Lima, Peru is one of the world’s gastronomic capitals. There are many people who write about this, but you see less information online about inexpensive restaurants in working-class neighborhoods.
As I am staying in Comas – a working-class neighborhood in the northern cone of Lima – I can tell you that the food in these establishments can be delicious and cheap. You just have to find one of these places and know the difference between the menu and the carta.
Today, for example, my husband and I had amazing menus for 6 soles – about $2.50. My husband, Nando, had caldo de gallina (chicken soup) and adobo de res (beef stew with rice and beans). I had ceviche for an appetizer and fried fish with rice, salad, and yucca for a main course.
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| Sign in restaurant advertising food from the menu |
The place we went today is called “Restaurante Cevicheria Sabor Norteño,” and is on Avenida Mexico near the intersection with Tupac Amaru Boulevard in Comas. It’s a few blocks from where we are staying, so we walked over there.
Outside the restaurant, there is a chalkboard which announces the “menu.” In Peru, the “menu” is the two-course meal of the day. Most restaurants have a few choices for this low-priced lunch. The Cevicheria we went to today had a choice of ceviche or chicken soup as a starter, and then a choice of about eight different main courses, including tallarin verde (pesto), tallarin saltado (Peruvian-style lo mein), seco de pollo (cilantro chicken) and others.
When we first sat down, the waiter gave us the menu. In Spanish, the menu is called “la carta” and has all of the expensive items. It is not to be confused with the “menu” which is the low-priced meal of the day. We looked at the “carta” and decided to try the 6-sole menu instead of paying 25 soles for a ceviche or 35 soles for a parihuela, even though the pictures looked tempting.
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| Nando enjoying his caldo de gallina |
The first thing to come out was Nando’s caldo de gallina – a steamy, flavorful chicken soup. I enjoy eating it with a bit of cancha. Cancha is Peruvian popcorn – except the kernels are so big the corn grains don’t actually pop.
Next, my ceviche came out. The ceviche had rocoto peppers, onions, and cilantro mixed in and was served with Peruvian corn, sweet potato and lettuce. It was delicious. We also ordered a passion fruit juice – which you can see in my glass in the photo below.
Nando’s main course was adobo de res, served with beans, rice, and a bit of salad.
Finally, I had my pescado frito, which was served with fried yucca, rice, and a bit of salad. This was also quite tasty.
We left very satisfied and ready to take our siestas!
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