1/5
I was honestly…read morereally excited to try this place after seeing it all over TikTok, but unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. I'm genuinely confused by all the glowing reviews because our experience was completely different. The best part of the entire meal was the bread and butter.
For the prices they charge, I expected MUCH better food and service. This is definitely on the expensive side, and unfortunately, the quality did not match the price at all.
Lomo Saltado:
Very little flavor, barely any juice, and the steak was dry and honestly tasted like it may have been sitting for a while. Lomo saltado is such a staple Peruvian dish, so this was especially disappointing. The fries tasted like basic frozen fries, similar to Burger King fries. Even the rice was extremely dry and had almost no garlic flavor. Peruvian rice should not be this bland.
Mondonguito:
Again, very little flavor or sauce. There was also a huge amount of Parmesan on top, which was a little strange. The rice was the same--dry, bland, and missing that garlicky Peruvian flavor.
Anticuchos:
These came out cold and weren't properly charred or juicy. They still had a lot of the marinade/sauce sitting on them rather than having that grilled finish you expect from anticuchos. The Peruvian corn was mostly hard and grainy and seemed undercooked. The ají was okay, but nothing memorable.
Papa Rellena:
Probably one of the biggest disappointments. The potato-to-meat ratio was way off--it was mostly potato, with very little filling. The meat inside was also cold, and the filling itself was dry rather than juicy and flavorful.
Service:
The service started off fine. We were welcomed and told we could sit anywhere, but after that everything was extremely slow. It took a while for someone to take our order, and our server had to repeat it about three times. Our drinks took around 20 minutes, and she repeatedly forgot the ice and cups for our canned sodas.
I could understand this if the restaurant were packed, but it wasn't. There were two servers and not many customers.
Our food took approximately 35-40 minutes, including the appetizers. The appetizers ended up coming out at the same time as our entrées, which defeats the purpose of ordering appetizers. Nobody really checked on us during the meal either. By the time someone did, we were basically finished.
We also had to ask for the bill. It was dropped off, but no one came back to collect payment, so eventually we had to get up ourselves to pay.
Ambiance:
I actually liked the theme, design, and layout of the restaurant. Unfortunately, there was no AC and it was around 103°F outside, so it was extremely hot inside. At the very least, some fans would make a huge difference.
Overall, I came here because I saw it on TikTok and was really excited to try it. After our experience, though, I honestly have a hard time understanding some of the extremely positive reviews. It made me wonder whether some of the social media reviews were sponsored or invited visits because our experience did not come close to what was shown online.
Between the high prices, bland and improperly prepared food, long wait times, and inattentive service, I would not come back.