A Family Lunch at Mayta: Roots & Refinement
On December 26, 2025, my family and I found ourselves seated in the airy, sunlit dining room of Mayta in Miraflores, Lima. This was our long awaited return to Chef Jaime Pesaque’s flagship, now firmly established among Latin America’s top tables after its rebirth in 2018 and successive accolades “Highest Climber” at Latin America’s 50 Best and a spot in the world’s top 50 .
From the moment we arrived, it felt less like a restaurant and more like an unfolding story an intimate, contemporary exploration of Peru’s land, sea, and traditions shaped by a chef who understands both provenance and personality. Jaime, the Cordon Bleu trained, El Celler de Can Roca inspired founder, has long championed native ingredients through platforms like his Yachay project in Ica , but what still resonates most is how each dish reflects care, history, and intention.
Our meal began with Langostinos Melcocha, toffee‑glazed prawns set atop avocado, wok-fried vegetables, and citrus sauce. Next, Zapallos a velvety pumpkin purée spiced with yellow chili and studded with seeds. Then came the tender Pasta Rellena, filled with corn, smothered in yellow chili emulsion, and crowned with aged cheese. Zanahorias Rostizadas followed, baby carrots drizzled with carrot yogurt, Andean cereal granola, and fresh greens. We then moved onto Arroz con Camarones, where crisp concolón rice met coral emulsion, chupe broth, and aromatic huacatay. The crescendo was Paiche a la Brasa, charcoal grilled Amazonian paiche served with shiitake, Amazonian chorizo, heart of palm salad, and macambo dressing, a testament to Mayta’s signature use of regionally rare ingredients .
Each dish was remarkable on its own, but together they formed a symphony, each note deliberate, each texture telling a tale. It felt as though we were tasting landscapes: jungle humidity, coastal breeze, Andean sunshine, all curated with fierce technical skill and deep respect.
Jaime Pesaque has rightly earned a reputation as a thoughtful leader, someone who sees restaurants as cultural embassies, who blends culinary excellence with empathy. But more than his accomplishments, today what stayed with me was the intimacy: a family gathered, flavors that spoke of home and heritage, and a service team whose pride felt personal.
Mayta remains a narrative in motion, rooted in tradition, polished by technique, animated by heart. Our December lunch wasn’t just a collection of dishes. It was a reminder that such restaurants matter not for their trophies, but for their capacity to welcome, to connect, to transform routine into ritual. And on that afternoon, in that room, that’s exactly what happened.
