MUST EAT: Maido In Lima, Peru Restaurant Review
Maido in Lima, Peru is one of the best restaurants in the world, featuring the refreshing flavors of Nikkei cuisine. Keep reading for my review of the food and all the information you need to eat at Maido yourself.
Spoiler Alert: Maido Is Amazing
I LOVE Maido. No. I am beyond love.
I want to ask Maido on a date, get married, and grow old together, eating its delicious culinary treasures for the next sixty years.
My lunch at Maido sent me places…magical places that I never knew existed. By the end of my meal, I floated to a food high, crossing over to a relaxed state of satisfied bliss.
I’ll dream about my meal for years to come.
Maido: Japanese Cuisine Like No Other
Lima’s culinary landscape covers a wide range of ingredients with specialties leaning heavily on seafood, potatoes, and pork.
A lesser known style of cuisine, called Nikkei, evolved with the immigration of Japanese immigrants to Peru in the 20th century, creating a unique fusion cuisine.
At Maido, Nikkei cuisine is the frontrunner, showcasing Peruvian ingredients with Japanese culinary techniques.
On the list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Maido ranks #11 in the world and #3 in Latin America. Throughout the past decade, Maido jumped around in the top five spots with a three year stint as the Number 1 Best Restaurant in Latin America from 2017- 2019.
These accolades show the dedication of head chef and owner Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura, who, Peruvian by birth but Japanese in ancestry, expresses his heritage directly through Nikkei cuisine.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of other amazing restaurants in Lima, Peru that hold similar recognition and accolades.
Keep reading for information on the menu, dress code, reservations, the full price I paid, and each dish I ate at Maido Lima, Peru.
The Menu At Maido In Lima, Peru
I did NOT try the Nikkei Experience, the special 12 course tasting menu, but decided on the A La Carte for a better understanding of the food and the precision with ingredients.
Yes, Maido offers an A La Carte menu, an option usually excluded from fine dining restaurants. Having the option to pick different dishes makes Maido more accessible for those unwilling to pay the $559 SOL ($140 USD) for the tasting menu.
If you want info on the Nikkei Tasting Menu, look through the photos on Google.
I have photos here from the menu, but just check out https://maido.pe/en/menu/ for the full A La Cart, Drinks, And Dessert Menu.
My Meal At Maido In Lima, Peru
Below, I have photos, descriptions, and my impressions of everything I ate at Maido, with prices for each dish.
I believe an amazing meal at Maido is possible without spending hundreds of dollars a person, and anyone visiting Lima should make this restaurant a top priority.
If you are looking for cheaper options, there are plenty of amazing Nikkei and Japanese restaurants in Lima that will fit into any budget.
Cocktails – Geisha $45 SOL, Murasaki $35 SOL
My wonderfully pink Geisha was nicely acidic and light with concentrated flavors of lychee. Each sip tasted like sucking on a lychee candy, refreshing my palate between courses.
Maido offers a large selection non alcoholic cocktails, showing their creativity without the need for spirits. My wife decided on the Murasaki made from green tea, pomegranate, lychee, orange, and pineapple foam.
Not only beautiful but incredibly delicious, the Murasaki drank with a refreshing “ahh” without tasting like plain fruit juice.
I love how modern restaurants are moving past normal cocktails and into non alcoholic options that don’t make you miss the booze.
1. Temaki Negitoro $59 SOL
The roll of chopped fatty tuna with chives and ponzu melted in my mouth without even chewing.
Although the roll was relatively small, the flavors of fatty tuna didn’t shy away from the rest of the ingredients. A great start to the meal that helped make an excellent first impression.
2. Tempura Moriawase $75 SOL
A tempura basket that sets a standard for all Japanese restaurants with shrimp, white fish, silverside fish, Peruvian pumpkin, sweet potato, and eggplant all fried to crispy perfection.
Each bite shattered with wonderfully loud crunches while chewing. Exactly what I want from tempura.
If you never tried razor clams before, prepare to have your mind blown. Raw, sliced razor clams sit on a ponzu emulsion with truffle oil, an assortment of fish eggs, and sprinkled with fairy dust.
Ok. No fairy dust, but it was a magical dish!
The razor clams held an immaculate quality, expressing the very best flavor any clam could produce.
Then, the ponzu emulsion with truffle oil sent my tastebuds on a journey with creamy umami and delicate, briny pops from the fish eggs.
I’m usually not a fan of truffle oil, but it’s used nicely, adding just a hint of truffle essence to every bite.
4. Guratan Nigiri $35 SOL
Fried shrimp with a thick slice of super ripe avocado topped with cream cheese, chimichurri, and drizzled with eel sauce were flame broiled table side before I sucked it down in a single bite.
My eyes widened as I looked at my wife. A decadent flavor bomb just exploded and I couldn’t contain my surprise.
A wonderful creaminess came first with the avocado and cream cheese pooling together. Then, a slight sweetness from the eel sauce hit with a smokiness pushing forward from the charring.
A nice crunch from the fried shrimp rounded out each chew making it perfect. I seriously considered ordering another one, but a mountain of food was still on the way.
5. Salmon And Chili Nigiri $35 SOL
A nice, thick piece of salmon belly sat on perfect sushi rice slathered with a yellow pepper sauce, black sesame seeds, and a diced shallot mignonette.
A testament to how salmon should always taste.
The tender belly meat melted away when eaten and the yellow pepper sauce and shallots had a distinct flavor combination elevating the salmon essence even more.
6. Tuna and Yolks Nigiri $49 SOL
A unique nigiri consisting of tuna, egg yolks marinated in shoyu, quail egg injected with ponzu, and topped with crispy quinoa.
The whole piece of sushi tasted like one of the best tuna nigiri I could imagine with the shoyu marinated egg yolk adding saltiness and richness.
I loved the use of the fried quail egg, making the whole bite finish on a nice eggy note.
7. Scallop and Aji Negro Nigiri $35 SOL
A perfect scallop. The taste of the ocean packed into a morsel that tasted fresh yet deep from the Rocoto pepper chimichurri and black aji pepper sauce.
The salty and acidic sauce helped the already delicious scallop transition into the divine. Imagine breathing in the fresh sea air and taking a sip of soy sauce. Yeah, kind of like that.
8. Katsu Sando $45 SOL
A veal sweetbread breaded and fried topped with a red cabbage slaw and spicy mustard. What an astounding interpretation of the famous Japanese pork sandwich!
Eating the katsu sando reminded me why I love food so much.
First, it utilizes sweetbreads, the thymus gland of the cow. Usually overlooked, this organ’s tender texture and unique flavor often go underutilized.
From first impressions, I would never guess this sandwich was made from sweetbreads, which actually tasted like nicely marinated pork.
The cabbage and spicy mustard paired deliciously, giving the sandwich a creamy and sharp finish.
Outrageously delicious, I regret not ordering at least one more.
9. Sea Urchin Rice $89 SOL
I made a rookie mistake by ordering too much food at once. By the time the sea urchin rice came, my palate started dragging heavily from all the rich flavors.
That being said, I still loved the sea urchin rice.
A pile of extra large sea urchins sat on a bed of Chiclayo rice and baby corn topped with avocado cream and finely sliced green onion.
The sea urchin maintained its integrity, tasting like the essence of fresh fish and the ocean.
The rice was very heavy and should be approached as a side instead of an entree. I wish I ordered this earlier in the meal so that I could manage those deep seafood flavors better.
10. Spicy Tantamen Ramen $65 SOL
My taste buds remained worn out and my stomach edged at the brink of being full, but I still found room to slurp down the spicy ramen.
Sips of the broth took me straight to Japan, reminding me of those distinguished ramen shops.
The broth was complex, murky, and spicy, each sip being delightfully porky with the noodles remaining slightly chewy; the perfect texture for a ramen like this.
I slowly found my palate reinvigorated, having enough stamina to enjoy all aspects of the soup.
Spooning through the broth, ground pork lay waiting for me like the prize at the bottom of a cereal box.
Slurp the noodles, sip the broth, then scoop the pork. Keep repeating to reach Nikkei nirvana.
11. Churros $49 SOL
What I would expect from churros, but with a twist. Each fried piece of dough came filled with manjar blanco, a Peruvian dulce de leche with a generous serving of house made cinnamon ice cream.
The freshly fried batch of sugar covered churros crunched into the creamy manjar blanco. I loved the pairing with the cinnamon ice cream, which wasn’t too sweet and contrasted nicely with the warm churros.
Price At Maido Restaurant
For those looking for the Nikkei Experience, the current price as of October 2022 is $559 SOL ($140 USD) per person or $948 SOL ($240 USD) per person with a wine pairing.
Maido also offers a veggie tasting experience for 350 SOL ($87 USD) per person.
For those looking for more affordable options, I suggest the A La Carte option.
For all the food I ate, both drinks, and two bottles of water, my bill came to $741 SOL ($185 USD) before the tip.
If I went with the Nikkei Experience without the wine pairing, my bill with drinks would’ve come to $1248 SOL ($312 USD) before the tip.
That saved me roughly 507 SOL ($127 USD) for the whole meal to skip the Nikkei tasting menu.
Looking back, I could have chosen a few cheaper items and maybe skipped Sea Urchin Rice to get my bill to a more reasonable price, but I regret nothing.
I left super full and satisfied on all levels.
Reservations For Maido In Lima, Peru
By the time I found out about Maido, it was too late. Reservations booked quickly, and I couldn’t find a reservation when I first made it to Peru.
One day and for no particular reason, I went back to their website at around 4 pm and found a slew of open slots for lunch the next day; cancelations they were trying to fill.
To book a reservation at Maido, head to their website and open the reservation tab to see what they have available.
Learn from me and look in the late afternoon for the following day you want to eat at Maido.
If that still doesn’t get you in, call the restaurant to be put on a waitlist, or stop by for lunch or dinner to see if they had any last minute cancelations.
Dress Code For Maido Restaurant
From what I could find, there is no definite dress code for dining at Maido.
I dressed very casually and found other diners wearing anything from casual to formal wear. Everyone looked accepted and comfortable in the atmosphere.
Since this is a notable restaurant, take this opportunity to dress up and look nice for an amazing meal.
Maido In Lima, Peru Information
Address: Ca. San Martin No. 399, Miraflores 15074, Peru
Phone Number: +51 01 313 5100
Website: https://maido.pe/en/
Email: informes@maido.pe
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Chris Kretzer has traveled the world visiting over 35 countries and eating his way through every city. With his wife Tiarra, they explore different food cultures and create food guides, podcasts, and travel articles helping everyone experience the world through food.