Central Restaurante
Restaurant
Lima, Peru
About Central Restaurante
One of Peru’s, indeed South America’s fine-dining musts, chef Virgilio Martínez’s Central came top of the World’s 50 Best Restaurant in 2023 for its ground-breaking ‘Mater Elevations’ tasting menu, which plates Peru’s diverse ecosystems. A 2018 reopening saw Central move from the Miraflores district to edgier Barranco, and into a contemporary purpose-built space called Casa Tupac that also houses Kjolle restaurant, led by chef Pía León.
Like the ingredients themselves, materials are sourced from all over Peru, with muted natural hues allowing dishes from the 16-course menu to stand out.
Also of note is Mayo, the cocktail bar, whose mixologists source botanicals from the highs and lows of Peru, distilling and macerating in-house to create alcoholic beverages with ingredients you’ve never tried, such as Andean muña or Amazonian tumbo fruit.
About the Central Restaurante Wine List
While Central cellars around 600 labels with no fixed list per se, there are two key ways to enjoy its gems: either by choosing the global wine pairing or the Latin American pairing. In both cases, the sommelier team chooses to work with small wineries. “Liquids are a way of uniting the Andes, and so while we know many diners are used to sampling vintages from around the world, we also like to give South America a protagonist’s role, working with small producers whose stories we can tell,” says sommelier Valentino Galán.
Those wishing to purchase a bottle simply take recommendations from the sommelier team; the same goes for the 30-strong by-the-glass selection.
Great for
- Argentina
- Big wine list
- Bottles with age
- Date night
- Day drinking
- Fine dining
- Local Wines
- Natural wines
- New world
- Old world
- Worth the trip
Wine team
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Diego Vásquez LuqueDrinks director
