Mérito — Restaurant in Lima Metropolitan Area

We had looked forward to our trip to Merito for several months and once we’d arrived in Peru , our anticipation grew as we found the incredible level of respect found across the whole country for ingredients. Peru is not known as the garden of South America for nothing, with the variety of ecosystems that support multitudes of flora & fauna. Chef Juan Luis Martinez, graciously allowed us to take our tasting menu at the bar in the kitchen and watching the team at work in their creation of the dishes that we were to consume was a fantastic experience. A menu that takes modern and classic cooking techniques with a laser like focus on ingredients. You’re hard put to find a superfluous ingredient on a plate here. Everything has a place and a reason for its inclusion.

We both took the tasting menu, a representation of around 10 courses that take you on a journey inspired both by the chef’s Venezuelan heritage in addition to the Peruvian backscape of ingredients available. The Coast, the Amazon & The Andes provided Swordfish. Crab, Scallops and Lobster, Paiche ( a large freshwater fish) and Goat for us together with a selection of tubers, quinoas and vegetables some of which I had never come across previously, to create a menu which represented the best of Peru & Venezuela in both technique and combination. The light smoke given to most dishes by virtue of the carob tree wood glowing in the oven gave a light but intense addition to dishes which was well received. I also took the Wine pairing to accompany the menu, a voyage which took us all over South America from Peru to Uruguay to Argentina & Chile with wines that were challenging but never to the point of disrupting the balance and harmony with their accompanying dishes. Often small or even micro producers. The wine pairing had obviously been considered at length and much like the menu everything had a reason & rationale for being there.

This was an epic journey and whilst one might easily think that this was entirely led by the dishes presented. Our waiter with his intimate knowledge of the dishes meant that rather than just reeling off a list of ingredients (as is often found in good restaurants) we were given deep descriptions of cooking techniques, sourcing of ingredients and more which gave a significantly deeper understanding and thus enjoyment of everything we ate. Supplemented by the Sommeliers previously noted excellent wine choices and informative descriptions, made for a more than excellent evening. Merito provides excellent value for a restaurant of its calibre but do not mistake value for any loss of quality. From someone who has been fortunate enough to visit a significant number of Michelin starred and highly rated restaurants The gastronomic journey to be found at Merito is one...

Going to go against the grain here, but as a fine dining restaurant reviewer I’m afraid to say this wasn’t quite the experience we hoped for.

First, the positives. The ambience and design details are beautiful. This is place brings a modern, minimal design aesthetic, gorgeous ceramics, very earthy with exposed brickwork and perfect, low lit lighting. The service is low key and attentive, and the menu looks creative and original - no tropes or obvious pairings. Visually, the food itself is art on a plate. Stunning colours, textures and presentation.

Unfortunately, for us, the taste didn’t quite match the promise. The scallops, jalapeños and sanki were just a little too strange and sharp, the fish tartare with mature cheese was kind of sickly. The mains pulled it back: the lamb was lovely - melted in the mouth, and the bream catch the of day was also delicious, cooked simply and perfectly. But then for desert, the chocolate rock was just a little tasteless. We were expecting serious chocolate flavours, but were left just the grainy taste of the coating, desperate for some water to wash it down.

On the water, we also found we weren’t offered as much as we needed. This place charges 9sol for a glass of water, which is strange for a fine dining place with big flavours at play. We had to keep asking for our glasses to be topped up as they were often empty…and then were surprised by the bill. We then ordered espresso coffees to end - as we always do - but found them so unusually strong we had to ask for some hot water to top up the cups. We were then brought luke warm water which made them undrinkable.

Given we didn’t finish a few of the dishes, we were also surprised no one asked us if everything was ok. It seemed like once we had ordered, we were a little forgotten.

So, for us, this place felt like style over substance at points. This can happen with modern fine dining - and it could be that our flavour palates just weren’t aligned with the chef’s vision. It’s a gorgeous looking spot with huge creative ambition, and many people really love it. But I’m sorry to say I’m not sure we could recommend it, particularly given how pricey it is compared to the amazing food Barranco...

8/2025 I've visted Mérito for the second (and third times). The first time, I ate the 12-course tasting menu for dinner. That receipt (for 2) is pictured. It is one of the more "affordable" tasting menus in Lima at PE 590 each. It was very good and well worth the relative price (relative to the other high-end restaurants). It is just not quite as "upscale" as some of the others. On my third visit (my daughter's second) was for the a la carte lunch. I realized that the menu was not very vegetarian friendly. I tried to order mostly vegetarian dishes for her and ended up primarily with deserts! The "air" cake was both of our favorites (the rectangular yellowish thing pictured once with the ovalish item on top and another time pictured beside on the same plate). Chef Martinez's deserts are the best. I unfortunately didn't try the Flan. My original suggestion of coming with a group of friends and ordering most of the lunch menu still holds. This restaurant is still a top 5 dining destination in Lima. Lastly, our server, Sergio (I hope I'm remembering his name correctly), was AMAZING. His English was flawless because his mother teaches English and he loves American movies. 8/2024 Mérito was tied for my #2 favorite restaurant in Lima. Unlike most of the other top restaurants, there is no chef’s tasting menu; it is a la carte. Therefore, I recommend inviting three friends and ordering the entire menu. Seriously. This place was so good and I wanted to try everything. Unfortunately, I only had the jalapeño scallops, the pork belly, and the chocolate rock (which starts with no hole). And my meal was less than $100 USD including tip which is downright affordable compared to the tasting menus at all the standard top restaurants (Central, Kjolle, Mayta, Maido, Astrid & Gaston which all cost PEN...