We drove past Los Moles, and stopped short of Picante to visit El Mono for the first time. Good decision! This was fantastic with a deep menu to explore. Wasn't overly crowded and Cris, Niurka and Taya were attentive and brought us our order very quickly. Tonight the three of us all stuck with the seafood dishes, but I've already planned my next three visits. Tip: Finish with the flan. read more

This is the second "El Mono" I've been to, and it's as good- if not better- than the original. Beautiful setting, fast but never rushed service by true " consœurs "  of the Peruvian cousine, including the owner, who's there most of the time. Regarding the food, the ceviche was magnificent, and the lomo with tallarines verdes almost made me lick the plate. And I almost forgot the "yucas with salsa" appetizer, so yummy! Extra points for the ample parking lot and the cozy terraza. This may become my new favorite restaurant in Gilman. read more

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This restaurant was amazing the employees were very welcoming , Andre's and Christian were very nice , food was delicious! The ambiance is beautiful . read more

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Always delicious and Taya and Marlene were great! Tried the soup for the first time...yum! read more

The manager here deserves praise. He has the perfect temperament to do the job he's doing. My meal did take a little long to come out, but I ordered paella, so I always expect it to take time. The manager was tracking ticket times, discretely nudging his kitchen (which seemed short staffed, but was still pumping out good food), and was providing solutions for his staff and customers. The two servers I saw working were pleasant and attentive, and were discretely communicating things to the manager so he could do what he needed to in order to keep customers satisfied. The meal I had was really good (seafood paella), there was a tiny bit more grit than I would have wanted in my seafood, but with the amount of seafood they provided I wasn't bothered. I also got a chance to try the passionfruit/blue corn drink they offer which was really refreshing and the perfect sweetness for me. read more

The food, the service, ambiance was O'Mazing!!!! It's a whole experience We loved it. Taya has this big beautiful smile and beautiful warm personality she made us feel so welcome. Treat Yourself , You Deserve It read more

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Good food, good service, very friendly staffs, Matt, Criss, Niurka, I will come again

Great food! Bella our waitress was very friendly. enjoyed the atmosphere . great service

The food is amazing. I've door dashed here and decided to take my dad in person. Dnt forget to order a chicha sangria :)

The best food. It's probably our 4th time coming here. Every new thing we've tried, we are blown away. Niurka was a great server, super sweet and attentive !! read more

El Mono - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Matt, our server was amazing. Great service and attention to our needs during our visit. The food was very good!! And im peruvian so I know what authentic peruvian food should taste like!! Great place all over!!! Highly recommended!!! read more

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Great Fried Rice and Maracuya Sangria!! The whole family enjoyed their meals. We'll be back! Yummy! read more

Food was really good and the service was ni me and kind. Christian was our server and all the time he was making sure we were good. I'm half they opened another location now closer to me :) read more

El Mono - Great place! I'm glad they opened another location closer to me. Christian was the server and all the time he was making sure we were good. - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Delicious happy hour bites. Appreciated Criss' service. El Mono is a solid restaurant.

Wow we were so looking to giving this place a try and what a disappointment. It was cold outside and not inviting at all cold inside. Such a missed opportunity to creating a cozy space. And no the fireplace logs on TV does not help it. The place has potential but does not live up to it. We spent 125$ for 2 people: ceviche, paella, side of plantains, 1 beer and two Aqua frescas. The food was disappointing. Don't want to even review it all, but at the price I'd expect a lot better quality, balanced flavors. Seafood quality in paella I really questioned as well. So disappointed and feeling like a waste of money for a meal. There are half a dozen upscale places in berkeley alone that would deliver much better at that ticket price. The staff was very friendly. That's a plus. read more

Meh. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. Maybe I had higher expectations. Wobbly table. Loud room. Candles on the table, none lit. Ceviche and postones excellent. Wine too warm and needed ice cubes. Lomo was ok. Too much rice and French fries, not enough beef. Pallia huge miss. No crispy rice. Over cooked mussels. A shrimp tail with no shrimp. 2 over cooked clams. Way too much rubbery calamari. Mushy rice. Staff was polite. Offered free dessert and free coupon for appetizer during happy hour. $150 seemed too much. The ceviche was the star. All in all just so-so. Restaurants are very expensive these days just to be meh. But maybe I ordered wrong. read more

Wonderful food and service. Gracias a Criss y Karina. Great music as well. I'll come back often for sure

Absolutely not worth it, serving size went down and prices went up, service is the worse!!!!! Take forever to serve, please do not waist your money and time, they used to be good idk what happened maybe change ownership? But whatever it happened they made it worse!! read more

Food and service is great. Thank You Taya for the great experience suggestion we're perfect. We will be back soon read more

El Mono - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm from Peru, and this food was very authentic. I loved the food, the service, and how friendly the staff was. I will definitely be coming back often! read more

El Mono - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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El Mono is great! Let me tell you why: - Easy to find location with lots of parking! - Cute ambiance and cool outside seating area - Classic menu w/ unique specials My wife and I ordered Jalea, mariscos saltado, and Antonio's pescado al achiote. All were portioned well. Jalea was crispyyyyyy and had a great mix of everything. We also really liked the cortido that went with it. The sauces for both the saltado and pescado al achiote were perfectly seasoned and tasty. Service was great too, Matt was very helpful and helped us navigate the menu. Also told us a little bit about the new place. Definitely coming back to bring our in laws. Nothing but good things to say read more

I highly recommended this Peruvian Restaurant. The food we ordered were all delicious, the ambiance is cool, customer service is great, thanks Matt. Every one of their staff is wonderful. We will be back for sure read more

There are so many restaurants in this Berkeley area, and we chose El Mono to celebrate our 53rd wedding anniversary dinner. Taya and Christian, our servers, were awesome! The food was fabulous! Exceeded our expectations. We will spread the word to our family and friends! read more

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Niurka and Daniella were wonderful and super helpful! The food was very delicious and reminded me of my family's cooking taken up a notch I recommend the causa acevichada w/tuna and beef chaufa. The ambiance was very lovely, and I appreciate they have a patio option. read more

Food is amazing, authentic, well balanced flavors. All Hail the Causa! Antonio's pescado is Devine! Atmosphere is pleasant. The service is good although slightly slow. We will be back! read more

We had an excellent meal tonight at El Mono on Gilman at 4th. We started with their complementary fried corn nuts. We ordered the Trio de Antojitos, with tasty beef "anticucho" bites, a little ceviche, and potatoes. Delicious and such a great opportunity to try three Peruvian classics in one order. Also loved the Aji de Gallina, with shredded chicken in the yellow Aji Amarillo sauce. Great flavor. My husband thought it was the best one he's tried anywhere. To cap it off, we enjoyed the Miti Miti drink, a refreshing combination of the passionfruit and purple corn juices. Shout out to Cristian for his friendly service. We're already planning to return with our family, we know they will love it too. read more

El Mono is a fantastic find! On Gilman Street in Berkeley, right near interstate 80. This Peruvian fusion restaurant offers an extensive menu for both lunch and dinner: lots of meat, vegetarian, and seafood options and all are delicious! Also a very nice selection of lunch specials, including soup or salad and a drink for around $20 The room is modern and lovely and our server Christian was very attentive and helpful with menu suggestions. Very highly recommended!! read more

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We had been to El Mono in it's old location, the new location is wonderful. We were served by Christian who did a great job, made us feel welcome and helped me with my terrible pronunciation. The food is the star as always, with a few new items added. I really like their new location and will be back. read more

Service was absolutely amazing Matt and Andres were super attentive and went above and beyond! Will definitely be coming back just for the amazing service! read more

El Mono - Lomo Saltado, paella, Maracuya sangria - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Excellent food and customer service! Christian did a great job! Thank you!! For the main course, the lomo saltado was a standout. The beef was tender, the wok-fried vegetables were crisp, and the soy-based sauce had just the right amount of umami. Served over fluffy white rice with crispy fries, it was comfort food with flair. Ceviche was delicious!! read more

El Mono - Ceviche - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

The newest location of El Mono had to visit i been to El Cerrito so i thought i would stop by. The food was still oh so tasty and the place is super cute surrounded by a lot of windows natural light comes in. They do have a bar area if you wanted to come in for some drinks. the service was so welcoming and so fast since i came in for lunch. My favorite is the lomo saltado which it comes with a salad or soup. read more

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Amazing meal! Peruvian food is so flavorful and diverse. Service was amazing; very friendly and helpful. We sat outside. Beautiful patio with heaters and beautiful indoor. The Poor Man's Steak, sangria, and alfajores were delicious. I cannot wait to return. read more

Awesome, with Christian! Will be back for more and will bring our friends! Loved the paella and affagoto.

The Peruvian food was incredibly good! Took friends there to celebrate birthday. We each ordered a different dish and were able to sample different items (roasted chicken breast was moist and tasty!) Isabella was an excellent waitress...professional, attentive, and charming. They also had a cute doggie menu for fur babies and it looked as appetizing as ours:-)! read more

This is such an amazing restaurant. Bella and Niurka were very attentive and friendly. Food was amazing!

Everything was perfect! The staff that served us, Criss, Matt, and Niurka were so welcoming, friendly, and helpful! Criss gave us an amazing suggestion to try the seco de cordero and it was absolutely delicious and great portions. The ambiance was relaxing and they had the World Cup games playing. We will absolutely be back! read more

El Mono - Seco de cordero - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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We had a wonderful meal in this new restaurant - everything was super tasty and Christian, our server and their cook were outstanding. Nice to find authentic, home made food with quality ingredients! read more

One of the yummiest places in Berkeley. Service is fantastic. Try the chichi or miti miti (now as a sangria option).

First time at this location. Dining many times at the El Cerrito location we decided to come try this new establishment closer to home. We had a great dining experience- ambiance and food. We were seated right away, but it did take awhile for our order to be taken. Our food and drinks came at a good time. We ordered Calamari, Camaron Saltado, Peruvian Michelada and the Miti. Everything was good, calamari was a bit salty but overall good. Thank you Christian and Mateo. read more

Only 5 stars because there aren't more stars to tap. First time to the Berkeley location. The food is so good. Perfect octopus. Fantastic Shrimp chowder (recommended by our server Christian, who was amazing). My steak was cooked perfectly. Is so welcoming and comfortable. My wife and I left happy and full. So happy is walkable to us now. read more