Francesco — Restaurant in Lima Metropolitan Area

There are meals that change your day, and then there are meals that change your understanding of a dish. Francesco did the latter.

Tucked into an upscale neighborhood of Lima, Francesco was packed on a weekday afternoon at an hour I wouldn’t have expected. And this isn’t a small place—it’s a large, well-designed space, but nearly every table was full. We were seated at what felt like one of the best tables in the restaurant, and looking around, the crowd was made up almost entirely of well-put-together locals who clearly knew exactly what they were here for. That’s always a good sign.

The menu was only in Spanish. We don’t speak Spanish, but between a translation app and some educated guesses, we managed to land on two different ceviches and a small tuna starter. The tuna? Good. Really good, actually. But next to the ceviches, it didn’t stand a chance.

The first ceviche we tried was a classic: a citrus-forward leche de tigre that somehow struck the perfect chord between brightness and depth. The fish—whatever the fresh catch was that day—was absurdly tender. It had a pristine, just-out-of-the-sea texture that almost didn’t make sense. Paired with slices of sweet potato, local corn, and that electric broth, it was easily one of the top three things I’ve ever eaten. Every bite felt alive—refreshing, vibrant, and dialed all the way in. I’ve had a lot of ceviche since, but none have quite matched that first dish at Francesco.

Between courses, they bring out a small dish of baked local corn—simple, crunchy, palate-cleansing. And then came the second ceviche. This one was cream-based, richer and more indulgent, but still balancing acid and heat with precision. On any other day, this would have been the star. But it had the misfortune of following that first ceviche, and that’s a hard act to follow. Still, it was excellent in its own right and worth ordering again.

The service? Hard to gauge completely—we didn’t share a language, but they were patient, kind, and attentive. They clearly did everything they could to make us feel welcome, and they succeeded.

Francesco is a reason to go to Lima. No exaggeration. If you’re looking for a ceviche experience that will reset your standards, this...

Francesco, un restaurante que conozco desde que tengo uso de razón. Un restaurante espectacular…. Donde ibas y te recibían con una sopa (concentrado de cangrejo, si no me equivoco) cuando le pregunté a la señorita me explicaron que después de pandemia ya no lo daban como cortesía si no que lo vendían en la carta, lo cual ni mal ni bien, es una decisión del restaurante, pero algo emblemático que si caracterizaba a Francesco restaurante.

Fuimos 04 personas, mi esposa y mis suegros, pedimos todo al medio como de costumbre, alrededor de 6 platos.

Que pena notar que la calidad de los insumos ha bajado tanto, la frescura de los pescados y mariscos realmente baja, el sabor de los aderezos pésimo.

El ceviche - tiradito blanco ya no es lo mismo, la salsa, el pescado, la calidad en general, realmente una pena.

El tiradito de 3 colores un espanto con tiras de pescado con partes duras, que parecían carne, cuando le digo a la señorita que nos estaba atendiéndo lo que me pasó, por qué tuve que sacármelo de la boca, se llevó el plato y regresó y me dijo que el cocinero le dijo que era normal que algunas veces pasaba eso por qué era una parte del pescado cerca a la cola. Primera vez que me dicen eso en un restaurante.

La causa de langostinos trajo 4 langostinos y de relleno solo palta. Parece que los habían contado por el número de personas.

El arroz con tinta de calamar que antes era el mejor del Perú, hoy te puedo decir que ni el arroz ni los calamares estaban bien hechos, desde la salsa, el queso, desde cantidades, aderezos. Una pena.

Que rescato, la cerveza helada y con vasos de cerveza helada, el vino a una excelente temperatura.

Que pena como ha bajado la calidad de la comida, la atención del personal, la demora de cocina. Terrible la respuesta de cocina y más aún el criterio de los meseros y la falta de respuesta del restaurante.

Ojalá Francesco Restaurante, regrese a ser...

One of the top places to go for seafood, the dishes are gourmet but still have a good amount of consistency of the food and not only a small serving. The causa and pulpo a la parrilla are the best appetizers I could suggest and the pasta with seafood dishes have a distinct Mediterranean flavor that you cannot forget. The ambience and service are top notch, perfect place for a romantic dinner, however the space is quite limited so I would suggest to make a...