Cosme Restaurante y Bar — Restaurant in Lima Metropolitan Area

I really wanted to like this place, but they made everything in their hands to make an special night out in Peru an uncomfortable experience.

We made a reservation for two in the “Dining Room” area as per their reservations website. When we got there, they seated us in some sort of warehouse for a plant nursery with uralite ceiling and walls that didn’t go all the way up, on a rainy night (!) even though there are available tables in the area we had originally requested. We really didn’t want to eat in that section, so requested a couple times to be reseated, but the ladies there were rather dismissive and tbh, rude. We finally got moved to a different table (high table, another regular one still available but they really wouldn’t give it to us) and they made a point to tell us that it was for six people and were losing business, even though the table in the warehouse was the same size.

We ordered a few plates to share and tried ordering their angus, but the waiter told us that it was min. 1kg, and that it took over an hour to make it and not to order it (mind you, not in a friendly way, but in a “don’t waste our time” way). So, after we told him what we wanted, we asked if it’d be enough for two, and he said yes, and suggested that we should also order the bread, which we did. No need to say that the food was enough for about four people and it was just the two of us. I find that terrible and wasteful in this day and age.

The food was decent, but truth be told, nothing to write home about, which I find happens too often in the LATAM’s 50’s Best restaurants list and the extended 100, in which...

Cosme is ranked as the 50th best restaurant in Latin America on the 2023 list. That's fantastic for them, but too high.

Service here is wonderful. Staff is perfectly attentive without being overbearing. They speak some English and keep you comfortable. The interior is fun. The colorful decor keeps you happy and makes you feel welcome. It's a nice setup.

The food is the problem. It's very hit or miss, and the menu design is all over the place. You can order a taco (Mexican), cheese burger (American), ramen (Japanese), pasta (Italian), and a Thai dish all at once. It feels very unfocused, like a greatest hits of recipes the chef is good at without a specialty. The smaller dishes or appetizers are pretty good. The croquetas had a great fry and decadent filling. The mazorca was as good as Mexican street corn can get. The big dishes don't hit well. The ramen was terrible as ramen, or just okay as a stew. The meat used tastes and feels bad, as if it was simply boiled in hot water. Avoid that ramen. The sorrentino was pretty good ravilo swimming in a melted plate of butter. It tasted good but what a ton of butter. I'm not really sure what the restaurant is going for. There's no focus or emotion to the food. I can't say I'm excited to return, but I'd visit again if...

Quite a disappointment. Caters to a twenty something and up crowd raised on visual stimulation but not on taste.

No matter how well thought out the presentation, if the food tastes bland and generic then what is the point of eating out? That was the case with the ‘Pulpo a la oliva’ laser cut mini medallions from an octopus tentacle, smaller than a 50 cent coin, covered in mayonnaise in a lattice pattern, with a stripe of mashed avocado and tomato with rice flakes on the side. It looked like a generous portion but don’t be fooled by the great presentation. The serving was minuscule and as far as taste, dead on arrival. At $11.15 USD a slap on the face. This was followed by ‘Grilled gizzards’ on a yellow chili puree with red wine. Gizzards are mollejas, which in Peru have always come from chicken but these ones came from a cow (otherwise known as sweetbreads) so for someone like me that avoids eating meat that was a misstep from whoever wrote the menu. At least they were succulent paired with a wine reduction, but the golden puree was another blah accompaniment.

Service was pretty good, attentive and knowledgeable.

The table I was offered was bar height with an uncomfortable high chair. There are small tables around which would have been my...