3.5/5 rounding up to a 4. After visiting Celeste a few months ago, I thought I'd give La Royal a try. The menu is quite similar but there are definitely some items that are unique to La Royal. My husband and I both got a drink, I had the maracuya sour and he got a pisco sour which we both enjoyed. The pastel de choclo was a good appetizer before we got our lomo saltado and arroz con pato. The lomo saltado was nice, though we weren't sure if it was supposed to be so soup-y! We didn't mind since we liked the soup though it did get a bit salty after a while. For the arroz con pato - the duck itself was fine. I appreciated that it wasn't dry but it wasn't my favorite. I LOVED the rice paired with the salsa - my personal favorite of the night. read more

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Food here is amazing! I highly recommend the ceviche and the tacu tacu--both were packed with flavor and beautifully prepared. I also ordered from the specials menu and was not disappointed at all; everything tasted fresh and thoughtfully made. I visited around the holidays and was pleasantly surprised by the live music, which really elevated the whole experience. The ambiance was great too, with dim lighting that made it feel cozy and intimate. Parking on the street was a bit of a challenge--I had to loop around a few times--but honestly, it was worth it for the meal and atmosphere. Definitely a spot I'd come back to! read more

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Came here on Valentine's Day. The place itself is small but decorated beautifully. It makes for a somewhat intimate feel. Highly recommend. The food and drink itself was delicious. We started with an appetizer and moved towards our mains. All dishes had a beautiful presentation and the taste matched it! The service was very attentive and accommodating. Would highly recommend and will return! read more

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The place is nice and the really fancy. The food wasn't as good as I expected. It's just overly sour and salty, the tartar was my fav out of everything else. I wouldn't go back. Service was alright they took awhile. read more

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The ambiance was nice but kind of dark. The rice I had (I had the duck and rice dish) was kind of bland. But the duck was cooked to perfection. The polenta cake appetizer was very good and was my favorite! The service was pretty good too! Overall, pricey but ok. The flan was good too! read more

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We enjoyed our night at la royal but wish there was an option to pick a table versus bar seating when making a reservation. Came for a date night where we were hoping to talk a lot but ended up having to sit at the bar which was extremely cramped. It was hard to have a good conversation with noise levels and the chairs at the bar bounce or feel completely unstable / can flex or bend into the person sitting next to you. The food was to die for and the servers were very nice, but I'm also glad we were both fine with smoke in the restaurant. It is extremely hazy inside from food being cooked right in front of you / the bar which isn't for everyone. It was a great experience and time but I probably wouldn't come back here again given the price for the environment. read more

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Stick to apps and drinks. The mains are overpriced and mediocre at best. The service is also terrible. We ordered two mains and only one of them came out. No one checked in to ask how our dishes were so we had to wait a full 30 minutes to even followup on our missing duck rice dish. The duck was cooked well done and tasted like overcharred grill. read more

Worth the visit. Best to use a parking app because parking is tough everywhere in Cambridge. Cocktails are fantastic, food is terrific. A wonderful experience. read more

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Unique place. I would not take kids there. However food was delicious. Portions are tiny.

I had an astounding experience here! The service was out of this world. My waitress was so kind she genuinely made my day. I sampled a lot of different dishes but my favorites were the pineapple shrimp skewers and the strawberry dessert. The interior is cute also so I really love this restaurant over all! read more

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Good service and tasty food. We went for group dinner and were immediately seated. I had mock tail (passion fruit) and really liked it. It was more on the sour end but it was a great contrast/refresher for the mains I had. For main course I had tacu tacu. The seafood was fresh and flavorful. The sauce base was creamy (suppose to have some chili but I couldn't tell). The risotto was great too-- fully absorbed the creamy sauce. Overall great experience. read more

La Royal - tacu tacu a lo macho, passion fruit mocktail - Peruvian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Came in here with a group of 6 and ended up ordering more than half the menu to share amongst us. The service was hit or miss. Different servers kept coming to us at different times to take orders and didn't seem to coordinate among themselves. We had to tell one what we ordered with the other server. We got the wrong dishes served (they did bring us the correct dish eventually and not charge for the wrong ones). The pisco sours were pretty good. For food, MVPs of the night were the Machu pichu and the ceviche. read more

I'll be straight up: I came in not expecting much, thanks to the experience I had in Celeste...but I still hoped! And La Royal didn't disappoint. We ordered the ceviche mixto, arroz con pato, lomo saltado, and arroz con leche. The arroz con pato estaba para chuparse los dedos. The meat was tender and perfectly marinated. The ceviche mixto and lomo saltado were not the best, but close enough. The dessert was pretty good. I must mention: just like Celeste, terrible service. It was impossible to catch anyone's attention ever. All. Night. Long. As for ambiance, the dim lighting and music was nice - but probably contributed to the aforementioned bad service. I would consider coming back, but it is a bit overpriced + the annoying service. I do recommend the food, over Celeste. read more

My first time here and the staff were so so friendly, kind and accommodating! This place is small but the food here is incredibly delicious. Every dish we ordered was amazing. The ambiance was great indoors and out. There was a jazz band playing indoors and it felt like such a cozy loungey vibe. Theo, the manager was nothing but kind and ensured that my party and I felt comfortable! The staff went above and beyond to accommodate our large party with little notice! We definitely will come back, make sure to order not only the food but the drinks as well! The variety of Piscos were great! My friend wanted an espresso martini and the staff did their own spin on it since they did not have all the regular ingredients to make it. Let me tell you the presentation looked like an espresso martini and it tasted great. Don't skip this spot! It's worth the wait read more

Came here tonight to try their drinks and got the Pisco Sour! A straightforward drink, tasted just like it was described! read more

La Royal - Pisco sour - Peruvian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Excellent service. Great food with lots of traditional and modern twists. Great cocktails. A little too much liquid in main courses but Great flavor and portion size. read more

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This place has really nice service. It's popular for a good reason, and I suggest you make a reservation if you want to have dinner. We started with their cocktails, I had the passion fruit sour, and it was really tasty. Then came the scallop au gratin, it was so delicious with the grilled cheese on top of tender and sweet scallop meat. The crudo was delicate and fresh. I just learned that some of their dishes were Chinese Peruvian fusion, and I had the steamed blue cod with veggies, it was very savory, light but not bland, everything goes well together! My friend ordered their grilled whole fish and since both of us were Chinese, we were so surprised to found out that it has similar taste as Chinese dishes that preserves more original fish flavor. The risotto was so hearty and delicious as well! Overall we were very satisfied! read more

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Run, don't walk! Amazing Experience!! Highly recommend- food, service, vibe- really, everything here! My husband and I got a last minute date night reservation here, and had the best time. The margaritas are fantastic- perfectly balanced. For food, we ordered the Leche de Tigre Ceviche which was the best combination of taste and texture profiles. The shrimp and pineapple skewer appetizer was delicious as well. For main courses, we got the Seared Duck with Cilantro Rice and the Peruvian stir fried noodles- both outstanding. Truly, not a bad bite was eaten here. They got us pisco shots at the end which were a great way to cap off an epic meal. The service staff was amazing too- the host was sweet and pleasant, and the servers gave excellent recommendations. Can't wait to go back!! read more

The guy at the door who greeted us absolutely ruined the experience. My wife and I were there from 6.30 pm to 7.59 pm. While signing the check for a 3 course meal with tips close to $200 the guy comes and tells us there are people waiting to take ur seats. At that point unworthy of any food review after being treated like that. NEVER GOING BACK. read more

I didn't get the chance to take any pictures, but I'll still provide some commentary. I was excited to try this place, since it's the sister restaurant of Celeste. Actually, I haven't tried Celeste yet either, but I've heard great things. Having been to Lima recently, I know what legit Peruvian food is supposed to taste like. I thought the fish here was very solid! You really can't go wrong... ceviche is always amazing, as long as the fish is fresh. Same goes for the pisco sours. No complaints in terms of the service or vibes. I really liked the brick walls and the rustic meets modern style of the interior. I recommend! read more

LOVE La Royal, just as much as I love Celeste. Great sister restaurant - although I will say the menus are pretty identical.. Will absolutely be coming back. Food & Drinks - delicious food and drink menu.. I love the Pisco sour, the cocktails are all well-crafted and original. The food is so delicious, from the causas, to the variety of ceviches, and the delectable entrees. The risotto and the seafood pasta are two favorites. Everything is so good. Portions are really large on the entrees so great for either splitting or having enough to take home! Service - such friendly and fun staff, love the energy in here! Ambiance - La Royal is much bigger than Celeste and offers both indoor and outdoor seating. Overall there's a lot more space to breathe and its more accommodating to large groups. Very dark inside with loud music and a busy atmosphere. Outside in the patio it looked more romantic and relaxing. Was so excited to try La Royal and it did not disappoint, will absolutely be coming back! read more

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Sister restaurant to Celeste this take on Peruvian features fresh grilled fare as well as some takes on Peruvian Chinese food which I had yet to try in the states. 5 star services as well as to its sister restaurant. The food was inventive and hit the mark almost every time. For me the stand outs where the more traditional ceviche and the duck and cilantro rice, worth the trip. The Chinese Peruvian noodles didn't quite do it for me. A bit sweet. Inventive menu, great staff. Recommend read more

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The food itself was really great--I had the Arroz Con Pato (duck) which was tender and flavorful. We had some of the ceviche as a starter and it was fresh and had all the flavors you're looking for. Everyone else really liked their dishes as well. The mains are big enough you don't need to do this family style if you don't feel like it. Only down sides were the price was a little steep and the service was a little slow for one friend's entree, which arrived about 15 min after the others. But overall a great spot, loved the food. read more

This is the spot to go when you're looking for flavorful seafood that's different from the typical New England fare. There are less than 20 twenty tables with separate bar seating, which makes La Royal ideal for groups of two who make reservations. We ordered these four and were absolutely stuffed and satisfied with how delicious each dish was: The purple corn of the tamal is so fine that the texture is almost creamy, combined with a tasty chicken filling. The scallops were so soft and similarly the blue cod soaked in the citrusy sauce of the ceviche very well. The crab salad was good but this with the potato terrine pales somewhat compared to the flavors of the other dishes. The Amazonic branzino was possibly the most flavorful I've ever had. Generally this fish has a pleasant cooked taste on its own, but the spices used here really enhanced the whole fish. We finished half of this even though we were already feeling full, and it was still tasty when I reheated the rest the next day. Food comes out quickly, even though it's a busy restaurant. Must go! read more

La Royal - Tamalito de maíz morado con relleno de aji de gallina (front) Ceviche de conchas con blue cod (back) - Peruvian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

We hosted a private dinner for 25 people at La Royal (semi-private) and it exceeded every expectation! From the start, Kerstin and the entire staff went above and beyond to make our event truly special. The food was absolutely phenomenal--elegant, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Our guests couldn't stop raving, especially about the ceviche mixto, patarashca (whole grilled branzino), lomo saltado, causa de tuna tartare to name a few... Drinks were amazing, especially pisco sour. What truly impressed us was the thoughtful accommodation for kids in the party. The kitchen prepared special kid-friendly options, even though we did not arrange this ahead of time, which made our younger guests feel just as included and well cared for as the adults. That level of attention meant a lot to all of us. We got the sense that they just wanted us to be happy and well cared for. The cocktails were excellent, and the space itself was perfect--warm, stylish, and intimate enough to feel like a private celebration, yet spacious enough for everyone to mingle comfortably. We will absolutely be back for another meal at La Royal and are already considering it for future events. A heartfelt thank you to Kerstin and the team for making the night so memorable! read more

My husband ordered the ceviche and he says it was good and very tasty. He wasn't a big fan of his cocktail - it was too sweet (margarita morada). I ordered the tiradito de hongos and it was good! I will say - the service was great and staff is super kind and helpful! read more

La Royal - Tiradito de hongos - Peruvian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I really wanted to like this place. But I ordered a glass of wine and I think they served me a spoiled one-- The first few sips were okay and then I couldn't finish the glass because it started making me feel ill. Service was fine tho. read more

Small intimate restaurant with really nice servers. I would agree that the food isn't traditionally Peruvian, and the menu is rather small, but it's always refreshing to see Peruvian cuisine come to town. The yuca fries are so big and fun to eat and come with a delicious sauce, and the shrimps were delicious! Would come back to try more of the seafood dishes. read more

I've never had a bad meal here. Love the elevated peruvian food and drinks. Hope to ho again soon.

Meh. This place is really cute and the servers are really friendly. But the food is just OK. We asked the server what to order and she recommended three starters and one main for the two of us. It was way too much food. The pastel Carne was ok. It has slightly sweet flavor to it. I didn't love it. The scallops with Parmesan was lovely. They came four to a plate, which was a lot of food. The ceviche mixto was my favorite thing that I ate. I loved the super fresh seafood, including fish and shrimp and scallops as well as these salty corn pieces and something that tasted like sweet potato. The broth with cilantro was perfect. Then we had the duck with rice as our main course. It was just OK. Along with the ceviche, I really loved my tamarind mocktail. I asked for it to be made less sweet and it was perfect. I would go back for the drink and the ceviche but nothing else. read more

they only thing that i did not like about it was the lack of bread. This restaurant is as good as their outpost Celeste. One of the best restaurants in Cambridge. read more

We both had a causa, his crab, mine veggie and I enjoyed it, except the texture was all the same on the veggie one. Having never had a causa before, I'm not sure if that's the objective, but I wanted a crunchy potato. I then got the pasta with mushrooms which was fantastic. We finished with the mousse which was made with a fruit I had never had and really enjoyed. I had the la royal sour which was good, and then the margarita which was great. My partner had maracuya sour which he ordered as spicy which we did not find it to be Service was great until he gave us the check before we ordered desert haha. My partner is one of the cilantro/soap people and the server made sure he had none on all his plates. read more

Dined at La Royal last night. Nice ambiance, the ceviche was delicious as well as the drinks. My only gripe and it's a big one for me is the Loma Saltado did not have an Aji Verde sauce with it. I asked the waiter and he said that they are a fusion Peruvian restaurant and they do not serve it that way. In my opinion that's a big part of the flavor and it was totally lacking in this dish. I probably would not order it again as it was disappointing. read more

I am a specialist in ceviche and Peruvian seafood and typical food from my Peru. The truth is that it makes me very sad how they scam people by claiming that it is Peruvian food. That food is not Peruvian in any way. They are invented foods based on some Peruvian dishes. People who have visited Peru should know that. It makes me very sad that in the restaurants in Boston there is no distinctly Peruvian flavor and not even Machu Picchu itself reaches the level of a true northern or Lima ceviche from Peru. read more

La Royal - choritos a la chalaca - Peruvian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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We had a wonderful time at La Royal - the atmosphere was effortlessly fun, with lush, punchy décor (including a beautiful monstera in a planter chandelier!), a very strong drinks program, and a menu full of interesting dishes that made it very difficult for us to choose. The meal featured some real highlights, including the pastel de choclo, essentially a Peruvian pot pie with very tasty ground beef ($15); we also ordered two seafood mains, one of which resembled a pescado saltado (~$28), and the other some version of cau cau that came with delicious yucca fries(~$28), and we enjoyed those as well. (My personal highlight was the Peruvian corn, which was present in several dishes - the kernels were huge and starchy, and just unlike any other corn I've ever had before.) The table had more mixed reactions to the leche de tigre ($20); some people had very stringy bites of fish, and overall the fish lacked flavor, as if it had not been cured in lime juice. Likewise, the arroz con pato ($32) was very close to being great - the rice tasted wonderful, but the duck itself, which may have been cooked over too high a heat, only tasted like the char of the grill, with no seasoned flavor of its own. Every drink we tried was delicious and memorable, but the two standouts for our table were the maracuyá sour ($15) and the margarita morada ($15); I also personally thought the mezcal negroni ($15) was an interesting, unique take on a classic drink. Service was friendly, if a little inattentive - we ran out of water at some point after the appetizers and did not get a refill until very close to the end of the meal. La Royal is close to being great - the vision is there for a restaurant that celebrates Peruvian food, with a nod to the more Asian-influenced parts of the cuisine. Despite the uneven execution, our overall experience was positive, and I look forward to seeing how La Royal develops as it passes the half-year mark and heads towards year two! read more

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Excellent food and drinks. The ceviche paired with the pisco was one of the best I've ever had. The ambiance was ok inside, but the outdoor seating seemed nicer. However, the service was subpar-they brought our check before we ordered desert and post-dinner cocktails and then asked us to vacate the table before we finished the desert and drinks. I could understand if people were waiting or if they were closing soon, but no one was waiting, it was several hours before closing and our area was almost completely empty with free tables. I'm not sure we will return after that.... read more

I've been meaning to try this new restaurant for a while! After reading a lot of the negative reviews about the service, I was a little worried. But the service was awesome! They were really attentive and had great recommendations on the food and drinks. The food was superb. The causa was beautifully presented and delicious. Another favorite was the lomo saltado! The meat was very tender. I also loved the drinks! I would come back here just for the cocktails because their pisco drinks were all so delicious. If you like a dirty martini I would recommend their pisco martini. It is made with macerated horseradish and it really balanced well with the flavor of the pisco! read more

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I was eyeing this restaurant for a while, when I passed by after getting massages across the street. First time i came in, it was packed and were not taking walk-ins and made a reservation for another day. This is a lovely Peruvian spot and I recommend getting the tigers milk ceviche and the pisco based cocktails. The octopus was good, and I personally enjoyed it very much, but it is in an olive based sauce which is not for everyone. Cambridge has amazing food options, and La Royal is definitely one of them. read more

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Favorite restaurant of 2022!! Celeste is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston so when I learned about La Royal, the sister restaurant, and its goal "to experiment with a whole new range of flavors and dishes" I instantly had to try it. And WOW it did not disappoint. Frankly, it blew all of my expectations. From the drinks to the food to the space, La Royal quickly scored the spot as my top restaurant of 2022. The interior is spacious with exposed brick walls and large windows bringing in a lot of light. It's not a dark intimate restaurant, it's spacious and bright. I loved the neon lights at the bar, a great tie-in to Celeste's bar sign. The drinks were absolutely incredible and some of my favorite cocktails in Boston. The Spicy Maracuyá Sour was my absolute favorite, combining the tanginess of passion fruit with the zing of spice. The La Royal Sour was a close, tamer, second. As far as the food goes, we got the leche de tigre, pastel de choclo vegetariano, lomo saltado, and quinoto con langostinos en antichucho. The leche de tigre is a MUST! I picked up the glass at the end to drink the remaining sauce ... THAT good. The balance of citrus & vinegar compared to the delicate fish was spot on. Celeste set a high bar with their lomo saltado, but I must say I prefer the La Royal one. This one did have potatoes included, unlike Celeste, and the meat was perfectly done. Whether you love Peruvian food or have never tried it before, La Royal is the place to go. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful when it comes to any and all suggestions. Whether you listen to them or to me, you can't go wrong with the Spicy Maracuyá Sour, Leche de Tigre, and Lomo Saltado. Enjoy!! read more

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We went to Celeste last year and absolutely loved it, so we knew we had to come here when it opened and finally were able to make it for my birthday this year. Overall a very nice meal with solid food and drinks (including complementary pisco shots and the end of the night). We ordered two small plates and two larger ones; of all of the plates, I would say to skip the quinoa risotto, which was extremely buttery and had a texture I wasn't a huge fan of. The branzino was an absolute hit though, fish was super tender and perfectly cooked. Scallop ceviche was also interesting, far less citrusy or acidic than most other ceviches I've tried. I would definitely recommend this place to try, but probably wouldn't make it a place I'd frequent. read more

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