Sol y Luna

Bursting with biodiversity, history and culture, Lima, the bustling capital city of Peru, is one of the leading gastronomic destinations of the world.

But there’s no need to travel for 13 hours for a true taste of Peru.

Michelin-starred Lima London provides authentic world-class Peruvian cuisine in the centre of London.

Brothers Gabriel and Jose Luis Gonzalez founded the first Lima London restaurant in 2012 in Fitzrovia. It quickly made a stir, winning a host of awards and a Michelin Star – a world first for a Peruvian concept restaurant.

Building on their success, the brothers opened a further site in Covent Garden in 2014, with a third restaurant joining the party in Shoreditch’s boutique Sun Street hotel in 2024.

Juxtaposing traditional methods with contemporary techniques to create vibrant, inventive dishes, Lima London combines native Peruvian ingredients with seasonal and locally sourced produce from the British Isles.

The result is an exceptionally exciting and modern Peruvian dining experience. Lima London has rightly established itself as a major player in the international dining scene, winning numerous industry awards, including Food & Travel Magazine Awards Restaurant of the Year.

Beyond its colourful dishes and creative cuisine, Lima London has taken a significant step towards making a difference to the lives of underprivileged children in Peru’s Sacred Valley by supporting the Sol y Luna Foundation.

By inviting diners to add £1 to their bill at each of their three restaurants, Lima London is helping to give children born into extreme poverty a host of opportunities they would never otherwise have.

“We are proud to partner with the Sol y Luna Foundation, an extraordinary charity that provides care and education to kids in Peru”, write the team at Lima London themselves.

It’s a simple but effective way of supporting the Foundation, which has been operating since 1998 and last year celebrated its 25 year anniversary.

The Foundation was established as a result of the tireless efforts of Petit Miribel and her beloved late husband Franz, who established Hotel Sol y Luna in Urubamba, in the heart of the Sacred Valley, to fund the Foundation.

Petit with some of the children of the Sol y Luna Foundation

The Miribels arrived almost three decades ago and immediately knew they had to do something to help the disadvantaged children of the region.

“You might look at the rural houses in the Sacred Valley and think life there must be simple, even idyllic” explains Petit. “However, the harsh reality is that all too often extreme poverty breeds violence, alcoholism and abuse. With no sense of hope, the light goes out in childrens’ eyes… At Sol y Luna, we create positive change by giving two things that all children deserve: love and education.”

The Sol y Luna Foundation comprises the Sol y Luna School, Paqari (a centre providing special needs support), the Sol y Luna Home, and the Roots & Wings program for further education.

The impact of the Foundation on the lives of children from some of Peru’s poorest communities cannot be overstated – it is transformative emotionally, academically, personally and socially for the children who have been spared the horrors of extreme poverty. The youngsters receive invaluable love, care and education and a proper chance at life.

Guests of Hotel Sol y Luna can visit the Foundation during their stay, to meet the children and see for themselves the incredible work the Foundation does every day.

The Sol y Luna Foundation is always grateful for support. To find out more about contributing to the crucial ongoing efforts of the Foundation, please do click here.