The cheapest good lunch in Lima

Handwritten chalkboard outside a Surquillo restaurant listing the day's menú del día

On weekdays between noon and three, a large part of Lima eats the same kind of meal: a fixed lunch of two or three courses called the menú del día. A tourist lunch in Miraflores runs S/60–90. A menú in the same neighborhood, sometimes a block away, runs S/22–35, and the food is closer to what Limeños eat at home.

This guide covers what's in it, how to find a good one, what to say and what to watch for.

What you get

It's a set lunch served Monday to Friday, and some places on Saturday. One price covers:

  • Entrada: a soup or a small starter, like papa a la huancaína, causa or a salad.
  • Segundo: the main, usually rice, a meat and a side. It changes every day.
  • Refresco: chicha morada, lemonade or passion fruit.
  • Postre, sometimes: gelatina, mazamorra morada or fruit.

You usually choose from two to four options per course, written on a chalkboard at the door. There's often no printed menu, no photos and no English.

What it costs in 2026

The price depends more on the district than on the cooking. A S/15 menú in Surquillo and a S/30 one in Miraflores often come out of the same kind of kitchen; the difference is the rent.

WherePrice (S/)Hours
Working-class barrio (Surquillo, San Borja, Lince)12–1812:00–15:30
Centro de Lima15–2212:30–15:00
Miraflores / Barranco22–3512:30–16:00
San Isidro (offices)25–4012:30–15:00

Go before 13:00. By 14:00 the best options are often gone, and by 15:00 many kitchens are closing.

How to find a good one

Office workers eating menú del día at lunchtime in a small Lima restaurant, with plates of rice and stew on the table

  • A handwritten chalkboard outside with the day's two or three options.
  • A line of office workers between 12:30 and 13:30. Empty at 13:30 is a bad sign.
  • A plain room: plastic chairs, fluorescent light, a TV in the corner.
  • The smell of garlic and ají from the street.

Places with menus in several languages and a photo of every dish are set up for tourists. The food is usually fine, but it costs about twice as much.

Ordering

A few phrases cover most of it:

  1. "¿Cuál es el menú del día?": what's today's menu?
  2. "¿Qué tienen de entrada?" / "¿y de segundo?": what's the starter, and the main?
  3. "¿Tienen ají?": do you have chili sauce? It's free and usually made in house, and worth saying yes to.
  4. "La cuenta, por favor.": the bill, please.

To take it away, "para llevar". Without the soup, "sin entrada"; the price usually stays the same.

For more phrases, see how to order in Lima. For the dishes you're likely to get, Peruvian Food 101, ají de gallina, lomo saltado and causa.

Things that catch visitors out

  • Asking for a printed menu. There usually isn't one; read the chalkboard or ask "¿qué hay de menú hoy?".
  • Arriving at 14:30. Half the options are gone.
  • Ordering à la carte at a menú place. It's the same kitchen and costs more for the same plate.
  • Tipping like in the US. It isn't expected; leaving the coins is enough.
  • Paying with a S/200 note. Small places rarely have change. Bring S/10 and S/20 notes, and cash, since many don't take cards.

Your first one

  1. Pick a weekday; most menú places close on Sunday.
  2. Walk a couple of blocks away from the main tourist streets, where prices drop.
  3. Look for a chalkboard outside.
  4. Arrive between 12:45 and 13:15, look at what the tables around you are eating, and order.
  5. Pay cash and you'll be out around 14:00, like everyone else.

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