Av. Benavides 4503
Surco - 271-4087
Daily Noon-5 pm
http://www.santopez.com/
So I was driving with a friend down Av. Benavides one night, and I saw a restaurant with an excellent name -- Santo Pez ("Saint Fish"). I noted the address and decided to check the restaurant out the next afternoon.
Not only was the menu creative in their combination of ingredients, but the food was plentiful and delicious, it was plated attractively and the service was good.
Oh, that's pretty much everywhere I've eaten in Lima.
I took the bus (!) there without incident, and was offered upstairs (open air but with a cover) or downstairs (in the restaurant proper) seating. I sta upstairs with most of the other customers.
They didn't seen all that comfortable with a non-Spanish speaker (even after they realized I only understood 20% of what they were saying), continuing to prattle on with the specials as if I understood my server.
Luckily, I can read a menu. Unluckily, everything on the menu sounded good. After downing the whole dish of chifles and cancha that they brought with my drink, I finally ordered my two dishes.
I started with a Causa de Congreo Popeye and followed it up with a Mero y Conchas Negras.
The causa was slightly non-traditional, with just one layer of potato on top of avocado base, covered with a ball of crab salad. The dish was awesome. My main dish was a grilled piece of fish along with rice & conchas negras. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the only problem with the rice/conchas combo was that there wasn't enough.
The total for the two dishes and my soda came to 59 Soles. If I lived in Lima, I probably wouldn't drop 22 dollars on lunch every day, but as a visitor, it certainly wasn't a problem. I will return to this restaurant, just as soon as I stop discovering new places to eat. Santo Pez is easy to get to, either via bus or taxi. Av. Benavides is the same one as in Miraflores. If you're standing on Benavides with the Atlantic City Casino behind you, it's to your right. A taxi should run around 5-6 soles.