Review of El Carajito restaurant in Lima, Peru

I am going to be spending the next three weeks in Lima and will try to give some reviews of restaurants I visit, especially restaurants that have not received much coverage on Chowhound.

First up is El Carajito, located at Jose Leal 825 in Lince (telephone 472 6656). I took a cab there from Miralfores and the cost was 9 soles and the ride was about ten minutes). This place was recommended to me by a taxi driver when I asked him a good place for ceviche that was not too expensive. Coincidentally, the next day when I was watching tv, El Carajito was featured on a program that highlights various “huecos” (hole in the walls) in Lima.

El Carajito is definitely a hole in the wall, but in the nicest sense. It is small, narrow and rustic but has a nice vibe. We went on Sunday afternoon and the line was out the door. I got the sense that the restaurant is always crowded but that it was even more crowded due to it being featured on tv that morning.

I was very impressed with the food and the prices. We started with their house ceviche (Cevich El Carajito). This ceviche differed from the usual ceviche in that the sauce, while definitely including lots of lime juice, was primarily based on aji amarillo (yellow chile). It included fish, shrimp, octopus and calamari. Also, on the side of the dish was a small cup of ceviche de conchas negras (black clam). This dish cost 26 soles (approximately $9.50). It was probably my favorite dish we tried.

My second favorite dish was their fettuccini al marinera (seafood fettuccini). This was a fettucini in a white cream sauce with a variety of seafood and ham. I thought this was an incredible bargain at 20 soles (approximately $7.30).

We also tried a parihuela (seafood boulibase)(21 soles, approximately $7.69) and a combination plate of rice with seafood served with a side of chicarron de pescado (fried fish) (22 soles, approximately $8.06). Both were fine renditions, especially the chicarron which was expertly fried and moist.

For those looking to explore a bit outside the usual tourist zones and experience a more rustic (and affordable) location, El Carajito would make an excellent choice. Pics of the ceviche and fettuccini attached.

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Lima: One lunch and one dinner

I have posted before about these restaurants, but here would be my recommendations.

Lunch: On the expensive side, I would go with Francesco in Miraflores. My favorites there are their squid ink risotto with scallops, grilled baby octopus and stuffed ricotto pepper with seafood. They also have interesting ceviches and their house pisco sour is spot on.

For a less expensive lunch option, I like Punto Azul on Alcanfores in Miraflores. For me, the musts are their causas (cold potato with seafood), arronz can mariscos and their conchitas a la paremesana (baked scallops). http://puntoazulrestaurante.com/

For dinner, I would strongly recommend Las Brujas de Cachiche. It is a beautiful restaurant and their menu features gourmet versions of Peru's classic criollo dishes. The other option would be Huaca Puvcllana which also is a beautiful restaurant but I liked the food better at Las Brujas.

Have a great trip!

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Peru Food Bloggers

Hi:

These are 2 food bloggers in Peru that I follow:

http://muchogustoperu.blogspot.com/

http://verparacomer.blogspot.com/

Hope that helps.

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Lima, Peru -- Las Brujas de Cachiche

More restaurant reviews from my last trip to Lima.

Had dinner at Las Brujas de Cachiche with friends. Those who have been to Lima know that there are many options for lunch than dinner. I think Las Brujas is a great option for dinner. They have all of the classic "comida criolla" dishes on their menu and do a great job of executing them. The standout for me is their arroz can pato (rice with duck). The duck is beyond tender, the rice is perfectly cooked and the cilantro based sauce is superb. My friend tried the aji de gallina (chicken in yellow pepper sauce) and thought this was great as well. My last friend had a pasta with shrimp in a yellow chili sauce that was nice, but probably not as interesting as the other plates I mentioned. We shared a tres leches cake for dessert which was great. Prices are a bit on the high side, but the restaurant is absolutely beautiful and is located in a charming plaza (Plaza Bolognesi). Reservations highly recommended.

http://www.brujasdecachiche.com.pe/index2.htm

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Lima - Cevicheria El Mercado

I just got back from Lima and had a chance to try El Mercado. I thought it was excellent. The restaurant is very similar in appearance to La Mar and Pescados Capitales (see photo below). As the photos below also attest, the food is artfully presented and well prepared. Way more impressive than La Mar has been for me lately. Things we tried: ceviche galatico (fish, shrimp and scallops), causa de langostinos, grilled scallops and chicharron de langostinos. I thought the prices were more than reasonable for the quality (figure about 30 soles average per plate (approx $10).

EL MERCADO
HIPOLITO UNANUE 203 Ciudad de Lima distrito de Miraflores

Tel : 2211322

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Travelling to Lima - did recs, PLEASE

You are correct that the only cheap eat on that list is El Rinconcito de Chela. However, if this is your first visit to Lima, I would skip this one. I was the person who recommended it on Chowhound before and it is great, but it is really out of the way and not in a great neighborhood.

If you want cheap but still good, my recommendation would be for Punto Azul on Calle San Martin 595 at the corner of Alcanfores in Miraflores. Good quality food at good prices. In my opinion, their causa (yellow potato pie) with either crab or shrimp is one of the best causas in Lima. They also do very good conchitas a la parmesana (baked scallops with cheese). I also love their arroz con mariscos (seafood rice).

On your list, I would also recommend Francesco as certainly being worth the money. It is probably double (or almost three times) as expensive as Punto Azul but the quality really is there and it is worth it.

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Lima - Mercado Central or Mercado de Surquillo for Food?

I would say it is at the same level as Astrid & Gaston. I seem to recall paying about $150 for lunch for 3 people. It is dangerous because like you point out, there is no menu.

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Lima - Mercado Central or Mercado de Surquillo for Food?

With respect to sushi, I would give the nod to Toshiro's. I have only eaten at the Miraflores location of Hanzo. I have been told that the original location in San Borja is much better. I was not crazy about the sushi, but I did enjoy the hot dishes, including their "mariscos al fuego" which is seafood in a lime and butter sauce served in scallop shells. I also recall a cooked mushroom dish that was really great.

With respect to Chez Wong, keep in mind that it is very very pricey. It is great, but I just don't think it is a good value for money. I would recommend Franceso Restaurant, which is my favorite restaurant in Lima.

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Lima - Mercado Central or Mercado de Surquillo for Food?

I guess I was referring more to the quality than health issues. However, I would be a bit cautious about a lot of the stands because many have the food already prepared and not being refrigerated. The market in Barranco would be much much better than Surquillo. I have eaten at that one and enjoyed it.

However, I do have to give you my 2 cent opinion that unlike perhaps many other cities in Latina America, I do not think the best representations of classic dishes in Lima come from the marketplace. There are so many wonderful restaurants in Lima to try and my opinion is that for the most part, you get what you pay for. And, the price is relatively reasonable compared to what the equivalent would cost in the U.S.

Here are some places to think about:

For seafood such as ceviche, conchas a la parmasena (scallops in the shall broiled with parmesan cheese), causa de langostinos (potato pie w/ shrimp) and arroz can mariscos (seafood rice), consider punto azul. They are not that expensive and have a few locations in the city (one at calle san martin 595 in Miraflores). Open for lunch only, closed on Mon.

With respect to trying "comida criolla" such as aji de gallina (chicken in aji amarillo sauce), my recommendation would be to go to Costa Verde for their lunch buffet. Yes, it is a bit expensive (and a bit touristy) but you can try all of the classic Peruvian dishes there and they have a custom ceviche bar where you can choose exactly which ingredients you want in your ceviche.

Some other places I would recommend:

Sonia restaurant in Chorillos is a real classic for seafood. It has a great old time atmosphere. I believe Anthony Bourdain visited there when he taped his Peurvian episode of No Reservations.

Canta Rana in Barranco is also great for seafood and a classic place.

For dinner, I always make a visit to Toshiro's for sushi. There are some real interesting Peruvian fusion dishes he does including a scallop prepared with maca (a peruvian root) and an aceivachado roll which is a roll with a lime based sauce similiar to ceviche.

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Lima - Mercado Central or Mercado de Surquillo for Food?

I would strongly recommend the Mercado Surquillo over Mercado Central. It is very close to Miraflores. It was also recently renovated. There are 2 mercados de Surquillo, No. 1 and No. 2. I believe No.1 is the one that was recently renovated.

It is a worthwhile trip to see all the varieties of fruits and vegetables. I believe there is also something like a food fair on the weekends. However, I don't think the quality of the restaurants is that high. While the market is worth a visit, I would eat elsewhere. I recently posted some restaurant reviews on Chowhound you might want to take a look at.

Another idea for something interesting is to visit the organic farmers market held on Saturday mornings in Parque Reducto in Miraflores. It is called a "bioferia" in Spanish. Some interesting products there.

Here is a link to a video about the Surquillo market.

http://www.livinginperu.com/gastronomy/features-1372

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Restaurants in Lima?

My last recommendation is las brujas de Cachice. This is a very beautiful restaurant and is great for dinner (all of my other recommendations are lunch spots).

I've enjoyed everything I tried there but my wife's friend order their aroz can pato (rice with duck) and I was blown away by how good it was. The rice is served in the Peruvian styles, green from cilantro and the duck is tender and soft as can be.

http://www.brujasdecachiche.com.pe/icarta.html

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Restaurants in Lima?

This recommendation is way off the beaten path and I promise you if you make it here, there will not be another tourist in site. Keep in mind also, my wife tells me this is not in the greatest neighborhood. But if you want to try excellent seafood at bargain prices, El Rinconcito de Chela is pretty great.

Their speciality is almejas a limon, clams with lime juice. Stupendous. Their ceviche is excellent, as well as their sudado de pescado (fish served in a yellow pepper sauce with seafood, tomatoes and onion).

http://www.limasabrosa.com/2008/08/cebicheria-el-rinconcito-de-chela-y-su.html

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Restaurants in Lima?

Another place we tried this trip and really enjoyed is called Mi Causa. A causa is traditionally a yellow potato puree, served cold, that is stuffed with shrimp, crab, cold chicken or tuna.

This restaurant is devoted to causas and takes the concept to a new level by serving probably 50 different types, including many causas which are served hot.

We really loved the rocoto relleno causa which is designed to imitate a famous plate from Arequipa, the stuffed pepper.

We also tried a causa with grilled tuna served over hot potato, which was also great.

http://www.micausaperu.com/micausa/default.htm

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Restaurants in Lima?

A "hole in the wall" that we really like for one specialty is a placed called "El Rincon de Bigote." Their specialty are their almejas (stuffed clams). These are served cold, chopped clams with chopped onion, cilantro and I am not sure what else. Absolutely amazing and I think they cost about 4 soles each (less than $2). They also do excellent choritos a la chalca (mussels served in a similar style to the clams). Their ceviche is also fine, but the above are what they are famous for.

http://foursquare.com/venue/1572066

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Restaurants in Lima?

My wife is Peruvian and we have an apartment in Lima. We were just there a few weeks ago. I am going to reply with a list of some of our favorite places and some photos.

We never visit Lima without going at least once to Francesco for lunch. Absolutely incredible seafood. For us, the standout plates are: 1) rocotto relleno de mariscos (stuffed pepper with seafood); 2) pulpo a la parilla (octopus from the grill); and 3) Arroz negro con conchas (squid ink rice with scallops).

My wife also swears they have the best pisco sour in Lima. This is not a cheap restaurant by Lima standards but an absolute bargain for the quality.

http://www.francesco.com.pe/

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Best Peruvian

My wife (who is Peruvian) and I had El Salto del Fraile in Downey cater our wedding in May. The food was really excellent. I am especially partial to their tiradito. It is similar to a ceviche but has a light yellowish sauce from the use of aji amarillo. They also make a very nice causa (cold potato cake). At our wedding, we also had escabeche de pescado and seco de carne that were both very popular. They also have a number of Chinese influenced ("Chifa") dishes, including a really delicate shrimp fried rice (Arroz chaufa).

My wife tells me that there is a Chinese/Peruvian chef who comes in at 2:00 in the afternoon, and that it is better to wait for him before ordering.

7639 Firestone Blvd. Downey, CA 90241 (562) 928-6395

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West Coast Taco Crawl

Check out this article from the NY Times. Looks like someone has already blazed a path for you....

http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/07/21/travel/escapes/21tacos.html

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