"Down the Local" in Lima

We asked Shirley Navarro, a member of our local team in Lima to answer some quetions about their city. Shirley, who has been living in the Salamanca district of Lima for more that 25 years, was really excited to share her local tips from her beloved Lima.

Where would you take your Mum on her birthday for a special local lunch?

To a town called Cieneguilla, outside Lima, to a restaurant called Mesa de Piedra (stone table). This local restaurant is completely outdoors and all the tables are made of big rocks. They serve local and regional food, such as the famous "Pachamanca" (earthen oven), my mum’s favourite. The pachamanca consists of three different type of meat (chicken, steak, pork), which is usually prepared in a stone oven and heated over a fire.

 

What is your favourite view of your city?

My favourite place for the best pictures is the main square – Plaza de Armas. This place has nicest buildings and looks amazing at night. There are areas where I can sit and have a cup of coffee and just relax.

 

 

Where would you go/or have you been on a first date?

Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs) in the Barranco district. The old bridge connects traditional colonial streets surrounded by traditional restaurants and local vendors. It is the perfect place to have a great view of the ocean, the sunset and city lights from the Chorrillos district. Best enjoyed with a Pisco Sour!

 

What is your favourite pastime in your city?

I take dancing lessons, which are very popular in Lima, and in the afternoon I go to the cinemas or go to a cafe with my friends.

 

What is your favourite local snack and where do you get it?

Alameda Chabuca Granda in downtown Lima has traditional local desserts. I get arroz con leche (rice with milk) or mazamorra morada (warm jelly made of purple corn). In the square in Barranco there are traditional dishes from all over Peru. I like having the anticuchos (beef hearts) or arroz con leche.

 

 

We asked the entire Lima Urban Adventures team:

What's your favourite local bar/restaurant/pub?

Here's where you can find them:

 

Ayahuasca Bar, named after the traditional, hallucinatory medicine of "shamans" in the Amazon jungle, is perhaps our favourite bar in Lima and where the Lima UA team usually starts our Friday nights. Why do we love it? First, the drinks! It’s famous for Pisco sours and cocktails using the fruits native to Peru and the Amazon. The house drink (our favourite) is the Ayahuasca Sour, made with Pisco, coca leaves, and exotic Peru fruit juices.

We usually go before it gets crowded and we watch people arrive, because the people watching is fantastic due to the awesome locale, which we love. Ayahuasca is located in a large restored colonial house with lots of character, and regardless of how crowded it gets, there seems to always be room for more with tables on the back patio, downstairs, and in different rooms, all with unique designs. Ayahuasca is located just blocks away from the main plaza of Barranco, and is within blocks of a range of nightlife.

 

 

Want more Lima? Join us on one of our Lima tours, and have a look at our picks for what to do with 24 hours in Lima.