Restaurant
Central
Virgilio Martínez and Pía León's tasting-menu restaurant in Barranco, named the world's best restaurant in 2023, built around ingredients from Peru's coast, Andes and Amazon.
El Mercado
Rafael Osterling's lunch-only seafood restaurant in Miraflores, with a courtyard dining room, a cocktail bar and a menu of ceviches, scallops and octopus.
At a glance
- Type
- Seafood and cebichería
- Area
- Miraflores, Lima, Peru
- Price
- $$$ · Upscale
- Official site
- rafaelosterling.pe
Good to know
- Lunch only
- Cocktail bar
- Courtyard dining room
Why we recommend it
El Mercado is chef Rafael Osterling's seafood restaurant, a lunchtime favourite in Miraflores and one of the best places in the city to try ceviche in a relaxed but polished setting. Osterling leads several Lima restaurants, including Rafael on Calle San Martín, which is a regular on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list, as well as Rocco in Miraflores and Picnic in San Isidro. El Mercado is the group's seafood restaurant, focused on the sea. Osterling studied law before turning to cooking, which took him to Paris and London for several years, and he opened his first restaurant, Rafael, in 2000. He also ran restaurants in Bogotá for many years. El Mercado won the Summum guide's award for best new restaurant in 2011 and was ranked first among its best restaurants in 2012, and Osterling has written a book named after it, El Mercado, homenaje a la cocina peruana.
The menu presents Peru's best seafood with a contemporary touch. Ceviches are the main event, and the kitchen offers many versions; order two or three to share so you can compare styles. Other dishes that the restaurant is known for include scallops served three ways, octopus and sustainably sourced fish. The cocktail bar is part of the experience, and its pisco punch makes a good start to a long lunch.
The dining room is set around an indoor courtyard, which gives the place an airy, informal atmosphere that suits groups of friends and families as well as couples. El Mercado is open for lunch only, from Tuesday to Sunday, and is closed in the evenings. Booking ahead by phone is sensible at weekends.
Prices are mid-range, higher than a neighbourhood cebichería but well below Lima's tasting-menu restaurants, which makes El Mercado a good choice if you want a memorable seafood meal without committing to a long tasting menu. Allow at least an hour and a half for lunch.
The restaurant is on Avenida Hipólito Unanue in Miraflores. If you enjoy El Mercado, an evening meal at Rafael, on Calle San Martín in the same district, completes the picture of Osterling's cooking.
El Mercado FAQs
When is El Mercado open?
For lunch only, Tuesday to Sunday; it is closed in the evenings.
What should I order?
Ceviches are the speciality, along with scallops served three ways, octopus and the pisco punch from the bar.
Who is the chef?
Rafael Osterling, who also runs Rafael, Rocco and Picnic in Lima.
Where is it?
At Av. Hipólito Unanue 203 in Miraflores.
What is the setting like?
A dining room around an indoor courtyard, with a cocktail bar.
Is it expensive?
It is mid-range: more than a neighbourhood cebichería, much less than a tasting-menu restaurant.
How do I contact them?
By phone on +51 974 779 517.
Is it good for groups?
Yes, the courtyard dining room and sharing dishes suit groups of friends and families.