Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Lively Peruvian dining, easy to book.
Lima is a Michelin Plate-recognised Peruvian restaurant in Fitzrovia, London, led by chef Roberto Ortiz. With a 4.4 Google rating across 1,235 reviews and a serious pisco cocktail program, it's the strongest case for Peruvian dining in central London — best booked for a date, birthday, or any occasion that calls for vivid food and good drinks without tasting-menu formality.
Lima is not the place to book if you want a quiet, formal dinner with long pauses between courses. Correct that expectation now. This is a lively, colour-forward Peruvian restaurant in Fitzrovia that runs on punchy flavour and pisco — and it works better for that than most Peruvian restaurants in London. Chef Roberto Ortiz's kitchen holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and a 4.4 Google rating from 1,235 reviews, which together suggest a kitchen that delivers consistently without demanding reverence in return. If you want a special occasion dinner that feels celebratory rather than ceremonious, Lima is a credible answer.
Walk into 31 Rathbone Place and the room tells you immediately what kind of evening you're in for: vivid, high-energy, and visually arresting in the way good Peruvian cooking tends to be. The food at Lima leans into colour and contrast — this is a cuisine built on ceviche brightness, chilli heat, and the deep, savoury backbone of Andean ingredients. It is not a tasting menu experience, and that is part of the point. Lima is informal without being casual, and fun without being loud in a way that kills conversation.
The cocktail program deserves specific attention. Pisco sours here are not an afterthought , they are a genuine reason to arrive early and order before you look at the food menu. Peruvian spirits and citrus-forward builds suit the kitchen's flavour profile in a way that wine pairings sometimes don't. If you're choosing Lima for a date or a birthday dinner, factor in time at the bar or at least a round of cocktails before sitting down. The drinks program is a meaningful part of the experience, not a formality. For comparison: if the bar at Llama Inn is your reference point for how well pisco cocktails can anchor a Peruvian restaurant's identity, Lima operates in that register.
Lima is open Monday through Saturday, noon to 10 pm, and is closed on Sundays. Booking is rated easy , you are unlikely to need more than a week's notice for most nights, which makes it a practical option when you're planning a last-minute birthday dinner or a midweek date. It is located at 31 Rathbone Place, W1T 1JH, putting it squarely in Fitzrovia, walkable from Tottenham Court Road. For special occasions, book a weeknight over the weekend if you want a more relaxed atmosphere; Saturday evenings at restaurants in this part of London tend to run louder.
Lima works leading for: a date where you want dinner to feel like an event without the stiffness of a tasting menu; a birthday with a group that drinks well; or a business lunch where you want to impress without booking a room that requires a two-hour commitment. The Michelin Plate recognition signals a kitchen that takes its craft seriously, and the Google rating at scale (over 1,200 reviews at 4.4) suggests that experience holds across a wide range of visits , not just critic nights. If you want London's most technically rigorous Peruvian cooking in a room that doesn't take itself too seriously, Lima makes a strong case.
For those who want to explore the broader London dining scene, see our full London restaurants guide. If Peruvian food is your focus and you're travelling further afield, Causa in Washington D.C. and ITAMAE in Miami are worth knowing about. For London hotel and bar planning around your visit, see our London hotels guide and our London bars guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | Peruvian | Lima is one of those restaurants that just makes you feel good about life – and that’s even without the pisco sours. The Peruvian food at this informal, fun place is the ideal antidote to times of austerity: it’s full of punchy, invigorating flavours and fantastically vivid colours.; Michelin Plate (2025) | Easy | — | |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Lima works well for groups, particularly those who want a shared, social format rather than a formal sit-down. The lively atmosphere at 31 Rathbone Place suits larger tables who plan to eat across multiple dishes. Book ahead if you're coming with four or more — the room fills on weekday evenings. Closed Sundays, so plan accordingly.
Bar seating is available at Lima, and it suits solo diners or pairs who want a quicker, more informal visit. It's a reasonable option if you haven't booked ahead, though booking is rated easy so there's little reason to risk it. The pisco sours are worth ordering wherever you sit.
Lima holds a Michelin Plate (2025), which signals consistent cooking rather than an occasion-only kitchen. The food is built around punchy, vivid Peruvian flavours, so the approach is to order widely across the menu rather than anchor to one main. Start with a pisco sour — it's the obvious opener and sets the tone for the meal.
Yes, with the right expectations. Lima is a Michelin Plate restaurant with a lively, informal atmosphere — it works well for birthdays or celebratory dinners where you want the meal to feel like an event without the weight of a tasting-menu format. If you need a quieter, more formal setting, CORE by Clare Smyth or The Ledbury are the better call.
Lima is open noon to 10 pm Monday through Saturday, so both are on the table. Lunch tends to be easier to walk into and suits a shorter visit; dinner at Lima reads better as an occasion, when the room's energy picks up. Either way, booking is straightforward — you're unlikely to need more than a week's notice.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
