Maitea, the Spanish-inspired bar in Miraflores ideal for trying tapas and new wines

In the fifth block of La Paz in mirafloressurrounded by exchange houses and old jewelry stores, is a Basque and Spanish-inspired bar, with a nod to Peruvian flavor, which is recognized by having a Basque flag on the terrace.

Simple and unpretentious, Maitea (Basque word meaning ‘dear’ or ‘beloved’) maintains the recipes and presentation of dishes as found in their regions of origin: “Maitea was born 6 years ago. At first it was a Basque bar, that’s why we have pintxos, patxaran or txakoli. A few months ago the former owners transferred it to us and we continue with the concept”, Julio Vivanco tells us along with his partner, Daniel Bustamante, about this tasty corner of Spain and the Basque Country in Lima.

Maitea is a typical and casual Spanish bar. You can enter in the morning, afternoon or night to have breakfast, have a beer, eat pintxos or tapas and a glass of wine or beer. It is a place of passage or to stay a few hours. You can go alone, alone, with friends or with a Tinder date, as is the case lately, according to what Julio and Daniel tell us. “In Spain everyone has a head bar. In some towns they do not have a police station, but they have three bars. It is the place where everyone finds out everything, it is the thermometer of a town. There are all kinds of people. The difference with a Peruvian bar is basically the interaction at the bar”, adds Vivanco.

The bar is the protagonist in this place and is deeper than an average bar because, in addition to the drinks, they must visibly reach the pintxo tables. It is a relaxed space to relax and have a quiet conversation with friends or with the bartender: “We know those who come because they eat the same thing every day. It’s a bar where you talk to the bartender, we have a guitar and on weekends people start playing. This concept is very traditional of the Spanish streets. Peruvians go out to sit with a group of friends at a table; On the other hand, in Spain, people can go to the bar three times a day to be at the bar”.

Among its main clients are the residents themselves and Spaniards who live in Miraflores. “They come from gypsies to Extremadura, Andalusians, Catalans, from all over Spain,” they say. It is usually an attractive meeting point for them à la carte with dishes such as their exquisite and soft potato omelette accompanied with a classic summer tinto. Also, they have three types of croquettes and sandwiches or sandwiches to accompany with a glass of wine or the cocktail that you fancy the most.

For Diego and Julio it is important to maintain a certain purism in the ingredients and supplies on the menu: “In some things we can be very purists so that added value is maintained. We have suppliers that import directly from there. The ham is Spanish; the chorizo, from Pamplona; the cheese is from Manchego, obviously it costs more than a local cheese and that is carried over to the prices, but here we try to be very fair with the price because we want to build a horizontal relationship with the customer”, Vivanco tells us.

The chef, Pamela Trujillo, details the dishes on the menu. In Maitea you can enjoy a variety of appetizers such as pintxos or tapas with hams, cheeses, quail eggs, Neapolitan Milanese, zucchini, cheeses and more options. In addition, they offer some hamburguesitas de asado de tira and frayed chicken, as well as the favorite calamari hamburger. Impossible to miss the Spanish omelette with aioli (garlic sauce) covered with ham, nor the mushroom croquettes, roast strip and ham. Trujillo details that they also have chicken and tenderloin sandwiches on the menu.

As for wines, Maitea only offers Spanish wines, red or white, large or small bottles, such as Ribera del Duero, from Rioja, Juan de Juanes from Valencia or txacoli (Basque wine), patxaran (Basque herbal liqueur) and kalimotxo (wine with Coca Cola). But what is sold the most is the Tinto de verano. In addition, the bar prepares classic cocktails with chilcanos, pisco sours, negronis and whatever the visitor wants. As a fact, Maitea has a Cuba libre in her own style that instead of lemon has orange. And, of course, the inevitable straws or beers.

If you are looking for an attractive and quiet space in Miraflores, this pleasant place awaits you with a good Spanish tortilla and various pintxos at its bar or terrace from Monday to Sunday. Welcome!

More information

• Location: La Paz 592, Miraflores
• Hours: Monday from 4 pm Tuesday to Thursday from 9 am to 11 pm Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 2:30 am Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm
• If you fancy a Spanish omelette for delivery or any dish on the menu, it is possible to order them via Orders Now, rappi and whatsapp wa.me/message/PYAM7VXEQFKQF1
• In the medium term, it is planned to open a new Maitea store in Barranco
• On weekends they usually have a DJ. The music is also Spanish
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