Lima Is The Foodie Capital Of South America

Central, a restaurant in Lima, Peru, was just named the best restaurant in Latin America by the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants Awards.

Under chef Virgilio Martinez, Central restaurant is renowned for its unique menu that mixes local ingredients with modern culinary techniques.

Dishes include appetizers such as "pisco sour with coca leaves" and entrées like "tiradito served with tiger's milk ceviche." The restaurant, which is located right in the city of Lima, also has its own orchard and garden from which the chefs source many of its ingredients.

Presentation is also very important for these molecular gastronomy dishes, and chef Martinez creates works of art in each dish.

The tasting menu at Central costs about $100 per person.

The No. 2 restaurant on the list, Astrid y Gastón, is also located in Lima. In total, eight of 50 restaurants in Lima made the list, including Maido (No. 7), Malabar (No. 11), La Mar (No. 15), Fiesta (No. 20), Rafael (No. 27), La Picantería (No. 31),

It's no surprise that Lima restaurants reigned over thist list. The Peruvian city has been a growing destination for foodies over the last several years, and is renowned for its excellent food, whether its from a Michelin-starred restaurants or a hole-in-the-wall cevicheria.

São Paulo and Mexico City also represented heavily on this list, proving themselves to be other hot foodie cities in Latin America.

Below are the top 10 restaurants in Latin America. Click here to see the full list.

1. Central: Lima, Peru
2. Astrid y Gastón: Lima, Peru
3. D.O.M.: São Paulo, Brazil
4. Maní: São Paulo, Brazil
5. Boragó: Santiago, Chile
6. Pujol: Mexico City, Mexico
7. Maido: Lima, Peru
8. Biko: Mexico City, Mexico
9. Tegui: Buenos Aires, Argentina
10. Quintonil: Mexico City, Mexico