Astrid y Gaston
Cantuarias 175
Miraflores
444-1496
Open 1-4pm and 8pm-midnight. Closed Sundays.
ayg@qnet.com.pe

This restaurant served me what was absolutely one of the best meals I have ever eaten. They are located in Miraflores, one block east of Tequila Rock and two blocks south (away from Pizza Alley) of Parque Central.

The food was fabulous. I took the waiter's recommendation for both courses. My appetizer was conchas negras, served in a small casserole dish with an assortment of other seafood items. For my main course, I had some grilled fish filet (don't remember), served with shrimps, pulpo, scallops and calamar. There was probably some vegetable, but I can't remember any longer. I passed on dessert, but they brought me a few small finger desserts to enjoy with my coffee.

The service and atmosphere was impeccable. There is a small waiting area right when you enter, and a small bar for waiting as well. The clientele was mostly upscale local people, with a couple of English-speaking couples here and there. I saw a few expense account dinners going on, too.

My dinner, with an exhorbitant tip, ran 125 Soles ($39.06). I don't drink alcohol, so I only had two or three soft drinks. Also, the bread basket was superb, and they hit me up for $3 or $4 for a refill there.

The place is pretty big (about 20-25 tables), but you will need to make a reservation. I confirmed that the hostess only speaks Spanish, but I spent the whole meal talking to the waiter in my bad Spanish, and as I left, he wished a tourist couple, "a good night and come back soon," in perfect English. Go figure. They're open for lunch, too.

They have a second branch in Santiago, Chile.

Fodor's and Frommer's both rate the restaurant highly as well.

One more follow up - sorry if it's dumb! Do men need to wear a tie at this establishment? Or is the LS Shirt/Slacks sufficient. [I have not packed a tie...]. Also, I assume it is appropriate to take a "date" as long as I am buying? I can only assume Q1=no and Q2=yes but just in case! Thanks!

Q1 = No. Last time, I went in jeans, sneakers and a long sleeve shirt. No tie. No problem. You will see some expense account people there, but it's not an issue.

Q2 = Yes. Just make sure that she isn't dressed like a hooker. It shouldn't be a problem, especially if they have any prior notice. Be prepared for them (most of 'em, anyway) to not be comfortable in the fancier joints. They just don't get the practice. But somehow, they seem to acclimate themselves quickly!

BTW, Astrid y Gaston does have a menu in English if you ask for it.

From a recent visit to Astrid y Gaston in Miraflores (I did not have a reservation, so I ate at the bar), here are the olives that they put in front of me when I sat down, the Pulpo al Cilandro, and the Saltado Otonal, which was really a Tacu Tacu with both fish and seafood in the Saltado mix.

Both dishes were perfect, and the main course was so big that I couldn't finish it. The service at the bar is not what I have come to expect from Astrid y Gaston, but that's why I like to sit at a table.

Hey RT, I had dinner there with a date and enjoyed it very much. There is also one in Bogota that I might try next week.

RT here. I visited Astrid y Gaston during both my May and August trips. The place is expensive by Peruvian standards, but, boy... you get what you pay for. Everything was more than fabulous. I was so overwhelmed in August that I took some really crappy pictures, and forgot to take some others. These pictures are the mixed causa appetizer, the scallops appetizer and the lomo saltado. I forget what else we had in May. In August we had the causa appetizer again, some sort of raviolis in a great sauce, a fish dish, and -- if I remember correctly -- a veal cheek that was marinaded/cooked for 20 hours before serving. I tried my friend's veal cheek, and I *almost* regretted ordering anything else in my entire two weeks in Lima.