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    Don Julio Restaurant

    4.0 (25 reviews)
    ModeratePeruvian
    Closed 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    Tasteless ceviche bad bad bad
    Mariana T.

    Worst insipid fish ceviche With American corn not Peruvian corn The chicken soup had old hard pieces of chicken you can't even chew and it tasted like all ginger. Awful food

    Lunch special
    Daja E.

    A local spot w/ a lot of character. I came earlier in the day and the place quickly filled up. I got the fried fish, which was crispy and light. The loaded fries were the highlight the sauce and steak just hits with everything else. Fried rice was soo flavorful. I loved the different options for drinks. For a day trip to NJ I'm glad I stopped by. The owner treats everyone like family stopping by making sure everything is good

    Saltado de Mariscos (especial) breaking the whopping 4 lb mark.
    Sam A.

    Despite the insane amount of fries in proportion to the meat, they over delivered flavor and quantity. Best Peruvian I've had in NJ by a long shot even when you take the gargantuan portions out of the equation. Entree flavors were just spot on for the lomo and pollo and the sauces were great too. So reviews saying huge portions, but what are we actually talking? Here are our meals on a scale (images attached for your enjoyment). Lomo Saltado - more than 2.5lbs Pollo Saltado - more than 3.25lbs Saltado de Mariscos Especial - more than 4lbs!! I'd rank the meals as I listed them above, ie inverse proportion to their weight. I probably wouldn't order Mariscos again but good value and flavor overall. But quality of the seafood just wasn't there for me personally. Very happy to have found this place. We're probably be return customers... with a request for more veggies and less fries.

    Churrasco con tacu-tacu!
    A G.

    Food is delicious and portions are HUGE...like big enough to split or you will have plenty of leftovers. We ordered the Mixto ceviche, churrasco con tacu-tacu and bistec a lo pobre. Everything was great-one thing I would recommend is to get the steak rare if you like it more medium-because everything was packaged so well the meat continued to cook-so it was a little more well done but still delicious. Happy we found this little gem!

    Tallarin Verde with steak and tostones
    Mar S.

    By far the best Peruvian food you will ever find in the entire U.S. We have traveled the country and tried Peruvian food all around and stumbuled upon this tiny spot almost by accident, the owner cooks authentic "chifa" plates full of flavor. You will enjoy the classic staples such as ceviches, jalea, lomo saltado, chaufas and the all-amazing tallarin verde. See the uploaded pictures, visit this amazing place and enjoy!...can't wait to go back

    Fish ceviche
    Franco B.

    As you know I'm a huge fan of Peruvian food so I have to properly praise the owner/chef Cesar and his wife Meche with a 5-star review. Don Julio Restaurant mainly focuses on Peruvian food and Chinese-Peruvian fusion called chifa. They serve lunch specials Monday-Saturday. You have two categories standard Peruvian dishes and chifa lunch special s(see pic). I've come here more than 10 times so I must have tried half of them but they are always trying to change it up every week. The taste resembles Peruvian cuisine. If you ever been to Perú (please go if you haven't), it's really hard to imitate the flavor found in Perú but Cesar, the chef with 20 years of experience, brings you amazing Peruvian food that will stimulate your taste buds to the max. My recommendations: Fish ceviche: you can order it not spicy, medium spicy or spicy. It does not have Peruvian corn but they add american corn which is a good match. Thinly sliced celery or not if you prefer. Lomo saltado: small bites of beef scrambled with french fries, grilled red onions and tomatoes and served with white rice. Chef nailed this one. Papa a la huancaina: it's hard to explain what it is but it's short for delicious yellow dip. Hint: it contains queso fresco. Fried wonton: similar to what you think it is. Add some sweet tamarindo sauce. You guys rock for elevating the Peruvian cuisine in new Jersey.

    Ceviche

    Wanted to try a different place and this restaurant popped up on yelp. We are so glad we gave it a try because food was amazing and u can't beat the lunch specials that come with soup n a drink. I thought it would disappoint but I'm glad to say it was all delicious from the ceviche to the lomo and the jambalaya! Will definitely order from here again!

    Ceviche

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    6 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Delicious food! Service was great and staff very friendly! Definitely going back!!! Recommend for sure.

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

    I order the Lomo Saltado . Portions are enough for two! Fresh ingredients, but sometimes too greasy . Overall great taste.

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    8 years ago

    We called ahead and were told they're open till 9pm, we arrived at 8 pm and were told kitchen is closed. Unbelievable

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    6 years ago

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    Pisco De Mar

    Pisco De Mar

    4.4(37 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    9/22/25 We've driven…read moreby many times and kept saying we had to try, and finally made it in. 1st thing you see upon entering is the sign telling you to "Start with ceviche" Don't mind if I do Tasty little shot of soup? Cerviche Duo - Basa cerviche and Chicharron de Pescado, both are delicious Maracuya was a medium sized carafe Chicken Skewers were delicious Causa with Octopus was very good Seafood Aeropuerto Chaufa is delicious! I'll be back for more. We had no idea these plates were so big, we ordered for a whole family lol. I honestly thought the ceviche would be a small cup hehehe

    This upscale Peruvian restaurant is very easy to find in the heart of Garfield. The ambience was…read morevery Latin centric with upscale field and Instagram worthy decor. The salsa music in the background gave it a nice touch as we enjoy a great appetizers and plentiful meals with phenomenal flavor. Highly suggested to try any of their wide range of plates, including the soups, ceviche, and fish dishes, and classic lomo and steak plates. The salad, including the mango and avocado salad was a hit, especially with the red onion. The only downside is we came on a Tuesday afternoon and the kitchen was understaffed so the food came out a little bit slow. However, everything was hot and still tasted amazing so we really didn't mind waiting for a little bit while catching up. The space is a small restaurant in a shopping plaza and will not easily accommodate parties larger than six. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area and are looking for an upscale twist to classic Peruvian cuisine.

    Photos
    Pisco De Mar - Interior

    Interior

    Pisco De Mar
    Pisco De Mar

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    Jarana - El Poderoso ($38)

    Jarana

    4.0(218 reviews)
    4.7 mi

    Finally I could come to try this restaurant and I was gladly surprised, the hype is not fake…read more From the beginning, the attention from the personnel was super polite and respectful. I made a reservation and they've respected my request to be seated inside. The atmosphere inside is very vivid, like the name of the restaurant... it feels like you are in a party. My only wish is that they would play Peruvian music so the experience would be more immersive with the food. The menu is big and one of the things that I've liked was to see a lot of dishes that are not common in a Peruvian Restaurant outside Perú... like Aji de Gallina, Anticuchos and Picarones. Now the most important, the food... the quality was very good, since the plates arrived to our table, the smell and the presentation was a temptation to go all the way in. The ingredients used felt fresh and made to order. Every plate had its own characteristic and flavour... good size too. The "choco lucuma" cake for dessert was a great finish... moisty and the intensity of the chocolate and lucuma flavor to a good ratio. If you have the chance to try it... go for it, you'll not regret.

    lets start with the good.. service good taste of the food…read moreexcellent really tasty and authentic vibe, enjoyed most of it as far as flavor the taste was there i enjoyed but for $38 dollars plus on the lomo salteado and i get literally 5/6 small pieces of meat? i failed to see the value here, i mean for a one and done experience i could give it 4 stars, but as a return customer i failed or felt unsatisfied. prob wont try anything else on the menu at this place, really wanted to love it.

    Photos
    Jarana - Interior

    Interior

    Jarana - Jarana Chicken

    Jarana Chicken

    Jarana - Pisco Punch

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    Pisco Punch

    Leña Y Carbon - sopa

    Leña Y Carbon

    3.1(74 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    There's no reason to mess up an ARROZ CHAUFA (chicken-pollo). Peruvian chaufa can't be this.. the…read morerice was good but the chicken is like breaded hard old chicken strips. I think LEña y Carbon are getting too big that the quality of the food ain't hitten !! This can't be.. look at this chicken.. if Leña y Carbon reads this comment, don't come with an apology. Yall wrong for playin people with this hard azz chicken

    Oh man, I don't know what happened to people's orders or service before, but today? Perfection…read more I actually had Bloomfield as my destination, but the Leña website doesn't list Bloomfield! So I went to the O.G. location, where I learned that one spun off to a different owner. I always appreciate O.G. so I'm glad to find that this one is thriving in Passaic. A little off the beaten track, Leña does offer a parking lot if the street is full. Not too crowded inside - well, see my photos - they sat me at a nice large table of my own and brought over that delicious large corn with spicy green sauce. I don't know the names, but this is delicious. The waitress happily walked me through the menu options and, being Ecuadorian, informed me to what was the most traditional here. I went with Tacu Tacu con... technically Pechuga. * Purple drink: Delicious, authentic, large glass, fresh made, fruity and refreshing. Guy at the other table had a whole pitcher and I might have wanted that over just one glass! * Side of fried cassava: Was told that's how Peruvians like it, and that matches my South American recollection. Delicious with that green sauce. * Tacu was on top of a large fried rice patty. Well, not really a patty, it just broke apart into delicious bites bursting with flavor. Wonderful and authentic. * Tacu chicken itself was pounded thin but seasoned so nicely I couldn't put it down. * Large meal accompanied by lettuce and onions. Even those were somehow delicious - okay, more green sauce was used - but my plate exited my possession completely empty. Wish I had room left to try the dessert, the flan or coco version thereof, but too full of delicious Peruvianism. Glad this was on my must try list, glad I chose this location - I'll be back!

    Photos
    Leña Y Carbon - Interior from my table

    Interior from my table

    Leña Y Carbon - Tacu tacu con pechuga

    Tacu tacu con pechuga

    Leña Y Carbon - Menu page 1

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    Menu page 1

    Don Julio Restaurant - peruvian - Updated May 2026

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