The Best Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants in Lima

Having been a vegetarian for more than half of my life, I know how difficult it can be to find vegetarian food when traveling. So in this post I wanted to make things easy for you when visiting Lima: here is a list of my favorite vegetarian and vegan restaurants in my city.

As you may know Peru is a very renowned destination for its food: it’s not just a foodie’s heaven but there are several restaurants in Lima ranking among the best in the world.

But even though we have an amazing variety of fruits and vegetables, finding vegetarian food in the average Peruvian restaurant isn’t easy. Quite the contrary! For vegans, it’s probably ten times harder.

So, without the right knowledge, you could miss out on some incredible vegetarian and vegan culinary delights.

Fortunately, in recent years, Lima has seen the opening of some amazing restaurants that are either completely vegetarian and vegan or at least offer a very vegetarian-friendly menu.

Let’s take a look at what they are.

Asianica

I have traveled a lot. In fact, I usually spend 4 months out of the year traveling, and have been to over 30 countries. I love to go to good restaurants and try the best food wherever I go. And I have to say, this is my favorite restaurant in the world.

Asianica is a mostly-vegan restaurant, with some vegetarian dishes as well in the menu. They serve all kinds of food. On their menu, you will find Peruvian, Japanese, Italian, Vietnamese and Thai dishes, among others; with a gourmet touch.

And no matter what you order, everything is delicious.

Overhead view of a vegetarian meal at a Asianica restaurant in Lima with crispy fried gyoza dumplings served with dipping sauce and a flavorful bowl of ramen batayaki topped with seitan, mushrooms, snow peas, and grated cheese on a rustic wooden table.

If you want to try Peruvian dishes, I recommend you trying the “causa noble”, one of my favorite dishes at Asianica. Causa is a cold starter made with potatoes, generally stuffed with tuna but you can also get it stuffed with vegetables in some restaurants. The one at Asianica is by far way better than any vegetable causa that you can find anywhere else.

Gourmet vegetarian twist on Peruvian classics at Asianica in Lima, featuring a vibrant plate of vegetarian lomo saltado with seitan, veggies, and a fried egg, alongside a colorful causa layered with avocado and topped with crispy tofu, served with rice and a jar of herbal infusion.

Another Peruvian dish that you can try here is cebiche, a cold dish made with mushrooms instead of fish. I recommend you ordering the “cebiche Asianica”, which is served with spectacular “fog” surrounding the dish.

"Exquisite vegetarian cebiche presentation at Asianica restaurant in Lima, with a creative assortment of marinated mushrooms and corn, garnished with a dramatic smoke effect for an enhanced sensory experience, accompanied by crispy fried mushroom chicharron.

And for a Peruvian main meal, the arroz marino (based on a popular dish made of rice and seafood) is incredible.

From the non Peruvian dishes, I recommend you ordering the spicy coliflowers, a dish that I order 9 out of every 10 times I go to the restaurant. The ramen batayaki, a Japanese dish of noodles and butter, is also quite good.

The drinks are as exceptional as the food, all non-alcoholic and mixing different fruits, teas and other flavors.

Asianica is located in Miraflores, just five blocks away from Parque Kennedy. You should totally go for a meal there if you are visiting Miraflores.

Gastronomia Vegana

My second favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Lima is Gastronomía Vegana.

right and inviting vegan gastronomy restaurant in Lima, Peru, with colorful pompoms hanging from the ceiling, creating a cheerful atmosphere. Diners enjoy their meals in a modern, well-lit space with an open roof, lush greenery, and a mix of cozy seating arrangements.

Contrary to Asianica, Gastronomia Vegana focus solely on typical Peruvian dishes, made in a vegan way.

One of the dishes that I like most at Gastronomia Vegana is the risotto marino, a dish that would normally be made with seafood, but in this version it has mushrooms instead. It’s probably one of the best rice dishes I have ever tried.

A delectable serving of vegan 'Risotto Marino' in a cast iron skillet, topped with a medley of sautéed mushrooms, fresh diced onion and tomato salsa, and delicate microgreens, presented on a wooden table at Gastronomia Vegana in Lima, Peru, offering a comforting and hearty plant-based meal option

Other dishes that I have tried there and that I recommend are tacu tacu (fried rice and beans served with seitan) and huatia surcana (a traditional stew of the neighborhood).

raditional Huatia Surcana made vegan at Gastronomia Vegana in Lima, featuring a rich and savory seitan stew paired with white rice and beans, garnished with red onion slivers, all served in a speckled ceramic bowl, providing a plant-based take on this Peruvian culinary delight.

Another dish that I recommend is the causa rellena (a dish of mashed potatoes stuffed with chickpeas tartar and served with mushroom “chicharrones” (breaded and deep-fried) are very good. They are really like traditional Peruvian food tastes like, but in a vegetarian version.

If you ordered the “trío marino”, you get a dish of three small portions of chicharron, cebiche and risotto marino.

"A delightful Trio Marino platter at Gastronomia Vegana in Lima, offering a taste of the sea with vegan options: crispy mushroom chicharron, a creamy causa topped with chickpea tartar, and a flavorful risotto marino, all beautifully arranged on an oval plate, served with a side of toasted corn kernels.

For drink, make sure to order chicha morada, a delicious drink from Peru made with purple corn, cinnamon and pineapple peel.

The restaurant is located in Surco Viejo, in an area in Lima that you would probably not visit as a tourist, but it’s not far at all from the popular districts of Barranco and Miraflores. It can be a good opportunity to get to know other side of Lima, that looks more like a street that could be located in any city of Peru.

Bangkok

As you can imagine, this restaurant doesn’t serve Peruvian food, but Thai food. Also, Bangkok is not a vegetarian restaurant, but they serve like 10 vegetarian dishes (and most of them are vegan).

I’ve been to Thailand several times and I can vouch for how authentic and good the food at Bangkok is. In fact, it’s one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to.

The vegetarian dishes include red curry, green curry, massaman curry, pad thai, different kinds of noodle dishes, Tom Kha, etc.

One of my favorite dishes is the Chu Chee (I’m not sure about the spelling but that’s how they pronounce it), which is not on the vegetarian menu, but you can ask for it vegetarian. Totally recommended.

As a dessert, you can get mango sticky rice, delicious!

Bangkok is located in Lince. As a traveler, you probably won’t be staying so close-by, but it’s just a 15 minute taxi ride away from Barranco or Miraflores.

Asianica Street Food

This restaurant is from one of the same chefs at Asianica. They serve smaller dishes and things to share, like vegetarian burgers, tacos, and quesadillas. But they also have a good Peruvian selection as well, like cebiche, causa, jalea, and pure con asado (mashed potatoes usually served with pork but here they use seitan instead).

It’s a great place to go for a quick bite or to order several things and share with friends.

You can also try traditional Peruvian sandwiches here, like “pan con chicharron” and “pan con pejerrey”. Pan con chicharron is usually bread with pork, fried sweet potatoes and a sauce made of onions, lime and chili.

Here, they prepare it the same way but they make it with seitan instead. It’s really good! The pan con pejerrey is usually made with fish, but here it’s replaced with a battered mix of mushrooms and seaweed.

One of my favorite non Peruvian dishes here are the tacos, they are super tasty.

Asianica Street Food is in Miraflores, a 5 minute walk away from Parque Kennedy.

Limaná

This is not a vegetarian restaurant but most of their dishes are plant-based. They have some fish dishes on the menu, but most of their dishes are vegetarian or vegan.

The presentation of the dishes is very delicate, and the food is very nice, but portions are not so big.

They also have a cafe just next to the restaurant, inside the same building, where you can get every coffee with plant-based milks.

Artfully plated coconut ceviche at Limana restaurant in Lima, featuring tender strips of coconut in a tangy citrus sauce with slices of avocado, corn kernels, and microgreens, all served in a dark, stylish bowl for a refreshing vegan dining experience

I have been to Limana several times, and the last time that I visited it was part of a Lima food tour that I took (which caters for vegetarians as well!).

We had a cebiche made of coconut (instead of fish) and a portobello burger with a bun made of our local purple corn. So good! The portions look really small because we had just small portions as we were on a tour.

Gourmet vegan portobello mushroom burger served on a unique purple bun, stacked with fresh lettuce and a savory sauce, presented next to a delightful cauliflower creation with a smooth puree, garnished with microgreens, on an elegant dark plate at a fine dining establishment in Lima.

Other dishes that you can find on the menu are giozas, some pasta dishes and a mushroom rissotto.

The restaurant is big and beautiful, with outdoor and indoor seating space. It’s ideal for a special occasion. It’s located in San Isidro.

Kjolle

Even though Kjolle is not a vegetarian restaurant, I wanted to include it in this list because it’s a great option for an upscale dining option in Lima, with several vegetarian options on the menu (well, some weren’t literally on the menu, but just ask and they’ll tell you what they are).

In case you haven’t heard of Kjolle, it’s on the list of the best restaurants in the world. It’s also the “sister restaurant” of Central, which has been on the #1 spot for best restaurants in the world. They are run by wife and husband.

Artisanal culinary creation from Kjolle restaurant featuring a medley of tubers: a creamy mashed potato base, crispy arracacha strips, and thinly sliced carrots, all adorned with edible flowers and microgreens, beautifully served on a vibrant green plate, embodying the essence of Peruvian gourmet vegetarian cuisine

I recently went to Kjolle for dinner, and I loved my experience there. Don’t expect to find typical Peruvian dishes at the restaurant, but instead, creative innovations using both modern and ancestral cooking techniques utilizing native local ingredients.

For example, one of the dishes I had there (the one from the picture above) was made of different local tubers cooked in different ways: mashed native potatoes, crispy arracacha and slices of carrots, sprinkled with greens and flowers. It was the dish that everyone loved the most at the table, even the non vegetarians!

Kjolle is located in the bohemian Barranco neighborhood, just a couple of blocks away from the main square.

Before You Go…

I hope that you found my guide about vegetarian restaurants in Lima helpful. If you are looking for more information for your trip regarding vegetarianism, read this post about what to expect as a vegetarian in Peru.

You can also read my review about this food tour that I took around Lima, where I told you my (great!) experience as a vegetarian.