Lima's Barrio Chino

Chinese labourers began arriving on the Peruvian coast in the 1850s, and the quarter that grew around Calle Capón became the centre of a cuisine now eaten in every Peruvian town: chifa, where soy, ginger and wok cooking meet Peruvian chillies, rice and potatoes. The main street is pedestrianised under a Chinese gate given by the resident community, and behind the dining rooms sit shops selling produce, dried goods, tea and cookware you will not easily find elsewhere in the city. Lomo saltado, now a national dish, descends from these kitchens. The quarter runs straight into the central market, so the two are usually walked together.

What you actually see

• The Chinese gate - the arch over the pedestrianised stretch of Calle Capón.
• Chifa dining rooms - from small counters to cavernous halls along the street.
• The grocery shops - dried goods, tea, sauces and cookware sold to the trade.
• The central market next door - the city's main produce market, immediately west.

When to go

Lunch is the meal here and weekend lunch is when the big dining rooms are fullest and the turnover fastest, which usually means the food is at its best. The quarter is a downtown one and quietens sharply in the evening. Chinese New Year brings lion dances and closes the street. Go on foot from the Plaza Mayor rather than trying to park.

Honest expectations

This is a worn downtown quarter, and the gate is the only picturesque thing in it; the rest is signage, crowds and delivery carts. Standards vary enormously between the big halls and the small ones and price is not a reliable guide to which is better. Queues at weekend lunch are long. The surrounding market streets are dense and difficult with a suitcase or a pushchair.

Nearby

The Plaza Mayor, San Francisco monastery and Lima's central market are all adjacent.