Cocina Latina has been one of my go to's since I moved to St. Louis. I am obsessed with their ají de gallina. They have a wide and diverse menu, offering many classic Latin American dishes. read more

I have to admit, I haven't been back to Cocina Latina since it moved from Delmar Blvd. I remember it being quite delicious, but I was a bit disappointed when I took my mom there a few weeks ago. I remember the Lomo Saltado being one of their popular dish and it being tender and juicy. This time, it was rough and chewy to the point that it hurt our jaws. I found it odd because the steak that came with the Tallarin Verde was tender and perfectly cooked. We also ordered the Jalea, which came out cold and dry. They decorated the place with Cinco de Mayo and Mother's day feats, which were really cool and pretty! I'd like to give this place another try because there are so many good reviews about this place. Since the Lomo Saltado was disappointing, I plan to try their ceviche and the Aji deGallina next, as those seem to be popular dishes as well. Street parking Service was good Clean restrooms Two bar areas read more

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The restaurant is deceptively small from the outside; there are a couple of tables outside. We received a warm welcome upon arrival. The interior is beautifully decorated, I felt transported to another land. Delicious, authentic food with excellent service. The veggie fajitas were outstanding, loaded with a variety of vegetables and served sizzling hot. We were quite full from appetizers and entrees, but had to try a dessert. I was intrigued by Blue Corn Pudding. It arrived piping hot, very blue almost purple with the consistency of soup, rather than pudding. Heavily laced with cinnamon, tasted somewhat like spiced apples and was super sweet. Tasty, took most of it home to enjoy over ice cream or angel food cake. Will definitely return to try more delicacies. read more

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Went here the other night with a friend who hasn't been. The decorations were so fun. Christmas is alive and well in this establishment. I really like their skinny margaritas but I gotta say that I am really impressed by the cups they arrive in. The food is good and I wanted to try something different. I ordered the Bandeja Paisa. This was a flavor cornucopia. So much food I took some home. The only negative to this was that the chorizo was overcooked... like burnt. That was a bummer but the rest was great! Those sweet plantains were heavenly. My friend got a spin off od fried rice. She really liked it. The service was exceptional. The place had expanded since I was last there and while I sat in a booth in the middle of the room against the wall I could feel the cold breeze from the windows far behind me. In their defense though it was quite the blustery day. Would I go back? Yes. read more

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Cocina Latina, spearheaded by Chef Maritza Rios, is a Central West End spot. Riso's menu reflects a fusion of Latin flavors from her Peruvian roots. It's a cozy setting with dark wooden tables and colorful upholstery. The restaurant exudes creativity with all the colorful art on the walls. Rios's clever incorporation of paintings transforms the dining space into a Latin-inspired art gallery. We had a little bit everything including the ceviche, Jalea fried fish dish, the mahi mahi stew like dish, shrimp fried rice and tostones. All were perfectly prepared. I just love Peruvian food. read more

Such a great experience and great Peruvian food! We loved the plantains and traditional plates. The inside was super cute and they have small patio seating. Staff was nice and helpful overall would recommend. They also have Mexican food if you are not sure about trying Peruvian style. read more

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We hadn't been her in a while even though we really love their Peruvian food. So surprised to see a new expanded menu! Still the great Peruvian dishes but now they have an expansive selection of Mexican food! Great service. Friendly staff. Good food. Beautiful paintings with fun decor. read more

Cocina Latina - Piñatas! - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

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Cocina Latina is a MUST TRY! The laidback atmosphere is the perfect spot to get delicious and authentic South American food. The staff is extremely helpful with recommendations and food allergies. My favorite dishes: Ceviche, Empanadas Colombianas, Lomos Saltados, Aji De Gallina** The Aji De Gallina was the table's favorite dish!! Be sure to try a Pisco Cocktail! read more

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We ordered food delivery for lunch from here at work and everyone loved the food. I don't think we've ever had a food delivery at work before where everyone agreed that it was good and that they wanted to get take out from there again. I didn't take pictures because it was takeout on our lunch break but we got a wide variety of dishes and everyone agreed that every single one of them was good. Unanimous vote was that the best dish was the ceviche and that included a two thumbs up from a coworker who doesn't normally eat fish. Food came faster than expected. I can't speak to the ambiance of the dining room since we had it delivered. Looking forward to going in person. read more

0/5 No idea what happened to this restaurant. First indication was it was completely empty on Saturday night. I ordered anyway a takeout. When I got home I opened it up. Exclaimed "what is this?" Packed it back up and returned to restaurant for my money back. The waiter at first said he couldn't do it. So I pulled up a stool and told him I'd wait while he figured it out which he did. The dinner they prepared was a pool of cheese whiz and deli meat from Shnucks buried in the fake cheese read more

Cocina Latina - Inedible food - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

I visited Cocina Latina with a small group of friends who were in town visiting from Columbia. They found this spot and were super excited to take me to this restaurant. I ordered the Bendeja Paisa, which is a large portion, much larger than I thought. But it's delicious, especially the chicharrón! And the fried egg is such a perfect compliment. This is definitely a meal to eat if you need to sober up, lol! I finished my meal with an order of the alfajores cookies. They're buttery and caramely and oh so delicious! I think my mouth just watered a lil bit thinking about them. Please visit, you'll enjoy the drinks, the service, the food and if you score a table by the window, a little bit of people watching never hurts. read more

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Great dish but something's amiss... Let me preface this review by stating Cocina Latina is excellent. I've eaten here several times and have tried a few dishes, the aji gallina being my favorite. I decided to branch out and finally try something new, which brings me to the ropa vieja. Now, upon first glance, it's got a beautiful presentation and the meat looks so tender and juicy. Well let me tell you, it definitely was. Unfortunately, this is about all I have to say. The powerful punch I was hoping to get from the seasoning missed the mark. To be clear, it didn't even register. I kept wondering what was missing and then it hit me, there was nothing special about the meat. The maduros (sweet plantains), had the perfect amount of crisp, the black beans were delicious but the meat wasn't hitting like I hoped it would. My date got the lomo saltado (not pictured) and he really enjoyed it. Don't worry, I'll still come back but perhaps it may be best to stick with what I know. read more

Cocina Latina - Ropa Vieja - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

Came here for a girls' dinner as the menu and location seemed great. However it was an extremely disappointing night. We weren't greeted when we arrived, and when were sat down, the waiter walked away after leaving us the food menus. We weren't given a drinks menu so were sat with water waiting until the server came over 30 minutes later and we finally asked for a drinks menu and ordered our food. Our food came out 1 hour and 15 mins after being seated and the waiter never returned to check on us until 15 mins before closing he came and put check on the table and walked off The food was decent, portions were large but I won't ever come back read more

Went to this place on a Sunday afternoon. Ordered the Bandeja Paisa. everything on the plate was just over cooked, steak was dry, and no flavor at all. Server might have been the manager. but he was very uninterested in my satisfaction of my meal. I ate what I could and left half my meal. He never ask "is everything ok?" Just handed me my bill.. I paid and left. Won't be back. read more

We had a lovely lunch at Cocina Latina. The tostones were good, though a touch tough. I loved the sauce that came with them! My friend greatly enjoyed her steak fajitas. I had the lomo saltado on the recommendation of a friend. The steak was tender and flavorful. Perfectly cooked. I loved the melding of flavors and the slight saltiness of the dish. We ended with alfajores and píonono - the dulce de leche was perfection. The shortbread was crumbly and buttery. My friend's sponge cake was served warm which added a nice depth. We were bummed the mazamorra morada was sold out for the day as we were excited to try it! There was only one server on for the lunch crowd, and he was hustling! read more

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Traditional Latin cuisine in a small restaurant that reminds you of the sodas in Costa Rica and throughout South America. The food is delicious and plentiful and the Chef Owner is a delight. read more

Love this place in CWE! I always pick-up food so I can't speak to the in-person dining experience but when I've stopped in to pick up my order they have been really attentive. The restaurant is also very cute. The real star for me is always the food. My go to order includes: Colombian Empanadas, Jalea, and the Tallarin Verde with steak. The portion on the main dish and Jalea are great but the empanadas are on the smaller end. Can't wait to be back! read more

2nd visit Went we a group of 7, good was great. Everyone loved the food! Bandeja paisa, Carne mechada, Aji de gallina are the ones I remember. We also had empanadas and those were a success as well. Drink were good caipirinhas were the most popular drink on our table. And at the end the waitress brought us alfajores, which was super nice of them. And the alfajores were delicious! read more

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It's been awhile since I've been here but the food is still delicious. We had tons of food but I ordered the ají de gallina and pisco sour. We shared the picarones, flan, and ceviche. All were delicious!! I highly recommend the ají de gallina. It's a dish with shredded chicken and potatoes covered in a mildly spicy cheese sauce. I love that they shaved some parmesan on top, it added a lot. The pisco was pretty good but they used way too much ice that the foam top was half the drink. We make better ones at home lol. I had a bite of the lomo saltado. Perfectly cooked filet mignon and beautifully seasoned. Definitely one of my favorite Peruvian dishes. Picarones were great. Flan was good. Would have loved a little more powdered sugar on the picarones because they're not super sweet. The texture was perfect though. Crunchy on the outside and almost bouncy on the inside. No disappointments here! I was way too full after the meal but it was so worth it. read more

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What a hidden gem. A delicious change of pace Peruvian, Cuban, and Columbian cuisine. Primarily Peruvian. I haven't had sweet plantains this delicious and spot on since I left New York and Mimi's Abeula made them for me. I had the Bandeja Paisa it was so much food, filling and deliciousness, Carne Asada covered with a perfectly cooked egg, avocado, roasted sausage, beans and rice, plantains and chicharrones. A very tasty meal and enough to take home for later. There are more booths than tables, and street parking. Our waiter was great, very nice, courteous and friendly. A steady stream of customers, though not crowded. Latin music playing in the background and a couple of TVs with the sound off, made for pleasant distractions but quiet enough to carry on a conversation. Good dining atmosphere. read more

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A delightful spot for early lunch with excellent service. The steak with vegetables and sauce was amazing and delicious. My only regret was not taking an empanada to go. Will visit again. read more

Cocina Latina - Tallarin Saltado Steak - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

My first and last visit. I ordered the rotisserie chicken; the half chicken portion was so small I think the bird must have hatched an hour before I arrived! The meat was very dry, the flavor was not at all subtle, and I was unable to eat it. They didn't charge me for it, and rightfully so. I think I might've simply ordered the wrong thing from their very comprehensive menu, so I'm going to give it another chance. It's a fairly high rated establishment and it's a pretty large space; clearly their success must be based on good food. Service was efficient and friendly; ambiance was very nice. read more

I took a group of friends there for a Peruvian dinner. I was surprised that on a Saturday night there was only one couple dining there. I loved the colorful artwork on the walls The food was good. Everyone said they want to go back there. read more

Headed here for a late Saturday lunch with friends. The dining room was not very busy around 1 PM. I enjoyed their holiday version of a Pisco Sour. Cute presentation. For an appetizer we shared the tasty Tostones con Ahogado. My entree of Sudado de Pescado was delicious. Tender mahi-mahi in a tomato sauce served over potatoes. The service was great. If you want authentic Peruvian in a friendly setting this is your spot! read more

Cocina Latina - Christmas version of a Pisco Sour. - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

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We just discovered this place last weekend. I had Peruvian food frequently while living in California. It was easy to make a reservation via google assistant. We arrived at 6 and there was another table of patrons. As we left around 730 more people had started to trickle in. It was nice to be somewhere uncrowded. We had sangria and that was great. We started with the appetizer papa a la guan in a which was my favorite dish of the night. My husband got the lomo Saltado. The setup of the components was a little different than I've had (usually a lot more fries) but it was great. The beef was very tender. I had aji de gallina. The sauce was flavorful although not spicy as expected. It was okay but I wouldn't order it again. I will make a different choice next time. We both felt the rice was not fresh. It was hard in some places which turned me off and definitely changed the entree. We would return again for more sangria and to try more things on the menu. read more

Peruvian food: like mexican food, but better! IMO, Peruvian food has all the flavor that Mexican food has without all the greasiness. We went in on a Saturday night and they had plenty of open tables! What I ordered: I started out with a pisco sour. It was light and refreshing. To eat I had a plantain dish (not pictured) and a potato dish with a yellow pepper sauce. Both were delicious and prepared well! The price was great for the quality of the food. I enjoyed my experience and the food was delicious! read more

Cocina Latina - Papa a la Huancaina - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

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Came here for a girls' dinner as the menu and location seemed great. However it was an extremely disappointing night. We weren't greeted when we arrived, and when were sat down, the waiter walked away after leaving us the food menus. We weren't given a drinks menu so were sat with water waiting until the server came over 30 minutes later and we finally asked for a drinks menu and ordered our food. Our food came out 1 hour and 15 mins after being seated and the waiter never returned to check on us until 15 mins before closing he came and put check on the table and walked off The food was decent, portions were large but I won't ever come back read more

Yum! Their food is simple yet so tasty. There is less than one handful of Peruvian restaurants in the STL region but we are lucky to have this one! We tried the lomo saltado and their roast chicken. The lomo was really good quality and tasty - they definitely use tenderloin beef or they tenderize their beef insanely well. The saltado sauce perfect with the rice, onions, tomatoes. No peppers. Their roasted chicken was flavor explosion. It was extremely flavorful throughout that it almost tasted like it was smoked. The beans were great as well. Both really solid dishes and we left really satisfied and happy and consider this well worth the price for the quality of food. Not gonna lie, when we walked in, the restaurant was packed with Spanish speaking patrons - we knew right away that it was gonna be a good meal. There are plenty of other dishes that I'll have to try the next visit. read more

Best Peruvian food in St Louis, we drive 2 hours to eat here twice a month. I recommend to go hungry read more

Cocina Latina - Combination friend rice Peruvian style - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

I really enjoyed my food and drinks here. I came with some friends for dinner on a Saturday night. I had made reservations a few days in advance because I didn't know how busy they got. I got a pisco sour and the lomo saltado. The pisco sour was ok - I'm not sure if I would get it again - it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I was a bit worried about the lomo saltado because I'm super picky when it comes to meat, but I had this dish in Peru many times and loved it. It was SO GOOD. Just thinking about how tender the flavorful the meat was is making my mouth water. The sauce was perfectly light, but packed with delicious flavors. I would 100% get this dish again. We also got the Papa a la Huancaina to share and it was pretty good. Soft potatoes with a creamy sauce - not a ton of flavor, but just how I remember it from Lima. read more

Tried this as a lunch delivery to work a couple weeks ago. Delivered hot and fresh. Had the Lomo Saltado and it was very tastefully prepared and delicious. Arrived quickly. read more

Cocina Latina - Lomo Saltado - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

If you are a fan of latine food, absolutely eat here! The interior feels cozy and inviting, and the servers are always friendly. Would highly recommend the beef anticuchos, which were incredibly tender and cooked to perfection! read more

Cocina Latina - Anticuchos de Corazon - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

Overall the experience here was just mediocre. The moment we walked in the person that set us at the table didn't give a warm welcome. Didn't smile, or barely talk. The restaurant itself had a good atmosphere. I got the dish with grilled steak, chorizo, arepa beans and rice. It was pretty bland. The stuffed potato appetizer was also not very good. Didn't taste fresh. They need to season their food. It was just OK. I'm not dying to go back. read more

This is a little hidden gem for authentic Peruvian and Latin cuisine. The food and drinks are good; my friend thought they were delicious (more than I did). The staff are friendly and help if you are struggling with pronouncing a dish. The empanada appetizer is a single empanada so if you are planning on sharing with multiple people, I would order a few. Overall, I would not be opposed to coming again. read more

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Went here the parking was nice. In the CWE IT IS TYPICALLY HARD TO FIND A SPOT but the location is not in the area where there is horrible parking. The atmosphere was nice. Music was not to loud and the had contactless menus. The waiter was nice and we were both satisfied with our with the service. Now to the thing you were interested in- the food. The only thing I didn't like was the potato with the hard boil egg but that is my fault for not reading what's in the food. Everything else was great. I recommend if you are not Peruvian or not familiar with the food you should color on Yelp for picture and talk to the waiter about it. He was super helpful read more

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We noticed Cocina Latina has finally opened so off we went. It is located on Euclid Avenue down from Evangeline's. They are still setting some things up. They are also working on the menu which right now, is not printed in English. They will explain the items to you. They seem to have a full bar. It is a small space but I think it will fill up once they get going. We decided to split a few appetizers. The empanada with beef which was very good, and the tamale stuffed with chicken which was also very good. These are hand made and the dough was outstanding. Off on our own, he ordered the aji de gallena with chicken. I was able to try the sauce and it was quite tasty. It also had boiled potatoes with it. I had the Lomo Saltado which was steak with tomato's, onions and French fries mixed in with a serving of rice. Delicious. Would I come back here? Yes, I want to try a few different items. If you see me there, stop by and say hello. read more

Cocina Latina - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

Great food. Very good services. Available options for outdoor seating. The Bandeja Paisa was very tasty and I like the crispy pork belly and beans that came with this plate. Our server did a great job despite he needed to cover many tables at the same time. read more

Cocina Latina - Bandeja Paisa - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

A strong four stars! It's easy to miss Cocina Latina next to Evangeline's, but you'll want to keep your eyes peeled for this Peruvian spot. My partner and I shared the ceviche, aji de gallina, and pollo a la brasa for dinner, and really enjoyed each dish. The ceviche was a little spicier than we were expecting, but was well balanced. The beans served with the pollo were the surprise hit for me! The staff is all very kind and quick to check in on you. Check out Cocina Latina next time you're in CWE! read more

Cocina Latina - Aji de Gallina - Peruvian Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

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I love their jalea and lomo saltado. The jalea has a perfect breading when spritz with lime and the lomo saltado is wonderfully tender. Both are must haves and I highly recommend to anyone wanting delicious, filling, flavorful food in the CWE. read more

Been wanting to try this place out and finally got some takeout. All the food was packaged perfectly for takeout. The food itself was great! I was just glad that there was peruvian in St. Louis!! Got the classic Lomo Saltado and the Bandeja Paisa. Bith were good, really like the beef and flavor of the first. Loved the variety of the second, there was a little bit if everything so we got ti try a lot. Also ordered the peruvian and columbian empanadas. Loved the flaky pastry of the peruvian one, but liked the filling to wrapper ratio of the columbian one more. Will for sure be ordering again to try out the rest of the menu!! read more

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