Restaurant in Lima, Peru
Lima's ranked taberna. Book before you visit.
Isolina Taberna Peruana is Lima's strongest case for traditional Peruvian cooking in a taberna format, holding a top-25 South America ranking from Opinionated About Dining for three consecutive years. Book for a social, à la carte meal in Barranco rather than a tasting-menu experience. Booking is easy, but Thursday to Saturday evenings fill quickly.
If you're choosing between Isolina and one of Lima's high-concept tasting-menu restaurants, the decision comes down to what you want from Peruvian food. Central (Progressive Peruvian) and Astrid & Gastón (Modern Peruvian) offer technically ambitious, multi-course experiences built around innovation. Isolina does something different: it commits to the taberna format, rooted in the kind of Peruvian home cooking that rarely gets a serious restaurant treatment. Under chef José del Castillo, the kitchen works from traditional recipes with enough care and consistency to earn back-to-back recognition from Opinionated About Dining's South America rankings (ranked 21st in 2023, 30th in 2024, and 24th in 2025) and a La Liste score of 76.5 points in 2025. That track record tells you this isn't a novelty act. Book here if you want a table, not a performance.
Isolina occupies a space on Av. San Martín 101 in Barranco, one of Lima's most walkable and atmospheric neighbourhoods. The address puts you close to Barranco's gallery circuit and independent bar scene, which makes it a logical anchor for an evening out in the area. The physical setup follows a taberna logic: the dining room is social rather than ceremonial, built around the idea that you're here to eat well and talk freely, not to sit reverently through a procession of courses. If you've been once and found the room noisy or close, that's by design, not a flaw. This is a format that rewards groups and lingering. Solo diners or couples seeking a quieter, more contemplative setting may want to consider whether the energy suits their evening. For a quieter Barranco experience, Cosme in San Isidro offers a different register entirely.
The editorial angle here matters: does Isolina's service style earn its standing? Based on its consistent performance across multiple independent ranking systems over three consecutive years, the answer is yes. The La Liste scoring methodology factors in guest experience alongside culinary quality, and a score above 75 points in both 2025 and 2026 suggests the kitchen and floor are working in the same direction. The taberna format means service is warmer and less formal than you'd find at Lima's fine-dining addresses, which is either a selling point or a gap depending on your expectations. If you want the technical polish of a well-drilled tasting-menu team, look elsewhere. If you want a room where the staff understand the food and the pacing feels human rather than choreographed, Isolina delivers that consistently enough to hold a top-25 South America position for three years running.
If you've already visited once, the logical next move is to order more broadly across the traditional dishes rather than defaulting to the most familiar options. The kitchen's strength is in the depth of its repertoire, not in one or two showpiece plates. That's the taberna proposition: multiple dishes, shared where possible, over a long table. It's also worth knowing that Thursday through Saturday hours extend to 11 pm, which gives you more room to arrive later and take the meal at your own pace. Sunday closes at 7 pm, so plan accordingly if you're visiting on a weekend.
Isolina is open Monday through Sunday, with Monday to Wednesday running noon to 10 pm, Thursday through Saturday noon to 11 pm, and Sunday noon to 7 pm. Booking difficulty is rated easy, which means you don't need to plan weeks in advance, but arriving without a reservation on a Friday or Saturday evening carries some risk given the 4.6 Google rating across more than 7,000 reviews. That volume of reviews, sustained at 4.6, is a reliable signal of consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. For comparison, La Mar Cebicheria and Anticuchos Grimanesa are both easier walk-in options if your schedule is less certain. If you're building a broader Lima itinerary, see our full Lima restaurants guide, Lima hotels guide, Lima bars guide, and Lima experiences guide for fuller context.
For travellers moving beyond Lima, Mil Centro in Moray, Chicha por Gaston Acurio in Cusco, and Cirqa in Arequipa round out a strong regional Peruvian dining circuit. If you're looking for Peruvian cooking internationally, Causa in Washington, D.C. and ITAMAE in Miami are both worth knowing about.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, so you don't need to reserve weeks out. That said, Thursday through Saturday evenings are your highest-risk slots given the venue's consistent ratings and popularity. For a weekend lunch, a few days' notice is usually sufficient. Sunday closes at 7 pm, so if you're planning a Sunday visit, book earlier in the day and confirm your arrival window.
Isolina is a taberna, not a tasting-menu restaurant. That means the format is à la carte, the room is social rather than ceremonial, and the food is rooted in traditional Peruvian home cooking rather than avant-garde technique. It has held a top-25 position in Opinionated About Dining's South America rankings for three consecutive years, which gives you a reliable baseline for expectations. Come with a group if you can, order widely, and don't expect the formal service pacing of Lima's fine-dining addresses. If you want that register, Astrid & Gastón or Central are the better fit.
It works for solo dining, but the format favours groups. The taberna setup is designed around sharing multiple dishes, so a solo visit limits your range across the menu. If you're eating alone, seat yourself at the bar if available and order two or three dishes rather than one. For solo diners who want a more counter-focused experience, La Mar Cebicheria or Panchita may offer a more comfortable solo rhythm.
Specific dish names aren't confirmed in our data, so we won't invent them. What is confirmed: the kitchen's strength is its traditional repertoire, not a handful of showpiece plates. Chef José del Castillo has built the menu around Peruvian home-cooking classics treated with serious technique. Order broadly across the menu rather than playing it safe with one or two familiar choices. If you've been before, push into less familiar territory. The La Liste and Opinionated About Dining recognition across multiple years suggests consistent quality across the range, not just at the leading of the menu.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isolina Taberna Peruana | Peruvian | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 75pts; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 76.5pts; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in South America Ranked #24 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in South America Ranked #30 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in South America Ranked #21 (2023) | Easy | — |
| Astrid & Gastón | Modern Peruvian | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Kjolle | Modern Peruvian | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Mayta | Peruvian Modern | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Mérito | Venezuelan/Fusion | World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Fiesta | Contemporary Peruvian | Unknown | — |
How Isolina Taberna Peruana stacks up against the competition.
Book at least one to two weeks in advance, particularly for Thursday through Saturday evenings when hours extend to 11 pm and demand is highest. Sunday closes at 7 pm, so lunch slots that day can disappear quickly too. A restaurant ranked in OAD's Top 25 in South America for three consecutive years does not leave tables sitting empty — plan accordingly.
Isolina is a taberna, not a tasting-menu restaurant — expect a la carte Peruvian cooking in a neighbourhood setting in Barranco, Lima's most walkable district, rather than a procession of small courses. Chef José del Castillo runs a kitchen focused on traditional Peruvian technique, which is what has earned the restaurant consistent placement in OAD's South America rankings since 2023. If you're expecting high-concept plating, redirect to Kjolle or Mayta; if you want grounded, well-executed Peruvian food with serious credentials, Isolina is the right call.
Yes. A taberna format with a la carte ordering is one of the more comfortable solo dining setups: no omakase pacing, no minimum spend per person, and no social awkwardness around sharing. Arriving at lunch on a weekday gives you the most flexibility on seating. The Barranco address on Av. San Martín 101 is also easy to reach on foot from the neighbourhood's main drag, which matters if you're travelling without a group.
Specific menu items are not listed in Pearl's current data for Isolina, so we won't guess. What the venue's La Liste scores and OAD rankings consistently signal is that the kitchen performs across its traditional Peruvian menu rather than on a single signature dish. Ask your server what's freshest on the day — in a taberna format, that question tends to get an honest answer.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
