To Limenans, nothing goes together better than fresh fruit juice and sandwiches, especially at dinner, or after dinner, or in the afternoon…or in the morning for that matter. In fact, sandwiches don’t have to count as a meal in Peru, and juice can. And a sandwich platter in these parts has nothing to do with cucumbers triangles. It’s roasted meat, tons of cheese, and fluffy loaves. While panaderias and jugerias are abundant in Lima (often packaged into one convenient establishment of deliciousness), it’s important to know which are the best (you can even buy disgusting grape jam-filled ones from the carts on the side of the street. They’re made in a factory somewhere and you really want no part of them).
The best sandwiches in Lima are determined by a few factors:
1. Selection
2. Quality
3. Price
4. Quantity
5. Location
After a lot of searching in an endless quest for dairy-free, gluten-free, hassle-free light lunches and dinners with friends, trying out as many corner store-type jugerias who probably don’t wash their knives in drinkable water and then cut into fresh, or blend up fresh strawberries, resulting in disastrous digestion on my end, and then sneaking back to these two relatively safe ones, I think two of the best are La Lucha and El Enano (“The Fight” vs. “The Dwarf” – conveniently named for my purposes, no?). So we’re going to throw them down by category.
And the winners are:
- Mango/orange juice at El Enano
Selection: El Enano
Both offer the most popular fruit juices (pineapple, mango, melon, peach, apple, papaya, maracuyà, strawberry, orange, and a bunch of blends, all with sugar) and a bunch of ham and meat sandwiches. But while La Lucha always asks if you want ice cubes in your juice and also does frozen versions of the drinks with crushed ice, it veers into milkshake and espresso territory, boasting flavours such as peanut butter and oreo. Oreo-based desserts belong in McDonalds, not my stomach. And I don’t want to buy my juice from a fast-food company. Juice should be good for you, minus the heaps of added sugar. El Enano has more combination juice options and more overall options than La Lucha. And for the hungry who aren’t craving sandwiches on fluffy buns, it also does quesadillas, hamburgers, tacos and sautéed chicken and meat on a grill. La Lucha is known for its French fries and something else they serve with a selection of puréed salsas, but there’s something great about seeing that one older grill guy at El Enano taking care of everyone who pulls up a seat at the bar (the only seating).
Quality: This is a tough call. The fruit at both is very good and, I think, washed in clean drinkable water. If you don’t trust it, order a fruit with a peel and skip the ice. The taste is good at both places, and the amount of sugar is about the same. Juice is always sweetened here in Peru unless you ask that it not be. But then it will taste pretty bitter and bad in general unless it’s really top quality. Neither uses organic fruit, so I’m going to call this one a tie until I experience something different. A Limenan friend of mine swears El Enano is better for you because they blend the seeds along with the fruit flesh and then strain the seeds and fibre out in a sieve. You get more “energy” (nutrients) this way. The fun thing about juices in Lima is that nowhere actually uses a fancy juicer. The blenders they do use are powerful, but there’s nary a North American health freak-style press juicer in sight. Foodwise, I love seeing the entire roast chicken sitting in the display at La Lucha, golden brown and perfectly cooked, ready to be sliced for sandwich eaters, and El Enano has a bit of a dive-y quality to the food. Now that you’re informed, it’s your call.
Price: El Enano
At El Enano you get an entire jug of juice. I’m pretty sure volume-wise it’s more than La Lucha. And it’s definitely cheaper. I also like being served the juice in a jug and a real glass rather than a plastic take-away cup, which La Lucha gives you whether you dine in or take-out. 
Location: El Enano
I’m giving this one to El Enano. La Lucha has arguably the most convenient location, right in the touristy heart of Miraflores, but because of this the lines are always a mile long, and it’s not relaxing crammed into the restaurant. And that’s if you can get a seat at all. Plus you have to wait for your name to be yelled if you take your juice and sandwiches to go at La Lucha, which requires extremely good hearing. La Lucha is a three-outpost chain, so you can find it in a few locations, but the La Lucha in Parque Kennedy is the best despite the chaos (biggest menu and seating area), and service is quick, but it really feels like a fast-food joint. El Enano, on the other hand, feels like a neighbourhood establishment – a little out of the way but worth the trip, and you’ll feel like family if you live in the area.
Overall winner: El Enano
But I’ll admit La Luche is my place of choice if I’m in that area and can stand waiting 10 minutes in line and for the juice itself. El Enano also gets a line around the block at night, so pick your poison and suck back a lucuma with milk, an orange and mango, or a pineapple, passionfruit and grenadilla along with a ham and cheese on a fluffy roll, and smile because you’re in Lima.
El Enano
Where: Esq. Arica con Chiclayo
How Much: Less than La Luche
When: 7pm to 1am daily
La Lucha
Where: Parque Kennedy, Ovalo de Miraflores at Mariscal Oscar R. Benavides 308 (or Pasaje Champagnat 139, Miraflores, or the Ovalo Gutierrez San Isidro)
How Much: 7.90 soles for a small regular, a couple soles more for mixed, frozen or grenadilla-based. More still for milkshakes.
When: Open late
Photo credit: El Enano/Facebook.
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