Tito's Peruvian Restaurant

Basking in the reflected glory of London’s hyper-modern Shard is an enclave of old Peru, Tito’s Peruvian Restaurant, which has been in the business of promoting Peruvian cuisine since 2001, long before the newer Peruvian upstarts that now dot the capital. And what a location for this restaurant veteran. Found down Southwark’s London Bridge Street, sandwiched between the tube and train stations, this an amazingly central spot to indulge in the craze for this specific strain of South American cuisine.

Tito’s Peruvian Restaurant boasts peerless credentials when it comes to Peruvian dining in London. Firstly, the restaurant’s Southwark premises along London Bridge Street have been open since 2001, making it one of the longest lived eateries of its kind in the city. Secondly, the kitchen is led by head chef Mateo Eugenio Fernandez, a veteran cook with an incredibly wide-ranging knowledge of the ancient culinary traditions of this Latin American region, food that takes in 35 varieties of maize, 15 kinds of tomato, a full two-thirds of the world’s 3,000 species of potato (not including the sweet kind), 2,000 species of fish, and 650 native fruits. That makes for quite a menu!

Tito’s Peruvian Restaurant has some regional specialties up its sleeve too, focusing on the delicacies characteristic of the small town of Huaral, north of Lima and just 15 minutes from the coast and all its maritime bounty. Signature dishes include pato en aji, ceviche (now a well-known term among London’s foodies), lomo saltado, aji de Gallina, anticuchos, ronda criolla and many more. Of course, no Peruvian restaurant worth its sea salt would lack a good range of pisco-based cocktails to wash everything down with. To experience some of the best Peruvian cuisine in London, find Tito’s down London Bridge Street in Southwark, between London Bridge tube and train stations, and make sure you book well in advance.