BEWARE SCAMMY SCUMMY RESTAURANT
My partner and I are on a quest to find the best Peruvian restaurants in the city. We've experienced both great and disappointing ones, but none as dreadful as this place. Our visit felt like a scene straight out of Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares."
We entered with high hopes but found no host at the entrance. Eventually, we found a seat. Unfortunately, the only two bathrooms face half the restaurant, ensuring a constant unpleasant aroma of bathroom during our meal. Despite this, we decided to focus on the food.
We ordered fish ceviche, lomo saltado, half a chicken with fries, two sodas, and a margarita. The ceviche was a scam: 80% onion and 20% fish, for what was already a small fistful portion that lasted for 5 bites. Bland and utterly disappointing. When we asked for diet sodas, coke or pepsi, they had none--a rarity in any restaurant but something we decided to ignore again.
Our main courses arrived. The lomo saltado was dry and flavorless, while the chicken was overly peppered and lacked the green sauce typical of Peruvian cuisine. They didn't even have mayonnaise either, another Peruvian staple and something that I have never seen any restaurant, not just Peruvian, lack. It felt like we were accommodating them rather than being served.
The worst part was the margarita. Other than the color, there was no hint of mango taste and instead the taste of the cheapest alcohol ever that it wouldn't surprise me if I was told it was rubbing alcohol.
The menu listed the drink at $14, but the bill showed $18. They added $2 for mango flavor and another $2 because it was frozen--charges that are nowhere listed on the menu or communicated. I had never asked for a frozen margarita or even given the option of frozen or on the rocks and instead had explicitly pointed at the $14 margarita on the menu. Not only have I never seen a restaurant add a charge for an on the rocks vs frozen drink before, but it had been THEIR decision to make my drink frozen, with additional charges, unbeknownst to me, so they could sneak it into my bill. For the flavor, I was also told I had to pick lime or mango, there was never a discussion of anything extra. When I questioned this, the waiter pointed at a guy who by the looks of it probably had experience at having to defend the scammy tactics of the restaurant from unsuspecting customers and smuggly asked us what was the problem which I repeated to him. He showed no interest in addressing the issue and instead smirked at us saying that that's what it was. I looked at the menu again at the bottom where in small letters it said "Please order at risk" and realized now the true intent of the restaurant when stating this.
I am disputing the charges with AMEX due to the fraudulent and deceptive practices of this restaurant. Only a desperate restaurant with no integrity would resort to such low tactics with false advertising and sneaking extra fees at the expense of their customers. I have never felt more scammed at eating scraps of mediocre food at best with the aroma of bathroom, a cocktail of orange rubbing alcohol, no condiments or basic sodas as an option, and a bill that shows the true character of this establishment and its tactics. Looking at other reviews afterwards, they are aware of what they are doing and this is a common tactic they employ, sneaking charges at unsuspecting customers hoping either they don't notice or will take the scam since they are of no help. It's clear they are not looking to change their habits. I urge you to report this with your credit card if they are of no help, dispute the charge, and report their fraud so they get flagged. We will never return and advise others to beware. read more