Kjolle

Kjolle is the restaurant of Pía León, who made her name as head chef of Central and was named the World's Best Female Chef. She opened Kjolle in 2018 as her first solo project, wanting to express her own vision, and it shares the address on Avenida Pedro de Osma in Barranco with Central. In 2025 Kjolle was ranked second on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants list and named the best restaurant in Peru, and it also received that year's Art of Hospitality Award.

The restaurant describes its cooking as contemporary Peruvian gastronomy expressed with freedom and bold colour, built on native ingredients and a focus on sustainability. The cooking concentrates on Peru's larder while preserving the natural flavours of each product. A signature dish known as Many Tubers sums up the approach: toasted slices of yellow and red olluco, a creamy paste of oca and a tart made with cañihua dough. The current version pairs the cañihua with goat cheese and mashed native yellow potato, served with vegetables and sachapapa. The kitchen draws on the research of Mater, the centre that also informs Central and MIL in Cusco, and the pastry section is led by Anny Rodríguez. Diners choose between four tasting menus of seven to nine courses each.

The setting is part of the experience. Ceramics, glassware and the overall design were developed with Peruvian artists and artisans, and despite the fine-dining cooking the room is casual and colourful, decorated with minimalist art. It suits couples and food lovers looking for one of the most celebrated meals in Lima.

Kjolle is open from Tuesday to Saturday, with lunch served between 12:45 and 14:00 and dinner between 19:00 and 20:30. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Reservations are made through the restaurant's website, and the team can also be contacted by email or phone. As with Central, book as far ahead as you can and mention dietary requirements when you reserve.

Barranco is an easy place to spend the hours around a meal here. The Museo Pedro de Osma is on the same avenue, and the Bridge of Sighs and the district's bars are a short walk away, so a late lunch at Kjolle followed by an evening stroll through Barranco makes for an excellent day. If Kjolle is full, it is worth checking availability at Central, which works from the same building.