Central Restaurante of Lima, the flagship of Chef Virgilio Martínez obtained the top spot in the 2016 San Penelgrino and Acqua Panna’s Awards for Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. This important award also recognizes Lima, Peru as a culinary center of Latin America with 9 restaurants among the top fifty, more than any other city.
Known for celebrating local ingredients and exploring the boundaries of Cuisine, Martínez has obtained much recognition in recent years. He has opened a restaurant in London, Lima, as well as one in Cusco, Senzo, and has a new cookbook published this year that explores the tasting menu over the years at Central. His earlier cookbook, Lima, documented the cuisine of his home city Phaidon, which has published the new work says the new work contains: “The extraordinary cuisine of Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez, one of the most admired emerging talents in the culinary world
“This exquisite monograph . . . follows the innovative and exciting tasting menu at his signature restaurant, Central, in Lima. Organized by altitude, each chapter highlights recipes, food, and documentary photographs, together with personal essays. His journeys and life as a chef are motivated by his insatiable curiosity and passion for the biodiversity of his land.”
Besides Central the following great restaurants of Lima were honored. Number 2, Maido; number 7, Astrid y Gaston; number 12, La Mar; number 27, Osso Carnicería y Salumería; number 30, Rafael; number 34, Fiesta; number 38, Malabar; and, number 41, Isolina
