Mérito

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Kitchen Built on Two Countries

At Mérito, a two-floor restaurant in the heart of Lima's fashionable Barranco neighbourhood, chef Juan Luis Martínez does something quietly remarkable: he fuses the produce and traditions of Peru with the flavours and memories of his native Venezuela. The result is a cooking style that feels neither like fusion for its own sake nor a compromise between two places — it is something genuinely its own.

Martínez, who hails from Caracas and trained at La Casserole du Chef, opened Mérito in 2018. It has since become a firm favourite with locals and earned a place among the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025, ranked at number 26 — recognition that reflects the consistency and originality of what happens in this kitchen.

What to Eat

The menu draws on Peru's extraordinary larder while threading in Venezuelan instinct and technique. Scallops arrive with sanky — a fruit akin to prickly pear — and jalapeño. A fish tartare is lifted by green tomato, huacatay (black mint) and matured cheese. White fish is paired with cocona, a citrus fruit native to the Amazon basin. These are dishes built on precise, local ingredients rather than novelty.

For dessert, the Peruvian chocolate rock is the restaurant's signature and should not be skipped. When the season allows, the grilled custard apple is equally worth seeking out.

At the Bar and Beyond

Mérito's cocktail list is as considered as the food. The Cinnamon Spice — pisco macerated with cinnamon and apple liqueur — and the Coconut Anise, made with rum, coconut liqueur and passion fruit, are two standouts. The wine list moves between South American low-intervention bottles and Old World selections, offering something for every table.

If you can secure a seat at the chef's counter, take it. And Martínez's adjacent project Demo, born during the pandemic as a delivery service, now operates as a casual café serving coffees and baked goods — a more relaxed way to experience the same sensibility.