It was one of the Travelmints team's birthday, so we came here with his family. Pastore has a great atmosphere and decor that aligns with the Chadstone Hotel, very chic! The food here is great and the staff here are lovely. The grass fed beef steak we had was cooked to perfection - it was so juicy and flavourful. The tiramisu was the perfect choice to complete our dinner that night, it tasted very authentic and the serving was generous too. We actually came here during the COVID-19 period so we couldn't fully judge this place. Nevertheless, we still had a good time and will definitely return in the future. read more

Pastuso - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Love love love Pastuso! They catered for us even though it was a busy Saturday night, and fed us a wonderful meal. Our waitress was wonderful and so friendly. She recommended the feed me option and we were extremely full afterwards! Their roast chicken was perfect. Their ceviche was yum and tender. Absolutely enjoyed it! Thanks as always! read more

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We arrived here on a Saturday evening around 6pm and immediately found some seating on the counter despite the place being fully booked. The restaurant is quite large with various styles of seating - booth seating, private party seating, sturdy square wooden tables for groups of 2-4, counter seating and bar seating. There are two open kitchens. Where we sat, we could see the young Venezuelan man with Peruvian background construct delicate desserts and plate beautiful ceviches (cured raw fish). On our far side, we could see the open kitchen chefs busy preparing the mains (large dishes). The menu is quite interesting as it is Peruvian food with Japanese influences - so the cuisine is largely seafood based with some pork, steak options, Wagyu beef (of course) and chicken. There are five types of meals to choose from which include: 1) ceviche - various styles of cured seafood 2) entrees and 3) small mains - alpaca, salmon, whole calamari 3) mains - choice of quarter chicken, pork or barramundi 4) sides - yuccata chips, salads, quinoa bread with olive oil It is recommended that two people order 1-2 ceviche, 1-2 entrees, 1 main and a side between them or opt for the feed me menu which is $59 per person. The alcohol list is extensive with obviously a variety of pisco cocktails, but also a couple of types of pisco on its own. Between the two of us, we got the red snapper ceviche - deliciously tangy and citrusy, the alpaca ragout- tasted like goat meat and the barramundi with cabbage and charred onion (very delicate). The presentation of each dish was excellent. Our Argentinian waiter did a great job explaining each dish as it arrived. I was glad to sit at the counter and had the privilege of watching staff prepare the desserts (meringue with mango puree and cinammon pannacotta) and ceviche (raw prawns, spinach dust). The dishes came out timed perfectly giving us adequate time to savour each dish. We also had the meringue with mango puree and freeze dried mango. You really need to get to the heart of the meringue to holistically taste the flavours. A number of groups ordered the pork main which looked quite hearty and made me drool. The roast veggies salad is gorgeous with a massive slice of pumpkin in the middle. Definitely worth a visit. Ermagerd I ate alpaca and i liked it! read more

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I can usually judge how good a restaurant is by how much it impresses my no-frills non-foodie partner. I give this place 3.85 stars for the points below: Great service: waitress had a striking resemblance to Rooney Mara (not that it matters, just an irrelavant FYI). She was very helpful, didn't hover but somehow managed to fill our water glasses inconspicuously. Cool location: Was relatively easy to find. Only in Melbourne would you have a great resto tucked in a graffiti-covered alleyway; I remember describing the location to Mum and she was aghast. Some bad-ass points won here. Above average food: we only wanted a small meal so went for the chiccharon el pollo, sweet potato and grilled broccolini for sides (don't ask me to recount the names!). Sweet potato was wo~onderful, broccolini was just too acidic which didnt pair well with their signature pisco sour, and the chicken was okay but I couldn't help but keep drawing comparisons to karaage chicken except less crunchy and of milder flavour. Sat on a bed of heavenly lima bean puree though In conclusion, my non-foodie food dining partner was pleasantly pleased but for myself, I had a very high bar set for this place as it was recommended by a colleague but sadly I came away underwhelmed. Maybe if I come back with a bigger stomach, deeper pockets and lowered expectations? read more

Pastuso - Sweet potato on top. Broccolini and greens at the bottom. - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Ceviche bar. Charcoal grill pit. Full bar with Argentinian wines and pisco sours. What's not to love? There are few things that excite my appetite more than Peruvian cuisine getting popular in Melbourne. So when I heard a new spot had opened on AC/DC Lane it went straight to the top of the list for the next date night. Pastuso is an ideal date night spot. It's expansive dining room is sleek and comfortable, with a nice mellow atmosphere and noise level. The number of tables and mix of bar/table/booth options make it pretty much perfect for anything from intimate dinners to large groups. Service is patient and unobtrusive. I felt like there was a really nice space between each course, allowing us to feel relaxed and enjoy our drinks without feeling forgotten. The wine list is full of great Argentinian wines. Our waitresses didn't know too much about them, but made up for it with a few tastes from the by-the-glass menu to make sure we picked something we liked. As for the food, the usual sharing options with small bites to larger dishes can be found. There's a full ceviche menu that I am definitely keen to try more of, especially if I can nab a table at the bar and watch them work their magic with seafood and a mini blow torch. We tried a dish from each section of the menu and enjoyed all of it. Not quite at the level of dying from how great it was, there are definitely better options around...but couldn't fault anything either. Stand outs were the alpaca ribs (with just a hint of bitter dark chocolate - it works) and the desserts - caramel with port meringue and milk-soaked sponge cake with roasted pineapple ice-cream. This is a great crowd-pleaser of a restaurant and one I would happily dine at again. read more

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Yes. This. Place. Is. That. Good. Situated down AC/DC Lane (a real place) is where you will find this gem of a restaurant, currently a worthy contender for one of my favourite places in Melbourne. For those unfamiliar with Peruvian food, this is the place where you can take a chance and be sold on every dish. There is the safe bet to get you started, yuca chips with aioli, your standard pub fare. That is probably the most common thing you will find on the menu and they delivered. You must get something from the ceviche bar and I went straight for the red snapper (peruano) that was swimming in a delicate yet tangy citrus sauce with red onion and sprouts. Divine! The calamari was equally as delightful. While the presentation looked spicy in an orange sauce with sliced red peppers, don't be fooled. It had just a hint of flavour without the kick. Tender slices of calamari within a mild escabeche sauce will bring a nice finish to your palate. If seafood isn't your thing, may I recommend the duck confit in a deconstructed tamale. There were slices of radish and pickled cucumber that words could not do justice. Just try it. Trust me. Lastly, if you enjoy sampling new cocktails then your adventurous spirit will love the pisco-inspired cocktails. I went with the "Drunken Llama" which was a creative balance of sweet and savoury (as advertised) with a sprig of rosemary. My mate went with the "AC DC Lane," with an interesting blend of pisco and whisky. Pisco is not every day drinking for me but it was fun to sip alongside the spectacular meal. The last thing I will gush about this place is the ambiance. Despite the exterior alley way leading up to it, Pastuso is very upscale yet personable. Elegant decor throughout the main dining area with a stellar bar as the centrepiece. However, just to the right of the bar you will find an open kitchen and a street style with colourful posters lining the walls. It's hard to find that balance between edgy and elegant, but they sure do pull it off. read more

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Returned last evening for a team dinner, was good to see standards are still high and the Yucca chips still as good as ever. A few dishes have changed which is great but the loss of some classics (Alpaca tartar) seems like toning down to pander to a larger audience. While not as edgy as it was previously, it's now settled into a comfortable consistent restaurant. It's now a 4 for me, with the competition around pushing the envelope; this little gem feels a bit too settled. read more

Pastuso - As good as ever! - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Pastuso! Awesomeness!! Wow cool place, fit out is very cool! Peruvian pavers in geometric patterns, Peruvian fabrics- hand woven from Alpaca wool! Cool tunes, open kitchen with a massive grill and smoker!! International wine list and great service all adds up to my new favorite. Luckily I live in the cbd read more

Pastuso - John Bowlsey and butterball! - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

For those of you unfamiliar with the Paddington Bear story, he originally came from Peru and his real name was Pastuso, which is where the trendy little Peruvian eatery I had lunch this Saturday gets its name. Pastuso is tucked away in ACDC Lane, one of the many little food alleys that run off Flinders Lane in Melbourne's CBD. Competition is fierce around here, and as far as restaurants go, only the BAD die young. Pastuso is still young - it only opened in July last year - but based on my first impressions, it's a stayer. The quite extensive menu can be roughly divided into three sections; ceviches, street food, and grilled meat, and as I'm not renowned for my culinary restraint I decided to try it all. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the "Feed Me" option - a selection of chef's choices for $59. Unfortunately they only offer this for two people, which meant of course I had to order a passionfruit Pisco Sour to sip on while I considered alternatives :) My waitress came up with a suggestion for the appetiser; Ceviche de Concha. This comprised finely diced Hervey Bay scallop served on a shell with black truffle, seaweed and a little sprinkle of sea grape. Very tasty, but also quite subtle. Lovely start. I ordered one of the ceviches next - Tiradito de Pez Espada; slices of swordfish doused with cucumber and Amarillo sauce with little cubes of rocoto jelly (made from a species of capsicum native to South America) sprinkled over the top. This was very refreshing, but a little bland for my taste. The Leche de Tigre (tiger's milk) was more up my alley. This was another version of ceviche, served in a shot glass and made from diced snapper in a mild, slightly spicy pepper sauce which was also made from rocoto. Having ticked the ceviche box (twice) it was time to move onto the street food section of the menu. Everything sounded interesting from the beef heart and swordfish skewers to the marinated pork pastries. But I kept coming back to the meat platter; Peruvian style ham and Alpaca terrine served with pickles and quinoa bread. I mean, how could I pass up the opportunity to eat an Alpaca?? The terrine was slightly gamey, but probably not as tasty as your more pedestrian duck and pistachio variety. The ham, which is made in house, was good and worked particularly well with the quinoa bread. The waitress stepped up again and convinced me to try the Rollo de Cerdo (the aforementioned pork pastry thingy) which resembled a spring roll. Delicious. I'm not a big fan of pulled pork (which is the main ingredient in this little morsel) but this dish has won me over. Delightfully light, crispy she'll filled with really tasty shredded pork, topped with sautéed spring onions and served on a bed of Aji Mirasol (a creamy, spicy sauce whose main ingredient is Amarillo chilli pepper). Pastuso ticks all the boxes; excellent service, up market, somewhat quirky decor, a great location tucked away in one of Melbourne's iconic graffiti-covered alleyways, and of course, good food. This is my first encounter with Peruvian cuisine, and honestly if it's all this good I'm seriously considering emigrating. read more

Pastuso - Rollo de Cerdo and Pisco Sour at Pastuso - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Hello Yelponians! It's been a while since I've written a review for somewhere new to me, and for that I apologise - there are only so many nights in a week and my wife and I tend to frequent our favourite haunts. But all that changes on a long weekend like this; where Thursday is Virtual Friday, and we have several more days of debauchery open in our calendar. Now, Pastuso - it has been on my radar for a few months, largely because we see their business card frequently when we visit sister-restaurant San Telmo on Myers Place. We're regulars there, and it was our intention to get to Pastuso "one of these days" for quite a while. Ceviche is something that I've always loved. Fond memories from years gone by going to a fresh seafood restaurant with a parental unit and obtaining a loaf of sourdough bread and a small bucket of fresh (as in, made minutes ago, fish caught that morning..) ceviche... So whenever I find a spot that claims to have good ceviche, I'm always curious to try. And Pastuso did not disappoint. We had two, the salmon (Amazonian) and the (recently changed from swordfish to) cod (Tiradito). Both were spectacular. I loved the celery in the Tiradito! Sadly, Pastuso was out of alpaca when we visited, which is a real shame, as I was very eager to try. I asked if they served guinea pig, another staple in Peru, but was told that wasn't on the menu. I didn't ask if they served bears transplanted to England. Probably wouldn't have gone over well as a suggestion. Pastuso is also joining the "street food" trend and has a selection of options available which are inspired by, if not literal translations from, Peruvian street food. The cassava chips were spectacular in this category, as was the Rollo de Cerdo - best way to describe that is a spring roll which is filled with some of the best smoked and marinated pork you'll have. Indeed, best to think of the roll as a pork delivery vehicle, there wasn't much flavour to the pastry, but I'm fine with that, as I wanted the deliciously melty porcine goodness contained within. Rounding it all off we went with a special - an OUTSTANDING Wagyu brisket that was served in a Malbec jus; so tender it fell apart with a strong stare. My wife and I didn't speak much during this part of our meal, we just nodded and made that "OMG" look to each other. Delicious. For desert we went with the Huevo de Pascua, a half-sphere of a chocolate shell filled with Yuca cream, cherry, crumbly chocolatey cake and other delicious things I honestly don't recall right now. I should note that the desert was a special as well, and I have no idea how long it will be on the menu. So, what else - it's clear we loved the food, what about the service? Fantastic! Our server was incredibly friendly, talked us through the menu, being the Pastuso virgins that we were, and put up with my teasing her about not having been to San Telmo yet and having been a vegetarian in her past (horrible condition, tragic, really, but thankfully, there's a cure: meat). Our table wasn't quite ideal, right next to the door, which made it a bit noisy and filled with the occasional gust of autumn night air, but we were lucky to get a table without a reservation and we really didn't mind. It's absolutely certain that going back is on our list of things to do. Just need more long weekends to fit in all the outstanding dining spots Melbourne has to offer! read more

Pastuso - Where the food magic happens. - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

After trying on 3 attempts to get here with friends (our fault we couldn't match our schedules) I was quite disappointed in Pastuso, especially after hearing such good things. Small dishes, quite pricy (food & drink), and a little bit of attitude from the server put me off. (Don't tell me all Ceviche everywhere is spicy when you're barely legal and have probably never ordered it in your life) I tried the alpaca in the form of a terrine, and that was the best dish by far. Fun Fact - there's a Peruvian liqueur they use in their cocktails that is quite strong but tasty read more

Pastuso - Nice, but slightly pricey for what it was, octopus - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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Amaretto sour is a must! The ceviche are amazing, we had a couple of different ones and their taste were different and amazing, don't leave this place without that on your table. I could not stop munching on the yucas, they do however fill you up pretty quickly. Going with the chef's banquet is also pretty good value, but there are a lot of food, so only do that if you are hungry! read more

Pastuso - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Ate/Eaten??: Corn cakes, those starchy fry like things, and beef skewers. Plates were beautiful, and delicious. Under the corn cakes there were lil dollops of a boursin-esque queso, so tasty. My mother's skewer plate was devoured by her, too. Excellent service. Really busy place, we went on a weekday for lunch too. Our tour included lunch, yay. There was a big group of either corporate types or speed daters, I can only imagine.... Fun location down one of the lanes, ac/dc. read more

"They don't serve guinea pig," said my dinner date, after our helpful waitress explained how the menu here worked. After all, he should know having eaten guinea pig in Peru. Pastuso does, however, serve lots of other delicious things: prawn ceviche that's lightly torched by a gas burner, alpaca ribs (nice, but a little on the dry side), terrific beef rib eye and a fish special: whole barramundi, beautifully grilled. I can't vouch for the beef heart and swordfish skewers, but my friends assured me they were both delicious. For a new restaurant in the cool dining precinct around Flinders Lane, Pastuso gets extra credit for a great fit out (that means you can be heard by your dining companions without shouting), good service and a wine list with some well priced options. read more

This place serves a range of dishes, almost tapas size. Make sure you order a few as they are not very filling each but you share them and when all the flavours blend together with a nice wine you will have a great time. It's a classy looking place but still welcoming. I've been twice and enjoyed it thoroughly both times. read more

On a recommendation from a friend over a year ago, I popped in here with some family for a late lunch on a Monday. Amazing. Definitely a favourite. We shared a few plates of ceviche which were light and fresh and so, so tasty, as well as some corn fritters and a few other dishes that I can barely remember since I was deep in the food-ju-ju. Drinks-wise, the pisco sour was also SO tasty. Just the right amount of sour, with a nice thick foam. I also had *just* enough room for dessert, and hoooo boy - it was a doozie. Definitely worth a casual stroll down AC/DC lane, and would (I imagine) be really lovely in the warmer months when they open the front windows up. read more

Great funky venue with attentive waiters and you must start the night with one of their Pisco Sours! The Alpaca ribs were melt in your mouth amazing and the milk soaked sponge with burnt pineapple was the only desert we tried and savoured every bite. Delish! Enjoyed every dish they brought out and even with a few drinks the bill was incredibly reasonable! read more

There's a lot to like about this place. We were treated very hospitably by the bar staff whilst waiting for our table, then seated and served by a very competent waiter for the remainder of our stay. The decor and layout is spot on. Our bar style seats weren't cramped and looked directly at the kitchen. The segmentation of the open (and highly visible) kitchens is a great. One for the Ceviche the other for the meat and warm dishes. I'm always a fan of a kitchen at the mercy of prying customers eyes. The typical dynamic of high tension, chaos and angry outbursts is completely obliterated. This makes the kitchen staff at Pastuso appear commendably calm and ultra professional. The kitchen is adorned with a dry meat locker, a wood oven used to create coals and a parilla (large coal fired grill, not a 15th century torture apparatus) that the meats are cooked on. We started with Alpaca tartare, a little subtle for my tastes. The Snapper Ceviche was delicious. Choice fish, very intense citric flavour and appropriate garnishes. We then moved on to the duck confit which was great, and pretty interesting with it's dry, earthy flavours. The aged steak that followed was incredible. Perfectly cooked and seasoned. 10/10 meat - will be back. read more

What do you expect from the owners of San Telmo a fiery grill and a selection of meats? Well they've delivered it in Peruvian style. Try the Alpaca Shoulder, roast chicken, polenta chips and some Ceviche... The décor is more modern and the bench by the kitchen is a nice place to eat and observe the action. read more

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This place was amazing! Great vibe, great staff and great value for money. The knowledgeable staff helped us through the menu. The alpaca was one of the most amazing dishes I've ever had. The desserts were incredible. read more

I have been here twice now.. Both times was delicious. I love sharing options which allows us to try and share a lot of meals. I haven't been to Peru before so this to me was delicious. It's more on the fusion side I've been told. Our waiter was very attentive almost to the annoying side asking every minute of everything was ok but I guess you can't complain. Although sometimes you just want to have a conversation with your friends without being interrupted. We started of with kingfish & red snapper ceviche - so delicious. I love it all. Very fresh and light. The kingfish was a bit over cooked but I still enjoyed it. Also had the fish and beef skewers. Yum! It was so good. I would highly recommend that. The mains is to die for. We had lamb and beef. The lamb just melts in your mouth. Beef cooked to perfection. The ambience is relax and lots of couples would have their dates here. You can literally see the chefs prepping your food. They also have hanging meat cured in front of you which I find very interesting. Lots of seating but I would recommend to book in advance as they are pretty busy to get a table. It was a bit on the expensive side but all in all the experience and food was well worth it! read more

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Best calamar I've had in a long time, great flavor friendly staff and I highly recommend it.. read more

Pastuso - Best calamar I've had in a while highly recommend it... great flavor - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

First time trying Peruvian food and it was delicious! We ordered the feed me menu ($65pp) and a Pisco sour cocktail! The food was nicely presented, portions were generous, and everything was flavoursome! The grilled chicken dish was a little dry for me, but had a great experience overall! read more

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Lively Peruvian restaurant. Room is very attractive. We are lucky to have an excellent Peruvian restaurant in our hometown, so inevitably we were making comparisons. The Lomo Saltado at Pastuso was good- the beef was succulent and well cooked. The dish was more meat and less peppers, onions and potatoes than we are used to. The stuffed pepper ( think chile relleno) was very good -but small. Don't plan on sharing one order. As noted in other reviews, given the importance of potatoes in Peruvian cooking, the limited types of potatoes and the limited presentation was disappointing. read more

A bit on the pricey side but the food was delicious! Would highly recommend the kingfish and beef skewers, melt in your mouth! read more

Pastuso - Lamb and summer veg - American Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Been here twice and two of the best dining experiences of my life. A must is the swordfish on a stick. read more

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I would like to strongly recommend Pastuso for a wonderful dining experience in Peruvian cuisine. I made a booking for two to celebrate my wife's birthday and I wasn't really sure what to expect! I glanced over the menu and it seemed more food that she would eat as she enjoys seafood more than I do. The dishes are set up for sharing so i thought no way will I enjoy the food because I don't really like fish! BUT HOLD THE PRESSES, let me tell you that we selected the Red Snapper, Beef and Fish Skewers and OMG!! I devoured my portions!! The Red Snapper was delicious and to my surprise I much preferred the Fish Skewers!! I asked what kind of fish was on the skewer and was told Rockland, a sort of white fish about 3 hours outside of Melbourne. We also enjoyed Yucca with Parmesan Cheese sprinkled and a dipping cheese. We also shared the Chicharron fried chicken!! I'm not really a drinker but I enjoyed a refreshing beverage called Cucumber Chilcano!! Very good food and superb service! Everything went together and we were full from sharing 4 items: small to medium plates! Located down AC/DC Laneways you can certainly snap photos of the street art too! read more

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Ok. Just a bad service but it won't matter sometimes if the food is proper and awesome. But ... The food vas just not good at all.. I'm from sud america and it was nothing like a Peruvians restaurant! Way crazy expensive for no reason! I'm putting this review aswell because we where 3 yesterday and we all feel very sick after! :( This is not proper sudamerica food! Sorry very disappointed! read more

We were Chin Chin rejects (3.5 hour wait & line got yelled at that their books closed for the night). Thought sky had fallen down. Spotted Pastuso sign past big dudes with hard eyes munching big burgers outside hard rocking' joint with big neon cherry sign. Dodged fresh pee puddles,stale beer stains & general funkiness - good to see everyone having a good time! Got loved right - great twist on Negroni & Pisci Sour that was sunlight in a glass. Sat at bar with chatty locals & out-of-towners. Waitresses sweet & helpful but group's vox populi was spot-on. They advised causa, croquettes, lomo & roast pollo but nixed the lamb (dry)-sensational!!! New waitress recommended creamy caramel & off-menu PX - fantastic!! All 6 of us coming back!!! read more

Well, first of all, the positives. Nice ambiance, good location and good wine selection. However.....when we entered the restaurant to have an early dinner, they asked if we had a reservation, which we didn't. They made a big deal about "where they should seat us" because we didn't have a reservation. It was 4 o'clock (It was FOUR O'CLOCK!!!) and there were only TWO other couples there!! We would have loved to have a table by the window, but it was not to be. When we left at 5:30, there was only one table of 6 in the whole restaurant. The prime tables were never occupied the whole time we were there. We don't get it. Also,we had a very sweet waitress from Brazil that we enjoyed, then all of a sudden, she was gone. It would have been nice if her absence had been explained. I had the fish and beef skewers which, for the most part, were tasty. The fish and vegetables were delicious, but the beef was so tough that I couldn't eat it. Hub liked the filet, which was cooked just like he ordered. read more

This is a real WW restaurant: Wow Worthy. Service was attentive - and a bit cheeky, like us diners. The food, especially the Paletilla de Alpaca (Illawarra alpaca shoulder), was impeccable. And the location, at the bottom of AC/DC Lane - couldn't be more Melbourne if it tried. read more

I had never had Peruvian cuisine before so I took advantage of this place while on the road last month. It was very good but I think it is a place best done with a small group vs a single diner. It was hard to pick just one starter and a main and a side with all the choices and newness of the food. The pisco cocktails are a nice way to start and they have a number of good choices on that front. I had the Capitan which is the pisco version of a manhattan (just pisco, vermouth and bitters). I went with the red snapper Peruano to start. The flavors were good but the pieces of fish were on the larger side. I wouldve preferred slightly smaller ones. I had the summer vegetables with goat cheese as a side which was fine but a little hard to eat and not amazing. The alpaca ribs were a solid main course--I mean, alpaca! But once you get over the novelty, they were good but not amazing. The best thing was probably the sweet potato and pumpkin donuts (Picarones). Those were a great way to finish off the night. read more

I really want to like Pastuso, and as a dinning experience and night out it's lovely. The pisco sour is sublime. But strictly from a foodie point of view, it doesn't have many high notes. I had the NZ Snapper ceviche and it was a slightly underwhelming dish. points for delicate fresh fish, but hard puffed corn and sweet potato didn't go at all. The beef brisket croquettes were a joy though, soft melty meat inside fluffy potato batons that were crispy outside. Mains was pork shoulder, disappointing and fatiguing dish of plainly cooked meat with a generic tasting spicy sauce. the veg side we chose was a curious mix of peas, cold cheese, olives and tomatoes and the side of mixed rice was bland. Desert was fabulous and saved me, soft sticky donuts in a smashing syrup sauce with a tart mousse to cut through it. We shared a bottle of carmanere from chile, very delicious. Great night good ambience, food though I'd struggle to recommend. read more

While the menu has some classics, Pastuso is more Peruvian-inspired than authentic. It's what happens when food adapts in a new cultural environment where the old world ingredients may be unavailable or different. The result is delicious. My friends and I had yucas, tamal de pato, tartare de alpaca, and croquetas from the street food menu, and the cerdo from the fires menu, as well as pisco sours. Everything was perfect. The tartare de alpaca was complex, as was the tamal de pato, which had a little bit of bite to it. The cerdo was very tender, though the sides were scarce for a plate meant to be shared. And we all loved the comfortable and colourful restaurant environment. The are two things stopping me from giving this restaurant five stars. One is the price. It's quite pricey for surprisingly small portions (especially in the fires menu). The second is that the service was just adequate. Our server didn't come around much and never cracked a smile. Overall, it's a great place, a real treat, and I would eat there again. read more

Great atmosphere and service. We had a seat at the bar at the entree prep station, so fun to interact with the chef's while they were doing their thing. Unique experience and they were super chilled and fun. Food was great, and pisco sours were straight out of Lima. read more

There are so many good places in Melbourne to dine, yet this was one of my favorites. The food just kept on coming. The flair of spices with the various food dishes was exceptional. This reminded me of a Tapas place but with the Peruvian cuisine. Excellent staff. Great wine and beer selections. Highly recommended. read more

Lovely food. Weird and slow service. I recommend trying the Alpaca. Oh, and you have to have a ceviche. The food was really great, but definitely expensive. The actual restaurant was in a very Melbourne spot- I'm a graffitied alleyway off flinders lane. One thing- don't do dessert here, they are pretty disappointing. read more

I loved the sirloin but each vegetable dish we ordered was awful. Really terrible combinations that should never be seen out together. Daikon with seafood, capsicum and green tomatoes. I assumed if they put it together it would taste good but it didn't! read more

It is a good place, good service and the prices are not too bad. I'm South American and I got really excited when I was reading the menu. We order a lot of food and we did enjoy our meals but there is now wow factor in the food. =( read more

This place is a beautiful spot. It's located at the end of an alley located near Flinders. The inside decor is very pretty, and it's a more upscale restaurant. The service is impeccable, yet the food doesn't cut it for me. One, this is NOT peruvian food. Maybe this is Australia's version of Peruvian food, but it's not even close to being the real thing. My boyfriend and I ordered the ceviche which cost $20 and it came out with 3 prawns.....3! It wasn't ceviche either, it was just prawns that had been marinated and cooked nicely (not in lime juice or any of that). We then ordered the lamb shank and that was pretty delicious. I believe that cost around $30 and it was a good size for one person. That was the only dish that I was impressed with, as all the others we ordered were extremely overpriced. The total bill came to $100 for my boyfriend and I, and we left hungry. We stopped at Mcdonalds afterwards cause his belly was groaning. Would only recommend to come here for happy hour or entrees. Not really worth the price that you pay. read more