Menu to Taste

El Mercado

Elevated Peruvian Seafood · Lima · Miraflores · Chef Rafael Osterling

Ranked No. 93 on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants, El Mercado in Lima is chef Rafael Osterling's daytime cevichería focusing on elevated Peruvian seafood. Housed in an open-air courtyard in Miraflores, the lunch-only kitchen serves raw bar seafood and dishes like Ceviche Mercado with fried squid.

Av. Hipólito Unanue 203, Miraflores, Lima 15047, Peru, Lima

  • #93 Latin America's 51–100 2024

Menu

Dishes

  • Sudado de Mero — Steamed Grouper, Chicha Broth, Ají Amarillo (68) — Sudado (literally 'sweated') is one of Lima's great seafood preparations: whole fish or fillets steamed in a fragrant broth of chicha (fermented corn), tomato, ají amarillo, coriander, and onion. The grouper is set in the broth and cooked until just done, absorbing the broth's flavours while releasing its own juices into the liquid. One of the most elegant and healthy preparations in Lima's seafood canon.
  • Ceviche Mercado — House Classic, Ají Limo, Leche de Tigre (52) — El Mercado's signature ceviche: market fish of the day (corvina, lenguado, or mero depending on availability) in the house leche de tigre — fresh lime, ají limo, ginger, coriander, celery, and fish stock. Served with cancha (toasted corn), choclo (large-kernel corn), and sliced red onion. The preparation is classical Lima ceviche at its best: nothing modernised, just exceptional fish and a perfectly calibrated marinade.
  • Postre de Lúcuma — Lucuma Mousse, Chancaca Caramel, Canela (35) — El Mercado's dessert built around lucuma — the Peruvian subtropical fruit with a distinctive dry, maple-sweet flavour, absolutely central to Peru's dessert tradition (ice cream, cakes, and mousses are all major lucuma expressions). A mousse with chancaca caramel (raw cane sugar) and canela (cinnamon). Simple, seasonal, and exactly what you want after a meal of ceviches and seafood.
  • Arroz con Leche — Traditional Rice Pudding, Cinnamon (25) — El Mercado house rice pudding: short-grain rice slow-cooked in whole milk with sugar, cinnamon stick, and lime zest until swollen and creamy, scattered with ground cinnamon. A Lima dessert staple that follows naturally after a seafood meal — its sweetness and dairy richness resetting the palate after the acid and heat of ceviche and leche de tigre.
  • Chupe de Camarones — Peruvian Prawn Chowder, Egg, Highland Cheese (55) — Chupe de camarones — the great Arequipa prawn chowder, one of Peru's most celebrated regional soups: river prawns from Arequipa's Río Camaná in a thick chowder of milk, potato, corn, highland cheese, and eggs. El Mercado sources Arequipa prawns when available; the preparation follows the Arequipa regional recipe exactly. One of the great comfort dishes of Peruvian cooking.
  • Leche de Tigre El Mercado — Tiger's Milk Shot, Chicharrón de Calamar (28) — El Mercado's leche de tigre served as a shot glass preparation: the house ceviche marinade at its most concentrated, served alongside crispy chicharrón de calamar (fried squid rings). The leche de tigre shot has become one of Lima's most consumed short preparations — drunk as an energy boost, hangover cure, and appetiser throughout the city. El Mercado's version is made fresh from each ceviche batch.
  • Lomo de Atún — Tuna Steak, Botija Olive, Andean Herbs (72) — Peruvian yellowfin tuna from the warm Pacific waters off the northern coast — one of the world's great tuna fishing grounds — seared and served with Peruvian botija olive (the black olive of Peru's coastal valleys, intensely fruity) and Andean herbs. The tuna quality (caught fresh, not frozen) makes this preparation extraordinary: the flesh is dense, dark red, and flavoured by the Humboldt-to-warm-water current transition.
  • Taco Anticuchero — Anticucho Beef Heart, Blue Corn Taco, Sarsa (45) — A beef heart anticucho (Lima's great street food: heart marinated in ají panka and vinegar, charcoal-grilled) served inside a blue corn tortilla with sarsa criolla (the Afro-Peruvian raw onion salad). The taco format is cross-cultural; the anticucho filling and sarsa criolla are pure Lima street culture. A dish that captures the creative ease of El Mercado's approach to Lima's culinary inheritance.
  • Postre de Maracuyá — Passion Fruit Tart, Crema Pastelera (35) — A passion fruit tart using maracuyá from Peru's Amazon-edge tropical growing regions — the acidity and aromatic intensity of Peruvian maracuyá is extraordinary compared to imported varieties. Filled with crema pastelera (classic custard cream) and topped with maracuyá curd. Lima's most versatile tropical fruit as the centre of a classically constructed pastry.
  • Ceviche Mixto — Mixed Seafood, Leche de Tigre, Choclo (62) — El Mercado's mixed seafood ceviche: a combination of the day's best Pacific seafood (fish, squid, shrimp, octopus, scallops) in the house leche de tigre. Where the Ceviche Mercado uses only fish, the ceviche mixto celebrates the full range of the Humboldt Current's offerings in a single preparation.

Wines

  • Chicha Morada — Traditional Purple Corn Drink (18) — El Mercado's house chicha morada: purple corn boiled with pineapple peel, apple, cinnamon, clove, and lime, served chilled. The best non-alcoholic pairing with ceviche — its sweetness cuts the acid of the leche de tigre while its corn character mirrors the cancha accompaniment. Peru's most beloved non-alcoholic beverage, made daily from Maíz Morado.

Cocktails

  • Pisco Sour El Mercado — Quebranta, Fresh Lime, Egg White (35) — El Mercado pisco sour: Quebranta grape pisco (Peru most important non-aromatic variety, earthy and robust), fresh lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and Angostura bitters. The essential cocktail pairing for ceviche — the sour citrus and pisco strength amplifying the leche de tigre flavours. Served very cold, the foam set with three drops of bitters.
  • Pisco Punch — El Mercado's Seasonal Punch, Tropical Fruit (35) — El Mercado's house punch: pisco (the Peruvian grape brandy), seasonal tropical Peruvian fruit (maracuyá, chirimoya, guanábana, or aguaymanto depending on availability), fresh lime, and a house-made syrup. The pisco punch tradition in Peru dates to the 19th century (the original Pisco Punch was invented in San Francisco using Peruvian pisco); El Mercado's version uses the freshest seasonal tropical fruit.

The Experience

A lively and relaxed room with garden or terrace dining. The meal is structured around à la carte dining.

  • Atmosphere: Lively, Relaxed
  • Format: À la carte
  • Setting: Garden / terrace

Phone: +51 1 221-1322

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