Lima: Where to Buy Chocolate, Beer and More

Let’s face it, people are going to indulge in a little consumerist activity while living in a foreign land — especially when the exchange rates are so good. I’ve learned a few things even though I’ve purchased very little in the way of souvenirs. Space is limited in our bags and I’m not paying an overage fee for checked luggage. Mostly, I’ve splurged on experiences and consumables. 

Here’s what I’ve found:

Chocolate

Neither Jan nor I are big chocolate-loving people.  I’ve never actively disliked chocolate, it’s just that I find other dessert options more interesting. But since chocolate is a major export of Peru, we decided to do a deep-dive into what the country had to offer.

The combination of regional chocolate characteristics and artisan producers makes chocolate an exciting topic in Peru. The question quickly became what to buy and where to buy it. As I’ve found with souvenirs, there’s a lot of junk on the market so it pays to do your research. Avoid the “Chocolate Museum” places — they only sell their own stuff.

We were fortunate to find El Cacaotal in the Barranco district, run by a lovely American who came to work on her master’s degree and ended up staying to sell chocolate.  It’s a career choice I can get behind.  Not only does she have a wealth of knowledge about local producers, regions, supply chain issues, and the qualities of the chocolate she sells, she’s also happy to let you taste samples before you buy.  Her prices are competitive and she has the best selection of chocolates & producers I’ve yet to see in Lima.  Don’t waste time going to other places, go here.

If you chat her up, she’ll also point you in the direction of beer, art, and other things in the neighborhood.  I’ll have a separate post on what chocolate to buy later because we’re still trying the goods.

Typical Tourist Crap

What’s made the choice to avoid souvenirs so easy, for me, is that every store aimed at tourism is the practically the same. Each has a set of vibrantly colored blankets piled at the entrance, the requisite choice of pompoms and “real baby alpaca” sweaters hanging from the rafters. Gaudy elements of Peruvian life can be found in your choice of llama magnets, Cholimpsons t-shirts, or lacquered mirrors.

I’m not knocking these if it’s your jam, but since I spent the better part of six months down-sizing, I’m not eager to fill up on junk.  However, if you want great prices on t-shirts and chotchkies, then head towards the Gran Mercado Artesanal in the Pueblo Libre district (Av. La Marina 790, Pueblo Libre 15084, Lima, Peru). This endless series of stalls have the best prices and some are willing to dicker. Similar shops at the city center and Miraflores are more expensive.

Jan got an Inca Kola shirt there for less than $8 USD, and will now be able to guide aircraft down from great heights due to his visibility.  I call it a “2 for 1” deal.

Beer/Cerveza

The craft beer scene is still emerging in Lima, and those breweries that don’t have tap rooms seem to have very limited distribution through the city.  Big grocery stores and gas stations do not stock anything resembling craft beer, opting instead to push wine, liquor, and those horrible national brands who shall not be named.  What I’m trying to say here is that bottle shops are lagging even further behind the breweries.

Still, there is one we’ve found that actually has a wide range of local beers, home brewing supplies, and an emphasis on Belgian beers from overseas. Visit La Cerveteca at Avenida Ernesto Diez Canseco 319, 2nd Floor in Miraflores and stock up on single bottles.  The selection is great and it will save you the trouble of tromping all over Lima to taste different beers.

For reasons I’ve yet to discover, craft beer is only sold by the bottle in 320-340 mL amounts.  While I don’t mind, it’s a very odd marketing strategy. The nasty national beers who shall not be named sell in singles, six packs and bombers, so it’s a mystery.  I wonder if they have the same political issues that plague the craft beer scene back home? Perhaps.

Will report back on the craft beer scene when we’ve moved through our supply.

Coffee

Coffee is a big export crop in Peru, and I expected great things.  It just took a while to sift through the options to find a place with the vibe of Seattle married with direct access to local beans. That place? Neira Cafe Lab at Enrique Palacios 1074 in Miraflores.

In a shockingly small shop, local coffee genius Harry Neira roasts beans, packages beans for sale, concocts perfect pours for customers, and satisfies his nation’s craving for hipster caffeine.  Well, my craving, anyway.  He took the time to learn what we wanted, made sure we tried before we bought.

We took home a bag of the medium roast Chabela, featuring a mix of sweetly flavored local beans from Cuzco and other regions.  I cackle every morning over my cup of coffee and have been scheming on how to get a steady supply when we get back to the states.

Alpaca Goods

I should have taken an alpaca class from my fiber-fiend friends before heading to the source of all things good and alpaca, but that’s just how things work out sometimes.  I’ve had to do online research to learn exactly what alpaca should feel like, and I’m pretty sure that 100% of the tourist shops aren’t selling 100% real baby alpaca. Alpaca should feel cool to the touch and not at all itchy (if so, it means wool has been cut in.)  It shouldn’t be brightly colored and no shiny-sparkly bits should be seen when held to the light (these indicate a mix of synthetics.)

So instead of hoping for a discount alpaca deal, I buckled down and came up with a list of high-end stores in Lima that are reputable and then went to pet their sweaters. There are two.

Kuna and Sol Alpaca both have very lovely, expensive items in modern styles that I’m reasonably sure have the percentage of alpaca that they claim to make their goods with.  I’m holding out to maybe buy in Cuzco,  now I have a good idea of what to look for.  If you’re buying in Lima, save yourself some time and head to one of these shops.

Like I mentioned, I’ll post more in-depth on chocolate and beer when we’ve finished sampling, and if I buy anything alpaca, I’ll post about it here first! Visa!