Rafael

Despite the mixed reviews for Rafael over the past year, we decided to go and find out for ourselves.....we wish we had not. We did not experience the $ S/15 per person bread scandal that a lot have mentioned (we were asked and declined): however our visit went well downhill from there. We each had 2 appetizers and a main dish. Appetizers: Scallops: only 2 ?!?! tiny scallops in a rich, dark & slightly sweet, buttery sauce that overpowered the scallops 1/10 - Tuna Tiradito: came in a very thin and tasteless coconut milk (supposedly blended with green papaya?) liquid with drops of a red-colored oil (no flavour). This thin liquid mess had zero chance of coating / adding flavour to the tuna. Each piece of fish was topped with a razor thin slice of what we believe to have been white ginger. The tuna was good quality (and the only dish of sufficient protein quantity), but everything else was completely pointless and added nothing to this weird version of tiradito 3/10 (only because of quantity of fish). - Beetroot and raw fennel salad: it came with no seasoning other than a Dijon mustard cream underneath. It was ok, but nothing which could not be produced by any restaurant. 2/10 - Heirloom cherry tomato salad: was topped with raw fennel (not noted on the menu), ground Arabic nut and spice mix, watery vinaigrette (no olive oil) and crème fraiche. The only flavour came from the minimal spice mix sprinkled about, while avoiding the horridly acidic vinaigrette. Again, no high level skill involved to produce this improperly put together dish. 1/10. Main Dishes: Unfortunately we both chose pasta dishes. One with crab and one with duck. For a main dish the amounts were pathetic. The seafood sauce was strongly fishy, overly salty and then fish roe was added to make it a total salt lick, yuck! The dry duck pasta (virtually zero sauce) provided little to no flavour. Worst of all (if that is possible) was that if you combined the amount of crab and duck for both these pasta's, it would all easily fit in a teaspoon!!?! Any middle level Trattoria could easily produce better tasting, better quality, greater quantity dishes at a fraction of the price. Both pastas get 0/10. It seems the Chef has put a poorly trained second rate cook in charge of this restaurant. As a restaurateur, I would be ashamed to serve any of these dishes at any price. Everyone knows the prices are very high at Rafael, however there seems to be zero reason. There are so many other great restaurant options in Lima, you could literally go anywhere else and have a much better dining experience. DO NOT GO HERE.

Come to Rafael for an art-filled, elevated atmosphere, attentive service, and deftly executed seafood-forward Peruvian-Italian fusion. I came here for my birthday lunch and it was my personal favorite over some other fine dining spots I tried around the city (did not make it to Maido up the street, but that’s in another price category!) Don’t skip the bread basket. It’s an assortment of delicious warm goodness. Ours came with whipped goat cheese, butter, and tomato jam. The scallop appetizer (scallops in lemon butter) is an absolute must-order and nothing short of sublime. We ordered two pasta mains, and while the duck ragu lacked depth of flavor and the portion was a bit small, the stracciatella-filled pasta with prawns, peas, and a light cream sauce was a winner. The dessert menu was also an absolute highlight and you absolutely must save room for dessert. It was my birthday so they gave me one dessert on the house and we also ordered one of the most mind-blowing desserts I’ve ever had: cherimoya royale which consisted of - from bottom to top: custard apple mousse, praline, a flambéed custard apple slice, custard apple sorbet, enrobed in custard apple foam. The combination of great execution, the balance of complexity and simplicity, and the outstanding service and atmosphere makes this a worthwhile stop on any Lima itinerary!

This is supposedly rank 19th out of the top 50 restaurants in South America. We made our reservation 45 days in advance. To be honest our roasted pork belly, squid and few other dishes were good but I missed the magic dust (whatever that is). Maybe we have to get the tasting menu or wine pairing to get the full experience? Our waitress was professional but feels like she’s tired of us tourists and seems bored.

Rafael delivers on service, ambiance, and cocktails, the lighting and music set the tone perfectly. Food is good but feels overpriced compared to Mayta, and it doesn’t spark the same excitement. Still, desserts are excellent and the overall experience is polished and enjoyable

The food, referring to the taste was good in general, no complaints on that part, but the wait between the plates was too long. In top of that you must now that you will have to order multiple courses to be satisfied, because the portions are quite small so go with time. About the prices, in my opinion, they have great plates which deserve the high cost, but there’s others that are quite average, not worth it.

The bar area is very nicely decorated and the cocktail I had was great (el capitan). The ceviche was nice but the crab pasta was just fine in my opinion. Overall the food was okay, but for the price point there are definitely better options elsewhere.

Excellent food experience, all good supported by very good service . Highly recommend.

My visit to Rafael was full of great expectations as in all the new places I visit to eat. Reviews of Rafael are positive and negatives, and should be taken understanding that you are going to a Chefs restaurant, you are going to taste and eat food that has been meticulously created for a select type of patrons. Understanding this, I may say that Chef Rafael and his restaurant have accomplished something rare, exquisite and different that you usually do not see in fine dining in Peru. The food, his team, carefulness and little details are top notch. I highly recommend this place for connoisseurs, it’s expensive but it’s great.