima has so many incredible restaurants—in fact, it’s the city with the most restaurants on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list. But you don’t have to go to an expensive, world-famous, Michelin-star restaurant like Maido, Kjolle, or Central to find incredible ceviche.
In fact, my favorite places are the hole-in-the-wall, local haunts with Michelin-star level food, but in bigger portions and without the hefty price tag.
Though it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few, these are my top five ceviche spots in Lima:
#5 Señor Limón
I saw this place on Instagram before my third trip to Peru and knew I had to try it. They serve large portion sizes, have a ton of ceviche options (and a variety of other seafood dishes), and is a popular, upscale, hole-in-the-wall kind of place. This place is pricier than others, but it’s worth every cent (or sol, since we’re in Peru).
Here, you can try all different types of ceviche:
Conchas negras—black clam ceviche with an earthy, slightly-metallic taste. Served in a black leche de tigre sauce with diced red onion, ají limo (spicy Peruvian pepper), and cilantro.
Matrimonio—traditional ceviche with a crab-filled causa.
Ceviche de lenguado—freshly caught flounder, or sole fish, is the star of this type of ceviche. With a firm, sweet, and delicate meat, lenguado fish is a prized ingredient in the ceviche world.
Plus, the classics—of course, Señor Limón also has classic ceviche, ceviche mixto, and combinados as well.
After a juicy, tender, grilled octopus covered in chimichurri sauce atop a bed of russet-style potatoes and cherry tomatoes… I literally struggled to walk after leaving the restaurant.
💸 Price: 50-75 soles per ceviche plate ($15-22 USD)
📍 Location: San Isidro, La Molina, San Miguel
🐟 Ceviche Menu
#4 La Choza Nautica
La Choza Nautica is a popular franchise restaurant in Peru. It’s name is actually a self-deprecating jab at the Rosa Nautica: Lima’s famous, elegant fine dining restaurant on the pier. Choza means shack in Peru—and while La Choza Nautica might not be the most elegant restaurant… with affordable prices and way bigger portion sizes than its luxurious counterpart, it’s a very popular local spot in Lima.
One of my English-class alumni took me here during my first trip to Lima, and I was floored by the portion sizes. Here, you get a LOT of ceviche at a very affordable price. They also have a ton of both seafood and non-seafood options on the menu. Not to mention the great music—there are great live performances on the weekends.
💸 Price: 30-45 soles per ceviche plate ($9-13 USD)
📍 Location: Breña, Pueblo Libre, San Borja, Chorrillos, Rimac, and more
🐟 Ceviche Menu
#3 Al Toke Pez
This little ceviche place in Miraflores gained international fame after appearing on Netflix’s Street Food Latin America. And it definitely lives up to the hype. You can watch Toshi Matsufuji, head chef and owner, work the wok over a huge flame and prepare a fantastic arroz de mariscos and 10/10 ceviche.
I recommend the combinado. For about 30 soles ($9 USD), you get:
Ceviche mixto—A portion of mixed seafood ceviche with a masterfully crafted leche de tigre (the lime and fish juice the ceviche sits in). In my humble opinion, this is the best place on this list to try ceviche mixto.
Arroz con mariscos—A portion of ultra-flavorful seafood rice made over the wok with an impressive giant flame.
Chicharrón de pescado—A portion of crispy, breaded fried slices of jumbo squid.
Come early, and be prepared to eat your ceviche standing up or take it to go. There are only a few seats and it’s always packed. People usually start lining up before it even opens.
💸 Price: 35 soles for ceviche de pescado or ceviche mixto ($10 USD)
📍 Location: Miraflores
🐟 Ceviche Menu
#2 The Magdalena del Mar Market
When I took my husband here, he thought we were taking a shortcut through the market to get to the restaurant. Nope. I took a left turn and sat right down at my favorite spot, in the middle of the Magdalena market.
This ceviche bar is called Barra Cevichera “MISAEL - YULY.” It’s—literally—a tiny hole in the wall that has a blue banner at the top, across from a yellow “ferreteria” sign.
I’ve been here three times, and I always order the trio marino. It’s a classic dish—it comes with ceviche, arroz con mariscos (seafood rice), and chicharron de pescado. And here in the heart of the Magdalena del Mar Market, they make it perfectly. (And, it’s very, very cheap.)
Every time I come back, this hidden treasure of a spot never disappoints. There’s only room for 5-6 people at the ceviche bar, so only bring your favorite person. Say yes if they offer chilcano, a fish soup, to start, and eat it with the canchita (fried corn) and spicy sauce.
💸 Price: 20-35 soles for ceviche or a combo plate like the trio marino ($6-10 USD)
📍 Location: Magdalena del Mar
🐟 Ceviche Menu
#1 Mi Barrunto
And now, my favorite ceviche in Lima—and of all time (so far).... Mi Barrunto!
This ceviche surprised me. I knew it was highly rated (a 4.4 star rating with over 15,000 reviews) but I didn’t expect it to be that good. But it was. It was the best ceviche I’ve ever had.
I got the Barrunto ceviche with chicharron de pescado, super tender breaded and fried fish. The fish was tender, flavorful, and perfect, but the star of the show was the leche de tigre (the sauce / juice the ceviche is served in). It was ultra-flavorful and almost… creamy. It was unlike any ceviche I had tried before and I am obsessed.
It was a fantastic combination, and when I go back I want to try the Barrunto Premium so I can enjoy more ceviche and also try their arroz con mariscos, which looks absolutely stunning.
This place is right next to the Alianza Lima soccer stadium in La Victoria, and it’s filled with signed soccer jerseys, photos, and memorabilia. It’s always packed, so come early and with an empty stomach—they serve generous portion sizes. It’s a little more expensive than the last option, but it’s well worth it.
💸 Price: 25-75 soles per ceviche plate ($7.50-22 USD)
📍 Location: La Victoria
🐟 Ceviche Menu
If you love to eat, you’ll love Lima.
Honestly, this is only a small peek into the endless foodie possibilities that await you in this delicious city. There’s just so much more to try.
From fish sandwiches like pan con pejerrey to classic favorites like lomo saltado and papa la huancaina, there’s so much foodie goodness to explore in Lima, and throughout all of beautiful Peru.
These five ceviche spots are my favorites, and they’re a great place to start. I can promise you, you definitely won’t be disappointed. When I visit Lima, these are the places I come back to again and again.
Traveling to Lima soon? Get my complete 4-day foodie itinerary for Lima, Peru. Inside, you’ll find:
A day-by-day eating plan (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert),
An organized and easy-to-use Google Map with all the restaurant mentioned here (plus a few more I recommend if you have more time),
And, exactly what to order at each spot so you can enjoy the classics of world-famous Peruvian gastronomy.