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Circuito de playas, Barranco District 15063, Peru
(51-1) 252-9187
For years the beachfront restaurant that Limeños headed to when they wanted to eat by the water was La Rosa Náutica. Unfortunately, it became Lima’s version of New York’s Tavern on the Green, as cruise-ship passengers and tourists started streaming onto its pier, and few locals would ever eat there now. Fortunately, a much cooler option opened down the coast. Cala, in a glass box of a building set near one of the prime-surfing zones, resembles the Icebergs, the wonderful restaurant on Bondi Beach, in Sydney. The main floor contains the bar and lounge, which, in pleasant weather, opens onto a terrace of couches and umbrellas. Climb the stairs to the second floor, passing huge photos of swimmers, and you reach the main restaurant. The best tables are on the balcony over the lapping waves, but the glass walls offer everyone a view of the Pacific. The scene is super sexy, and the food, focusing on the sea’s bounty, holds up to the setting, explaining why so many Lima locals are regulars. DJs turn the lounge into a party on weekend nights.
Written by Melissa Biggs Bradley