Al Toke Pez is a hole in the wall – but don’t let that scare you away. This spot provides a perfect example of why Peru is known for its exquisite cuisine, and once you’ve grabbed a spoonful of ceviche you’ll see why. Their premise is to sell excellent quality food that everyone can have access to.

Al Toke Pez is a hole in the wall in the Surquillo area that’s become an institution in Lima as a place to get the city’s best leche de tigre–which is the citrusy, oniony, spicy, salty juice left behind after you marinate ceviche. People line up here to get styrofoam cups full of leche de tigre garnished with a bit of ceviche, sliced red onion, and a few strips of lightly fried fish. This bracing, tender, crunchy, slurpy delight is sublime and many locals also consider it the best cure for a hangover, fyi.

Beloved as one of Lima’s best seafood and ceviche spots since opening in 2011, Al Toke Pez is a modest stop in an out-of-the-way location, but locals and visitors alike swear by the quality. Not only can you get great ceviche here, but you can also try tiradito (raw fish sliced into thin strips) and chicha morada (a sweet drink made from purple corn). If it’s traditional Peruvian food you’re after, you must add Al Toke Pez to your list of where to eat in Lima.

Some of the most famous contemporary Nikkei chefs are Mitsuharu Tsumura (Maido), Hajime Kasuga (Hanzo Sushi Bar), Diego Oka (Executive chef La Mar by Gaston Acurio), Yaquir Sato (Costanera 700) and Toshi Matsufuji (Al Toke Pez), just to name a few. But there is a new generation of chefs and entrepreneurs who are determined to take Nikkei gastronomy to another level. Restaurants like Shizen, Tomo and Gaijin are perfect examples.

This tiny, five-seat no frills Nikkei restaurant with some of Lima’s best food for the past seven years has moved to a new location at Avenida Angamos Este 1941 in Surquillo, just a couple of blocks from the original. This one is bigger and more formal, though with a similar menu that includes Tomás Matsufuji’s sudados, ceviches, fried seafood, and other plates. The prices remain extremely accessible.

I came here before I watched the episode on Netflix (Street Food: Latin America: Lima, Peru). I should have watched the episode first to fully appreciate each small detail. The first and most important thing you should know about El Toke Pez is that it’s delicious, worth it, and you should definitely go.

Al Toke Pez is not only hard to find, it’s even harder to get a seat at, since there are just six chairs. But wait you must for 33 year-old Tomas Matsufuji’s creative ceviches and fried seafood. Located in the Surquillo District, this literal hole-in-the-wall is manned by three cooks, plus Tomas’ mom.

Al Toke Pez is one of the best restaurants in Lima for a truly authentic and local dining experience. This small, unassuming eatery has a very casual and compact setting, often bustling with locals. The space is simple and functional, focusing more on the food than the decor.

Some of the most distinctive huariques are found in and around markets, and Al Toke Pez huarique is one of the best. It is the place to eat ceviche and leche de tigre (“tiger milk,” or the juices and remains of the ceviche). To get to Al Toke Pez, take an Uber from Chinatown.

A place like Al Toke Pez is exactly why Lima’s food scene rocks. An unpretentious hole in the wall where for under 10 soles you can eat like a king, noshing on some of the best homestyle cooking the city has to offer.

Al Toke Pez customers enjoy a caldo of crabmeat and vegetables. The seafood is carefully selected by Matsufuji at the fish market, Terminal Pesquero de Villa Maria.