Rafael Osterling presents Rocco, his modern trattoria: What is served in this Italian food space?

In November 2000, Osterling opened its first location in a house built in 1918 that used to function as a laundry. He painted the façade red – a color that he still preserves – and filled that space with art. He had begun an extraordinary adventure, inside and outside those walls. It is well known, however, that this was not the path that Rafael should have followed: before becoming a chef, he finished law and went to college. He then was going to follow in the footsteps of his father (Senator Felipe Osterling) in the diplomatic world, but he left to train in culinary arts at the Parisian Le Cordon Bleu fueled by his great passion: cooking. He then returned to Peru to do something that at that time –and in that country– was still considered crazy: dedicate himself to gastronomy. He never regretted it.

After Rafael came El Mercado (his seafood space, also in Miraflores) and Felix (local that closed in 2022). Currently, he has two more restaurants in Bogotá: Romeo and Oficial, and he is a partner at Barranquino Siete, along with chef Ricardo Martins. Surrounding oneself with a talented team that has been part of all these projects has been key to growth, always against the current and in its own way. His latest start is no exception.

Rocco is the most recent concept to join this family. An Italian food restaurant (cornerstone of Rafael Osterling’s cooking style) that has been cooking since last year with tremendous expectations. Rodrigo Alzamora –chef of the Rafael restaurant since 2016 and partner of Osterling in all its projects– and Lukas Sifuentes, Rocco’s current chef. The ‘dream team’ that makes this the hot spot in Lima.

A white-washed, marble and wood house located on a wide corner is the setting in which this signature trattoria develops its culinary narrative. The bar receives –and invites you to stop there for a moment; there are tables to calmly try the cocktails– and leads to a bright room with semi-exposed bricks, oversized lamps and pieces of art carefully selected by Rafael. It’s casually elegant, enough to eat pizza by hand, but toast with a silky barolo or espresso martini. “Rocco is a mix between the rough, the tough, but with a sensitive side.”, says Rafael as he greets his diners, brings them the menus and makes sure that everything goes well. “We use a lot of Italian products, as it should, but we also want to be able to do it all here. Even the sausages and even the cheeses. We are constantly exploring”, he explains about his new format. His is a journey that has only just begun.