Hello everybody! I hope that you are you are all well. Today I want to share with you my experience in one of the most renowned restaurants in Lima. This restaurant is located in the tourist district of Miraflores and it is called Huaca Pucllana.
Huaca and restaurant at the same time
Although it is unbelievable, this place was an abandoned site for a lot of years where people had motorbike races and there was even an accumulation of rubbish. However, thanks to the management of private capital and the INC (National Institute of Culture), a gastronomic and archaeological revolution could be made, thus turning the Huaca Pucllana Museum into one of the best places in Lima.
For example, when taking a tour of Lima, the first place that you will visit is the Huaca Pucllana museum to talk about the pre-Columbian history of Lima. The city has had three quite distinguishable periods, the pre-Hispanic, the colonial and the republican eras.
A place to tell the history of Lima
This explanation from Limavision is done from outside of the museum without going inside and this is where the the tour of the centre of Lima starts.
In my opinion Huaca Pucllana restaurant is a clear example of how we can join gastronomy and archaeology in one place. I am almost sure that a lot of you would agree with me when I show you the following image. Look for yourselves and tell me what you fell:
Source
Privileged area, the terrace
As we have seen in the last picture of the Huaca Pucllana restaurant, it is accurately named because it is located inside the archaeological centre Huaca Pucllana. This is also a museum where you will have an unforgettable experience.
However, being students this five star restaurant can be quite expensive. What I recommend to do, is to come here and visit it anyway, go to the bar and while you are there, go out to the terrace for a moment which is where the restaurant is located. This is usually the most requested place to eat, especially if you are going for a romantic dinner.
The night lighting, a must see
Now, the boom of Peruvian gastronomy is going through a great increase and this has caused a a lot of good competition in the Huaca Pucllana restaurant. In spite of this, this restaurant has kept its relevance due to its excellent location which is in front of this old site of Peruvian culture. At night, it is lit up which gives it a very special feeling and makes the terrace more romantic.
Source
Some of my memories
Have I had the chance to visit the Huaca Pucllana restaurant and eat there on more than one occasion? No! Don't think that I have enough money to spend on this kind of luxurious restaurant in Lima. However at that time, I worked as a concierge in one of the best hotels in Lima, the 'Westin Lima', and when I recommended the restaurant to the guests of the hotel, sometimes they would give me vouchers for two people to go and taste their dishes.
In this restaurant I was able to taste different Peruvian flavors that have totally captivated me, for example I have tried 'Aji de gallina' (a Peruvian chicken stew), 'Lomo saltado' (stir-fried beef), 'Ensalada criollo' (a Peruvian onion salad), 'Solterito arequipeño (a cold dish made with beans and cheese) and drinks such as 'Chicha morada' (a drink made with Peruvian purple corn), 'Pisco sour' (a citrus cocktail) and 'Algarrobina' (a condensed milk cocktail). Not to mention the desserts such as 'Canelones de lúcuma' (Cannelloni filled with lucuma fruit) and 'Suspiros a la limeña' (a condensed milk dessert).
Source
How to get to the restaurant
To get to this archaeological centre and restaurant, you should take Angamos Avenue, in El Cruce in the Arequipa area ad from here, walk to the ice cream parlour called 4 D. From there, you just have to continue walking until you reach the street General Borgoño, and the entrance to the restaurant and museum.
The entrance to the museum is on the left hand side, while the restaurant is up a few steps at the right hand side, you will always see a hostess when you enter who will ask you if you have a reservation or not. If you do then they will bring you directly to the table and if you do not, they will tell you a waiting time and you will have to wait in the hall.
You can take pictures from inside the restaurant which is very luxurious and the decorative wood effect stands out. When ordering, since you are in Peru, there is nothing like the true Peruvian food. It is very rich and delicious and will give you an experience that you won't forget.
I have also learned that if you go in large groups, the restaurant staff can organise the museum guides to join you, who can give a special guided tour for the guests. Thus you go in at the Huaca entrance.
I also forgot to mention that the word "huaca" is very important for us because it is related to an ancient and pre-Hispanic place. In Lima there are a lot of places like this and that is why we could say that Lima, more so than colonial, has a millennial past.
There we also have the oldest city in all of America which is called Caral. It is a World Heritage site along with Huaca Mateo Salado and Pachacacmac. This also makes me think about my own university, San Marcos which is below what is a Huaca site. As well as that, we have small remains of the Maranga culture of Lima, as you can see everything is related to the Huacas in my dear city of Lima, a city with a lot of strength for history and archaeology lovers.
As you can see the restaurant has an interesting gastronomic proposal, and not only in terms of Peruvian food, but also international food. This restaurant has been reinvented seasonally because of the markets and in particular because of international guests who come to Lima and are willing to pay good money to try the best stews in Lima.
Source
I remember that a lot of people in the hotel where I worked, asked me what time it is best to go there, during lunch or dinner. I would say that the best time is during dinner, when the lights are on and the archaeological centre is lit up, it is an impressive view. However this doesn't mean to say that you cannot see all of the amazing and beautiful things if you go there for lunch.
Opening times and reservations
Take into account that it is best to call the Huaca Pucllana restaurant to make a reservation so that you can secure a table since they can have a really tight schedule with requests. The restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner.
If you only want to visit the archaeological centre and not go to the restaurant, you can, but just bear in mind that the museums opening hours are different.
I have been able to visit the museum and the restaurant on multiple occasions and without a doubt, I would recommend it because it is a chance to experience the origins of Lima's culture and style with how their buildings were constructed. For example you can see the bookshop style in its walls.
Huaca Pucllana is how we have been able to see an example of a restaurant with a touch of history, taste and good attention.
There comes a time when I ask myself, can you imagine how all of the Huacas of Lima would look if they had the same purpose. What do you think? How would the history of all the Huacas change? They are spread out over Lima and today they look abandoned and need a good amount of money invested into them to maintain them and open them to the community and local and foreign visiters.
Thank you for reading this report and I know that there are a lot of reasons to visit this top restaurant in Lima. I hope that you have enjoyed this and keep enjoying this city which has everything. Until next time, Lima-lovers!
