Peru Lives Up To Its Gastronomical Reputation

Peru is among South America’s leading culinary destinations and now one of its own restaurants has been named the best in the world. Central, owned by husband-and-wife team Virgilio Martínez and Pía León, earned the distinction from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2023.

The couple opened the restaurant 15 years ago and have made Latin America’s Best 50 Restaurants four times — in 2022, as well as 2014-2016.

“Central’s world-famous menu sees the chefs take inspiration from the country’s biodiverse ecosystems, with each dish representing a specific area of the country — from 15 meters under the Pacific Ocean to 4,200 meters up in the Andes,” according to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

The menu guides diners through 15 Peruvian ecosystems classified by altitude.

Others in the top five were: Barcelona’s Disfrutar (2), Madrid’s Diverxo (3), the Basque town of Axtondo’s Etxebarri (4) and Copenhagen’s Alchemist (5).

It’s no wonder Central made the top of the list, Peru is known for its unique flavors inspired by its cultural diversity. Its location — between the Amazon, the Andes and the coast — also provides chefs with some of the best seafood as well as mountain crops.

Lima, the capital, is full of Michelin-star restaurants. According to Wanderlog there are 30 Michelin-star restaurants in Lima alone and many Peruvian eateries have made the Top 50 list for more than a decade, three of them this year, including León’s solo project Kjolle.

Visit theworlds50best.com