PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

In a beautiful early-1900s house on a quiet, leafy street in Barranco, this is one of the coolest restaurants in Lima. The name makes reference to the country's small but culturally potent Afro-Peruvian population and its traditions, influences crucial to both the menu and the lively, costumed music-and-dance shows for which the restaurant has become famous. The main dining room, in what was the house's interior patio, is very appealing, with handsome wood chairs and tables, and art for sale on the elegant yellow walls. A nice bar greets you at the entrance, in case you have to wait for a table. The kitchen, staffed by women dressed like the restaurant's logo of a black woman in a head wrap, creates excellent versions of Peruvian standards such as tamalitos verdes (green tamales) and papa rellena (stuffed potatoes). Corvina Manos Morenas is sea bass served with mashed potatoes, spinach, prawns, and a béchamel sauce. The restaurant charges a substantial cover for adults (S/40 or $11/£6.80) for the live shows, which are featured Tuesday through Thursday from 9pm to 1am, and Friday and Saturday from 10:30pm to 1am. In recent years, shows have become shorter and less consistent, often with few performers; calling ahead to confirm schedules is a good idea.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Peru, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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