Published on Jan, 2025
My wife and I booked a tasting tour with Choji and cannot be happier. We were able to communicate before the tour using WhatsApp and that made coordinating our meeting time and location easier.
Choji is the perfect tour guide for the 10 tastings of Lima. He is a Peruvian with Japanese roots which provides very interesting insights. Choji has also travelled extensively so he is able to add his experience in other places to contrast with Peru. On top of that, his grandmother had a bakery right in the city center and he grew up in that area. As a result, you get an inside look with his deep connections.
The tour covers a lot of the "daily" food of typical Peruvians and also multiple districts (new, old, Chinatown, and the market). We walked for nearly 3 hours and ate a lot of food! At each stop, Choji doesn't just explain what the food is, he talked about the history of the store and the owners. He took us into the kitchen of the oldest bar in Lima and explained how they are all descendants of the workers that took over when the owners left. At each stop, he introduced each owner and you just feel like he is sharing his relationships with you. You can sense the pride he has in sharing his insights but also in ensuring that we had a good tour. Unlike some of the other tours, Choji will also participate in eating the food at certain stops and you just see how much he enjoys the food!
Choji also shared his experience growing up in Peru as a Okinawan which was very interesting to me. With the Japanese having such a big influence in the cuisine of Peru and Choji having culinary experience, it was a great opportunity to learn.
This tour is a good way to learn the local foods of Lima. Choji doesn't just provide the food but adds his fun and immersive personality throughout the tour. I enjoyed our 3 hours with Choji!
