SEPTEMBER 2019 WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANTS 51
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DELICATE, INSPIRING, AND
MODERN. MANÍ’S HELENA
RIZZO IS A SPECIAL CHEF,
AND HER CUISINE IS
ETHEREAL. HER TASTING
MENU SYNTHESIZES ALL HER
EXPERIENCE AND
EXCELLENCE AS A COOK.
—ALEX ATALA
LA MAR IS THE TYPE of restaurant
you should go to with a bunch of
friends, order a wildly inappropriate
amount of food, drink three more
cocktails than intended, and stay
hours longer than you’d planned.
Andrés Rodríguez’s daytime-only
temple to fresh seafood and bright
Peruvian flavors is a place for parties.
The long bar in the large, triangle-
shaped room is packed with couples
making tough decisions about what
to order from the extensive menu,
while a swarm of bartenders whir
and shake and swizzle. The pisco
sour here is great, but you’d be fool-
ish to miss out on the one-of-a-kind
house cocktails—this is one of the
best drink lists I’ve encountered.
At its heart, La Mar is a restaurant
dedicated to raw seafood: piles of
zesty ceviche, beautiful plates of
tiraditos, and creative appetizers
using whatever fish is freshest. It’s
almost impossible to pick a favorite
(which is why you should bring
a crowd and sample it all), but to
me, the tiraditos were the absolute
standout. Months later, I was still
dreaming about the deep-pink sea
trout with avocado; quinoa; and
tangy leche de tigre, the spicy, cit-
rusy marinade.
There are no reservations, and La
Mar is popular, so be prepared to
wait. It is, of course, 100% worth it.
LA MAR
punctuated by pickled cauliflower
and amburana nuts. The smoky
grilled octopus comes with a rocoto
chile paste, along with corn, okra,
red onions, and a peanut vinaigrette.
Housemade hot sauce is thrilling in
its laser-like piquancy and spice.
Brazil’s food scene is bursting with
talent; there were multiple restau-
rants in São Paulo alone that comfort-
ably could have been featured on this
list. But Maní is so unapologetic in its
tropical exuberance, so focused on
pure, delicious pleasure, that I would
readily fly halfway around the world
to revisit it.
LIMA, PERU
Catch of the day with
elephant ear leaf,
jackfruit, and toasted
Brazil nut (left) and
cashew fruit ceviche.
opposite: Chef Helena
Rizzo of Maní.
Grilled clams with
rocoto-garlic sauce.
PHOTOGRAPHY (FROM LEFT): ÉRIVER HIJANO, MARCUS NILSSON
