Maido — Restaurant in Lima Metropolitan Area

First Nikkei experience…We stayed nearby hence was able to get bar seat at 920pm. Only had A la cart no tasting menu. The mocktail purple fruity drink was rather refreshing. Again wine was expensive than our usual cost so we did not attempt to match our food. After the drink, really honestly experience from someone originate from Asia and had travel mostly in Asia (including Japan) Australia London EU mostly … I don't understand or perhaps to naive to realize if anything that not tasting as aquired to tradition taste nor nice but only eye catching presentation will earn the restaurant good reputation??! We had 50hrs pork which was nice but nothing special and truly taste very Chinese stewed pork (where AWong Victoria in London has similar taste dish in pork rib), yes it's sweetly nice buy not spectacular as ranking world number 7, perhaps expecting a bit more? However the accompany fried rice highlight the failure of any style/country/named fried rice, no taste at all you can see they definitely had put oil and cooked vegetable but somehow the colourful presentation marked extreme taste of non taste fried rice, yes no taste but heavy risotto rice texture (fried rice often reopened to enhance the flavour and fluffy the rice. Somehow I had found Peruvian dish either extreme sour or salty or no taste , those extremety I felt if it was part of true Peruvian experience. Ramen looked with lovely thick pork broth, but it was far too salty to taste and you can tell they make own noodle but it was yes Nikkei noodles ie mimic Japanese Ramen but tasting gum catching and at incorrect texture of flour making incorrect type of noodles(sorry it was not nice) and same as it's rice, the heavy noodle inherited more like undercook or half cooked and uncomfortable straight after eaten and very disappointed customer. The accompanied pork slice (as. Norm Ramen will have few thin slice, it's OK Nikkei has used quite thick piece to mark the difference to traditional Ramen) were thick but was tasty to same Japanese type Ramen. I guess the highlight of this noodle to Nikkei variation was marvellous minced pork inside the noodle, just abit too much. One could argue Tokyo ramen meant to be salty OK yes but salty as unbearable to even touch taste the broth! Sorry it is over salty. I can see other with tasting menu were present very exaggerated deco with stone and amazing but this way actually driven away the desire of wanting to eating , i assume a dish should present in a way not only nicely present but also perhaps desire to try to eat what's on plate? Drink were at very best presentation. Misoyaki Cod has been prepared well and came out very nicely tasty (this dish is very Japanese and taste same as Japanese restaurant) but nothing special as this dish is widely popular and available in Japanese restaurant around world. Carpaccio raw rockfish was sour enough and again just like many Peruvian restaurant we had tried, very light to no taste of the fish (I'm sure the fish was fresh but no taste usually meant it has been frozen rather than fresh or the Peru ocean nearby produce fish with this sort of no taste taste ) perhaps the main point is the soy vinegar sour rather than the fish itself but still rather buzzard for us as unfortunately no taste fish sashimi like that is usually in this level of restaurant in other countries. Service was local Peruvian, fast and slightly rough. I really wonder am I in the right place, this is world number 6? Or 7??!! I asked myself if the food taste nice if i would return?! Yes return to query if this is so ranked top world restaurant, but No I do not want to return… the food simply not nice nor correct taste nor matching yum feel, yes have very good Wow. I am trying to be honest no offense I have heard story of New born babe Nikkei as it become an expensive cuisine amongst parts of world and new fusion food but I questions if it is any deviated Japanese food that does not vow to tradition nor yelled good taste nor perfection combination so the food will name Nikkei?

Later we did try...

From the moment we stepped into Maido, the attention to design and ambiance set the tone for what we hoped would be a world-class culinary experience. Service began smoothly—our server Oliver struck a fine balance between warmth and professionalism, guiding us through the menu with thoughtful suggestions and a clear understanding of each dish’s origin and technique.

We opted to explore a la carte, building our own progression of flavors across several courses. The Salmon and Chilli opener was elegant and bright, with the richness of the belly harmonized by the acidity of the classic leche de tigre. A well-judged use of aji amarillo delivered a distinctly Peruvian note without overpowering the fish. Similarly, the Tiradito de Navajas stood out for its textural contrast and creative layering. The razor clams were pristine, and the balance of ponzu and truffle oil was restrained, allowing the shellfish to remain center stage.

We continued with a selection of nigiri and sushi, which showcased technical precision and temperature control. Each piece felt intentional. The rice was at the correct warmth, lightly seasoned, and delicately packed—hallmarks of a serious sushi kitchen.

Unfortunately, the experience began to falter with the Cod Misoyaki, which we had anticipated as a highlight. The fish itself was expertly cooked—tender and flaky—yet the overall composition failed to deliver. The miso glaze leaned aggressively sweet, bordering on cloying, and clashed with the richness of the camotillo potato cream. The addition of Bahuaja nuts (chestnuts) added weight and texture but lacked synergy with the other elements. It was a rare instance of a dish feeling conceptual but not cohesive. The plate was left almost entirely untouched. When it was cleared by Oliver, there was no inquiry into why it had not been eaten—an unusual omission in a restaurant of this standard, where attentiveness to guest response is typically more intuitive.

In sum, Maido clearly operates at a high technical level, and many elements of our meal reflected that. However, the inconsistency in execution and the lack of engagement around a clear dissatisfaction detracted from what should have been a seamless, memorable experience. For a restaurant of this global ranking, we expect not just brilliance, but refinement and responsiveness at every course. There were moments of excellence—but also moments that felt...

I was fortunate to get a reservation here! And it was worth it! My 2nd Top 50 restaurant in a year, the first one was Belcanto of Lisboa, this one has 2 Michellin stars, but a lower ranking compared to Maido in the Top 50 restaurant rankings!

In a nutshell, you have to eat here! Just go! Worth it!

I like how they open up reservations compared to Centrale. Maido open their reservations, you can book only 30 days in advance, which was good for me especially, I decided to go to Peru not months, even less than a month. And soon as April 2/4 opened up, I grabbed it! My original was APril 2, but I put off the reserving it the next day, next day it was gone, amazing! The only other day, I can do it is April 4, so I reserved it as soon as it opened it up! I wanted to eat in Centrale as well but no spots for them since they open it for several months, probably 3 months, and when I decided to go to Peru, no spots available for the days I will be in Lima!

I ate at the sushi counter/bar, and it was good since I was eating solo! I did the Nikkei Experience! And my reservation was for lunch and the first seating of the day, so I was there the moment the restaurant opened. The service/greetings were pretty warm and great from coming into the restaurant. My primary waiter/server was pretty nice. The service I experienced here was as great as in Belcanto (Lisbon).

As for the food, it was as expected, it was pretty great! From the appetizers to the main courses to the amazing desserts, definitely worth the price I paid for. I did not pay for the wine pairing since I do not drink that much, but I did order their 2 different types of Piscos, one was called Geisha, the other one, I can't remember. I also tried their red wine!

I think I will let the pictures describe how good the food is, well even the pictures does not do the food justice! You have to eat here!

Which do I rate higher, Belcanto or Maido? Both have different food genre/theme, so it is hard to choose one over the other. I prefer the taste of Maido's dishes over Belcanto, including the presentation! I would choose the service of Belcanto over Maido although Maido's was great but my wife and I had a good rapport with our waiter in Belcanto. Same with the ambience of the place, I think Belcanto has an edge although Maido's has amazing...