One of South America’s most celebrated chefs, Gastón Acurio has become a true ambassador for Peru through his culinary talent. The menu at this landmark restaurant calls Peru “a land of unlimited ingredients, . . . of infinite dishes, . . . country that the world is just starting to discover.” Acurio describes his cooking as just like the new Peru: criollo, a mix of Andean, Spanish, Italian and Asian.

When I came for lunch, businessmen and well-dressed families sat near travelers who, from the looks of their hiking boots and windbreakers, were taking a break from trekking. Although Acurio has expanded his empire to Bogotá, Quito, Buenos Aires, Madrid and other cities, the emphasis here is entirely regional. Among his most popular starters: huancainos (potatoes, yuccas and corn with Peruvian cold aji-cream sauces), Peruvian ceviche and tamales with deep-fried pork and stuffed potatoes. One of the main courses, named Lima’s Favorite, is hand-shredded chicken in an aji-amarillo sauce served with pecans, Andean cheese, native yellow potatoes, black olives, egg and plain rice. In addition to the many seviches, the seafood dishes include wild scallops from Paracas and sea-urchin shots (prepared three ways), while carnivores can savor delicious veal and pork leg in peanut sauce or alpaca osso bucco in a homemade curry sauce. The dishes are not light, but you must save room for a dessert like picarónes clásicos (a kind of doughnut), manjar blanco (a concoction of milk, sugar and egg yolks) or sacha tomate (a tomato filled with cream cheese, served on French toast with a tomato sauce). There may be no better place for a crash course in the richness of Peruvian cuisine. But tips cannot go on the credit card bill, so bring cash.

Astrid & Gastón's is currently fourth on South America's World's 50 Best list.

Virgillio Martinez Veliz, who heads the kitchen of this eatery, right around the corner from the Miraflores Park Hotel, is another of the young chefs who studied abroad (Lutèce in New York) and returned to create contemporary Peruvian food. Central has already become a place for Limeños to see and be seen while enjoying the fusion (Peruvian, Mediterranean and Asian) cuisine in a chic setting. For a tasty light meal, it’s hard to beat the arugula and horseradish salad followed by salmon shiro miso. Reservations recommended.

Peruvian celebrity chef Rafael Osterling’s lively bistro, El Mercado prepares fabulous ceviche (which Limens know is only eaten at lunch) like scallops served still in the shell and other dishes such as duck tacos and shrimp curry. El Mercado does not take reservations, so come early to grab a table and save room for the churros, which come with chocolate and dulce de leche for dipping.

One more eatery by Peru’s celebrity chef Gastón Acurio, Panchita specializes in meat barbecued on skewers. Much less formal than Astrid & Gastón, it has a lively modern canteen feeling. Despite his gourmet credentials, Acurio loves street food and sampled many of the best carts in Lima before deciding to open his own eatery devoted to anticuchos. The young waiters deliver your order on a wooden cutting board with a pan holding the skewer, accompanied by potatoes and vegetables in the center and, around the edges, small pots of sauces, so although you’re not dining on the street, you do get the adventurous feeling of eating food just off the grill. This is a lively, dress-down place to sample Acurio’s celebration of Peruvian cuisine.

Like so many of Peru’s modern chefs, Rafael Osterling fell in love with cooking and eating in his native country but went abroad to apprentice. He hired on at London’s Bibendum then studied at the Cordon Bleu, in Paris, before working at Le Grand Véfour, in Paris, and the River Café in London. When he returned to Peru, he started with a tapas joint before opening Rafael. He has dubbed his style “author cuisine,” so creative and personal are his preparations. The hunky chef, who now has other restaurants as well as a design line that features his trademark camouflage-print aprons, has an enormous following among foodies and proud Peruvians.