El Chinito is Lima’s most popular restaurant chain for eating the Lima-style Chicharron Sandwich.
Felix Yong, the son of Chinese immigrants, first opened the doors of El Chinito (The Chinaman) to customers back in 1960. The franchise has since gained a reputation among Limeños for being the best sandwich bar in town and I have to agree.
Usually you can tell if an eatery is good or not by the amount of people sitting inside. But when the queue goes out the door and around the corner, you know you are in for a treat.
El Chinito serves up traditional Peruvian sandwiches like the classic chicharron (fried pork) topped with fried sweet potato and salsa criolla, and the Asian-inspired Chasiu, a Cantonese-style barbecued pork sandwich with pickled turnip.
El Chinito also offers cooked meat by the kilo, including roasted turkeys. Check out the full menu online.
The original El Chinito on the corner of Chancay and Zepita in downtown Lima is pretty much exactly as it was when it first opened with an authentic old-school Lima feel which adds to the experience.
During the hours between morning and lunch you will see two queues outside. The longer queue which goes around the corner is for seating and the usually shorter queue is for take-out. Don’t be deterred by the long queue for seating. It is worth the wait.
Locations
El Chinito was so successful the Yong family have opened four more sandwich bars.
- Jr. Chancay 894, Cercado
- Av. Caminos del Inca 2495, Surco
- Parque de la Amistad, Surco
- Av. Grau 302, Barranco
- Av. Grimaldo del Solar 113 (alt. 7 Benavides), Miraflores
Delivery
El Chinito delivers to the upscale southern districts. Call:
- Surco and San Borja: 279 0604
- Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro: 447 2447
See El Chinito Sangucheria on Facebook.
Click the pics to enlarge. Or for high-res slideshow viewing, see the El Chinito Sangucheria album on the Lima City of Kings FB page.
We had to include Gaston Acurio at El Chinito:
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