If one needs an introduction to Peruvian cocktails, consider the Pisco Sour. A delightful drink of native grapes – a type of brandy with a rigorous vetting process – and frothed egg white, it is known the world over for its flavor, appearance, and authentic Peruvian identity. It is iconic, well-balanced, and remarkably tasty, but it is just the beginning of what this country, and its capital city, have to offer.

The nightlife in Lima is unmatched, and it is known to be one of the most vivacious in South America. Beyond late nights and flowing drinks, there are a wealth of innovative bars and restaurants that are perfecting classic cocktails and trailblazing new techniques. Some of the best bartenders have either come from or landed in Lima, and many have been trained around the world. For such a large city, it has all the necessary ingredients for a cocktail capital.

Be it wine, beer, spirits, or non-alcoholic beverages, this city can hang with the best of them. It sets the bar for what it takes to be a great… well, bar. Here are our top ten bars in Lima, Peru.

BARS

Carnaval

Website: https://carnavalbar.com/

Instagram: @carnavalbar

At the southern end of San Isidro on Av. Pardo y Aliaga, Carnaval sits at the forefront of Lima’s cocktail landscape. Its accolades have been coming in since it opened in 2017, and since its re-opening in 2022 it continued where it left off. Two times it has been awarded World’s 50 Best Bars – currently number 44 for 2022 – and owner Aaron Diaz is no stranger to high quality fare. With experience that includes Beverage Director at Peruvian staple Astrid y Gaston, he’s worked side by side with the industry’s best and knows how to make a business a smashing success. With trips to Mexico, Europe, and everywhere else on Earth, he brings an exotic flair to an already exciting scene.

Enter Carnaval, and you can see the influence from Diaz’s extensive experience. Ambience is everywhere, and every cocktail is as delicious as it is beautiful. Colorful coups are filled with classic cocktails seen through Lima’s unique lens; whether it is local artisans who design glassware or libations created around the country’s immigrant story, the cocktails are so much more than just drinks. The eponymous Gran Carnaval, which includes Chartreuse, is a delightful mainstay on an impressive and award-winning menu. Chartreuse is even featured on its own in the form of a flight, so even as Diaz switches up his menu through his worldly travels, you can expect to be wowed by Carnaval.

Bottega Dasso

Website: https://bottegadasso.com/

Instagram: @bottega_dasso

Just around the corner, Bottega Dasso has a different identity that is just as inviting in the San Isidro neighborhood. An amazing restaurant in its own right, the drinks here are elegant, inventive, and capture the mood of a faraway comfort. Easy drinking classics like Manhattans and Old Fashioned whisk you away to New York, Paris, and anywhere else you’d imagine sipping in style. Owners Lou Rottman and David Maya reinvented the restaurant after acquiring it in 2020. Many folks still seek out the amazing food, but the aforementioned drinks make it a must-see stop on any elevated bar crawl.

The bar is surrounded by booth seating and carefully selected upholstery, including chic wooden chairs that match the exposed white brick. Mirrors and artwork are featured strategically along the walls, but the unquestioned focus is the stunning bar. Exposed shelves are full yet clutter-free, and everything from the espresso machine to the unique glassware has a place. Consider a Monaco Negroni, a smoking concoction poured into a carefully prepared glass with a waiting sprig of rosemary. The elegance is key to making this one of the best bars in Lima.

Siete 

Website: https://siete.meitre.com/

Instagram: @7restaurante_

Another restaurant with an amazing bar, Siete is the essence of cool. Owned and operated by Ricardo Martins, who perfected his craft under one of Peru’s best, Rafael Osterling, the dramatic ceilings and parlor house history amp up the emotional drama of the fare and drinks. Within the hundred-year-old house is a high-class watering hole in one of the hippest places in Lima (Barranco), and for good reason. Intimate and inviting without being pretentious, Siete knows it’s cool but doesn’t care, making it even more desirable.

The drinks are designed around the food and the experience, so being sated and stylish go hand in hand. Often featuring drinks with Pisco Huamaní, Siete is quick to give a nod to the amazing ingredients and history of where it comes from. Moving past the well-known sours and punches – though still readily available for order – they have a never-ending list of cocktail riffs to keep both traditionalists and radicals happy. For the former, oak-aged negronis do the trick to raise the bar on a well-known drink. The latter can branch out with a French Toast – not the food – which consists of Glenlivet, Mezcal, and butterscotch.

Cordial

Website: https://mailchimp.com/courier/article/cordial-lima-wine-bar/

Instagram: @cordial_barranco

Now that Barranco has been established as one of the trendier neighborhoods in Lima, understanding why Cordial wine bar helps put it in that category is no surprise. A newcomer in 2022, Andres Marroquin Winkelmann and Vanessa Touzard wanted to create a fun meeting place around amazing food, soul-moving feeling, and ingredient transparency. This manifested itself as a sustainable wine bar, café, and library, a crossroads for Peruvians to share their lives and stories. The food and wine go together seamlessly, selected exclusively for the purpose of promoting each other. Record players and plants hang around the room, providing a café atmosphere where patrons feel free.

Holding themselves accountable to their mission statement, Winkelmann and Touzard made a point of including every aspect of Cordial with intention, even the vinyl collection. The wines still take center stage, and each one is natural and secured for specific reasons. Wines with no added ingredients, like sugar and yeast, are great examples of their operation. The Quebrante y Tempranillo and the Cordial Blanco are even billed into their endeavor, produced by Ismael Carpio and a recent example of bringing community around a cause by soliciting the help of local artisans.

Hotel B

Website: https://hotelb.pe/en/taste/the-bar/

Instagram: @hotelblima

Historic Limeño swank is a vibe, and Hotel B might be its creator. The building is of the Belle Epoque style and a former vacation home / mansion of the Bedoya Family built in the 1920s. The Bar at B is run by Axel Romero, former Best Bartender and a big reason it is a two-time Summam Best Restobar – Lounge winner (including 2022). A large masterpiece hangs front and center behind the bar, overlooking gorgeous high stools and comfy marble tables. Its recent attention makes it one of the most popular places in Barranco.

With great power comes great responsibility, and Hotel B and the Bar at B take it seriously. The glassware is designed exclusively for the hotel, so each drink is literally built with a particular intention. Peruvian boutique cocktails are prepared masterfully, such as the immaculately garnished and delightfully refreshing Sunset. The presentation is arguably one of the most impressive aspects of their libations. This is currently the place to be seen enjoying the best cocktail of your life.

Sastrería Martinez

Website: https://www.sastreriamartinez.com/

Instagram: @sastreriamartinezlima

The Miraflores neighborhood is also home to another 50 Best Discovery bar, Sastrería Martinez, which opened just last year. At first glance, it may seem like just another spot to get a cocktail, but it is a nostalgic speakeasy that takes you back to the 1920s United States Prohibition. Authentic décor and bespoke bartenders – wearing suspenders and vests that just command respect – are just the beginning of your time traveling experience as you enter through the Martinez tailor shop.

Handsomely lit and masterfully detailed, the ambience is matched by an equally impressive cocktail list curated by industry veteran Diego Macedo. Maintaining classic cocktail concepts while exploring the world of Andean ingredients and styles is seamlessly done, and drinks are equal parts delicious and beautiful. Consider El Sastre (The Tailor): served in a chiseled coupe topped with froth and garnished with chocolate buttons and chocolate tie. The presentation is unprecedented, and in true speakeasy fashion, it is tough to keep this bar a secret because it is so darn good.

Celeste

Website: https://celestesolarbar.pe/celeste/?lang=en

Instagram: @celestesolarbar

Summertime in NYC is often defined by high-rise cocktails overlooking the city, and San Isidro’s Celeste Rooftop brings this feeling to Peru. On the 10^th floor of the Hyatt San Isidro Hotel, the views are stunning and the drinks unforgettable. Whether sitting at the bar, a high top, or one of the lounge chairs, manicured hedges and carefully placed greenery are the precursor to city views. A great place to catch a sunset, the design is sleek and inviting, offering one of the best vibes in Lima.

The bar is immaculate, but minimalist it is not as its menu is extensive. Head bartender Mauricio De La Puente brings international experience to his resume, and with over 10 years in and out of Lima crafting killer cocktails, he brings it all home at the top of the city. A great gin list compliments a cast including classic riffs like the Dedalo and the Inmigrante. Pair a Fenix with a rack of onion rings, grab some friends, and have the night of your life.

Victoria

Website: https://www.fodors.com/world/south-america/peru/lima/things-to-do/nightlife/reviews/victoria-bar-608391

Instagram: @victoria_barranco

Next to a café of the same name, Victoria is a lively bar in Barranco that offers a little bit of everything. Leather couches and round bar stools look upon an area surrounded by greenery. Even the ceiling above the bar is bedazzled with ivy-like growth exuding an outdoor oasis. The building includes a wide porch with tall archways, and upon entering is spacious and inviting. Elegant tables and chairs provide comfort while white walls improve the effect of the garden vibe.

Craft beers and carefully designed cocktails bring a historic presence to the former Cilloniz Family home. Peruvian food classics are available on an appetizer menu as well, Lemons and limes are cut and picked for garnishes, amplifying spritz and martini classics in tasteful glassware. A Moscow Mule with a star-shaped pineapple goes down easy here. And the party continues well into the night, with many evenings ending around 3:00am. A great place to take on the night, Victoria Bar is a wake-up call to anyone looking for the best mix of chic, approachable, and downright fun.

Mayo

Website: https://www.theworlds50best.com/discovery/Establishments/Peru/Lima/Mayo.html

Instagram: @mayo.comedor

Cocktails without imperfections are hard to come by, but Mayo has done a phenomenal job of preparing Instagram-worthy drinks with Peruvian liquors and elements. An award-winning (World’s 50 Best Discovery) cocteleria in the same building as one of Peru’s best restaurants, Central, it takes pride in using local ingredients to tell the history and story of Lima through the cocktail. Intentional and casual all at once, the drinks may seem simple, but their design and execution are anything but.

The food pairings are top notch, but what makes Mayo standout among the other great bars of the city are the spirits it uses and infuses. Some are even made in-house. Take their Espresso Martini, for example, as it uses yucca vodka as its base. Or the Bee’s Knees that uses Amazonian gin and black garlic. Unbelievable ingredients make for remarkable cocktails, and this could be one of the best in the world.

Dossis

Website: https://www.facebook.com/dossis.lima/

Instagram: @dossis.lima

A veritable San Isidro oasis by description and design, Dossis focuses on a stellar wine list to bring people to the table. The space includes open-air seating replete with greenery, bamboo fence links, and a canopy. Wooden tables serve as high tops inside a well-let dining room, magnifying exposed brick interiors on one side and clean cabinet panels on the other. Plush lounge seating includes leather couches and chairs, making it a comfortable stop for wine and food.

Pairings are of the utmost importance here, so the staff is experienced in guiding you through the menu. From stuffed grape leaves to a quail burger, there is plenty to try, but the drinks are the pinnacle of the journey. Whether trying a Pisco Sour or one of their other complex cocktails (think El Dorado or Dulce Fauna), the libations are excellent. Wines are diverse and decadent, ranging from native Peruvian wines to those well outside the region. They also keep an eye on natural and organic wines, saving space for a burgeoning growth in sustainability. So grab a glass of natural Nero D’Avola and listen to some live music – there is everything to like at Dossis.

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THE ANDEAN EXPERIENCE

Stationed in the center of the bar scene, Andean Experience is ready to craft your journey through the nightlife of Lima. Our former mansion-turned-casa, Atemporal, is a charming getaway in the buzzing city, with unmatched design features and a timeless aesthetic. Our professional service is built around you, providing an intimate knowledge of Peru and its capital with your desired itinerary. Let us create a trip tailored to your specific needs from start to finish, bringing the best restaurants, swankiest bars, and most unforgettable nights straight to you.

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Our experiences and cultural excursions allow you to see the city in style. We design these trips around your interests, be it art and museums, food and gastronomy, or urban exploration. Spend your days discovering all that Lima has to offer before returning to our grand casa to relax and recount your adventures, and maybe even find the perfect night cap. We are prepared to generate your visit down to the last detail… and cocktail.

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There are so many exciting bars to visit in Lima, so many new and inventive drinks to enjoy. The authentic Peruvian cocktails and wines that inform the menus around the city each have their own twist and appeal. Come visit Lima and put our top 10 list to the test, and let us help you find your favorite bar in Peru!

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