My father and I love to come here as consistently delicious. The servers are always respectful and attentive and the restaurant itself has a very homey Peruvian feel to it with its different Peruvian art on the walls. We went on a Sunday morning and I ordered the Combinado which is a Peruvian breakfast combo that comes with either a pork or chicken tamale(you get to choose), chicharron which is fried pork, fried slices of sweet potato, and salsa criolla which is a red onion salad that is typically mixed with lime, salt, pepper, cilantro and sometimes Aji Amarillo. My father got the pan con chicharron. Its a fried pork sandwich. Similar to the Combinado and minus the tamale but its between a roll and usually they put some of their salsa verde inside. Everything tasted very fresh and I feel that they try to make each dish taste amazing to make you want to come back and try it again or try new items. We also order a Chicha morada(purple corn drink) and jugo de papaya. Both amazing as well. No complaints, just compliments and I would recommend this to anyone that wants to try Peruvian breakfast. Of course they offer lunch and dinner but that can be another review. read more

Vista Alegre - Pan con Chicharron - fried pork sandwich - Peruvian Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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If you ever need to get cultural, this would not be a bad starting spot. Invited here with friends, Easy parking, as a matter of fact, my spot was right in front We were seated immediately on this busy Friday night, but there was room for us. This restaurant was clean and welcoming. Our server was so attentive, and paid attention to my questions, answering them as needed I ordered the Chicharron de calamari grande for $19. My accompanied guests ordered the Tallarib Verde Con Bistic. The calamari was delicately deep fried in a light almost tempura batter. Absolutely delicious and completely cooked to perfection. Seasoned expertly. The side was yucca fries, which were to die for, again, slightly deep-fried and seasoned to perfection. Also, served were raw red onions, jullianed, with a little bit of tomato in it. Those were OK. The Tallarin Verde Con Bistic was a thin sirloin, cooked to perfection, and seasoned perfectly. The side was what looked like a spinach, pasta, spaghetti like, in a sauce. While I did not try the spaghetti, the sirloin was just beautiful. Taste abound. Located on Franklin Avenue in Hartford just north of the closed Carbones. Dinner for two, with the tip and a drink for one was $55 give or take a little bit. This was tremendous value, and I am now a fan of Peruvian food. Would be a great destination when you want to try something a little different. I will make sure to return here as soon as I possibly can, as the menu offered so many great choices. The menu wasn't big, but it looked powerful. The photo is the calamari dish that I ordered. Absolutely delicious. read more

Vista Alegre - a plate of food on a table - Peruvian Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Arrived in Hartford today and found this Peruvian restaurant within walking distance of our rental apartment. The staff are fantastically hospitable and attentive. Lots of indoor seating, clean, festive. We ordered the pollo saltado, a house salad and a house chicken noodle soup. Generous portions! We enjoyed the roasted corn and green and red sauces that were offered as soon as we sat down. It was a great introduction to the restaurants in Hartford! read more

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Ate a fresh, delicious filling "brunch" yesterday with my BFF. We made sure we ordered new items. We loved our meals! Chaufa was WOW. Also, the decor is bright but not too stimulating. Intercom music really needs tweaking. Sorry- I would love a Jon Secada/Gloria Estafan mix once in awhile. I have a huge take out container of leftovers. Yummy. read more

Vista Alegre - Our brunch party eating here 1/13/24! - Peruvian Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Very nice Peruvian place. The soup with chicken and vegetables was large and delicious. Plus I got an appetizer fish ceviche which was also good. Overall good. I recommend read more

Decided to head out for a nice dinner with the family. I haven't been back here in a while and recently was told by a friend that the food had gotten better. Of course I had to try. Well it was the farthest from that. Not sure what happen since my last review but everything was off. They took our order quickly but it was interesting to see the table next to me who came after us get their food before us. Strike one. Next the appetizer came the same time the meal came. Strike two. Food was not better.... Infact the polo saltado that I ordered didn't taste anything like it should. Can't explain it but it wasn't the taste it should be. The other meals were the same. Strike three. Lastly we never saw our waitress until it was time for the check. Then she asks how everyone was. So keeping score..... Your out. I'm my opinion I wouldn't waste your time or money coming here. It's slipped down hill and out grew it's pants. Vista Alegre was once my favorite spots. But until they make the needed changes, I won't be back. There are too many new Peruvian restaurants to not care about service and taste. Time to care Vista Alegre, Mancora is now my place to go. read more

Staff was super nice and food was delicious!!! Got the pescado al ajo and that garlic sauce is devine

I can't review the food, as we didn't get any. We passed by the waiter on our way in--he did not greet us. We seated ourselves--he looked over our way several times, but made no move to bring menus or water. There was a large table of enthusiastic Peruvians, which was festive. However, after 10 minutes of no greeting and no menus even though the waiter was not busy, we threw in the towel, as we needed to get to a movie. read more

Good drinks. Lots of seating. Chicken was good. Salad was good. Beans were bland. I would go back since good Peruvian food is hard to find.

This is definitely one of my favorite Peruvian restaurants! The place may not be really big but whenever I go there the food is just so delicious! Been going here for a few years now and they never disappoint me, can't complain about the Prices either since they do serve a lot! The service is always good too even when it's a holiday and they're very busy they do pretty good. I wish they had a more space but other than that This place is awesome! read more

Came here with my father because he checks out all the new Peruvian restaurants that open up. Came in a Saturday and it was not empty but not full. The space itself is pretty small but nice and decorated in that typical Peruvian way. They have outdoor seating on a nice patio and serve bread with Peruvian aji or hot sauce before your meal which is typical of Peruvian restaurants. Now I came in not really hungry so I got the caldo de gallina or chicken soup (even though its so hot outside!). Food came out so fast! And everything was delicious. My soup was hot and had a nice piece of chicken thigh (I hate when they give you leg, but thats a personal preference). I asked for lime to add to my soup and that also came out promptly and my dad got the cau cau was good. Our waitress was extremely friendly and great on service so we were happy for that! Only draw back, no vegetarian options. Not even a small salad or quinoa but I'll make that suggestion hopefully this will change. Overall great place and would recommend and come back! read more

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Hands down my favorite Peruvian restaurant. The service is good, but depending on when you go there may not be any staff who speak English ( I only needed assistance on one occasion and another patron was able to assist). It's fairly small and usually busy. I have had the chaufa mixto, which is out of this world. Lomo Saltado- very good. Tallerin Verde con Bistec -delicious...just enough sauce on the pasta and the steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The portions are large, which is nice because the their prices are a little more expensive than some of the other Latin restaurants in the area. read more

Vista Alegre - Tallerin Verde con Bistec - Peruvian Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

After several years, I came back to check out the new location and fare. I was not disappointed. There is dedicated parking in front of the restaurant and the ambience inside is tasteful and pleasant. The waitress was very attentive, and when we asked her questions she was unsure about, she made sure she got answers. We were a party of 5, with a vegetarian. The manager greeted us and was very attentive, as well. She offered us some sample empanada appetizers they were considering adding to the menu. The chicken empanadas were beautiful! Not bready, but light and just a tad crispy. I'd never had one with that breading before, and I've been around Peruvian food for a while. We ordered appetizers and each ordered an entree. The place started filling up by about 6pm on a Thursday night. Mom had Sopa a la minuta (a soup). It arrived in a giant bowl and was delicious. Not a common soup to find. Our vegetarian had a Tallarín Saltado with vegetables. He thought it was the best he had ever had (having had this locally for years). The Lomo Saltado was excellent! I ordered a Bistec a lo pobre. Also, perfectly cooked. Also, their portions were large. There was food to bring home for later. What they made, they made well. The menu wasn't just a list of all Peruvian foods. No aji de gallina or Cau Cau,, but again, what they made was excellent. We will be returning to check out if they are consistently attentive and delicious. If so, I'll be ready to give it 5 stars. read more

Vista Alegre - Sopa a la Minuta in a giant bowl. Really tasty! - Peruvian Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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I had the Lomo Saltado to go. It was not good. It lacked flavor and did not taste how a traditional lomo should taste. For almost $20, this was a waste of money. I don't recommend this restaurant for authentic, good Peruvian food. Try Piolin or Cora Cora. read more

Ill start of by saying that I'm so happy I finally found their new location! I was disappointed when the old location closed bc I thought they were gone forever. They expanded and the new place is super cute. I'm Peruvian and have been to many Peruvian restaurants in NYC and CT and Vista Alegre does an amazing job with the cuisine. The food is AMAZING!! The Lomo slatado, ceviche, leche Tigre, arroz chaufa is all to die for! I honestly have never have a bad meal here. Portions are generous and service is always very friendly and attentive. Just writing this review I'm think I'll do dinner there today. Thank you vista alegre for representing the real and delicious Peruvian flavors/cuisine! read more

Never answer the phone for take out orders and when you order in person it takes a long time to get your food. Lunch specials are good but competition in the area is making us go here less. Four Peruvian restaurants in less than a mile read more

Not every Thursday late morning that I am on Franklin avenue with my family looking randomly for a place to have lunch...But here we were and there was Vista Alegre...and the match was made. It's been a while since I've had Peruvian and was excited to expand my horizons a bit. Our very friendly waiter seated us underneath a tent out on the front deck overlooking Frankin Ave. Not the most picturesque setting (there is a lovely Family Dollar right across the street :)), but it was a beautiful day and great to sit outside and enjoy it. We were thinking of enjoying a nice morning cocktail, but were informed that they were still trying to get their liquor license in order and could not serve yet. They did say that we could BYOB in the mean-time and would advise a would be patron to call ahead, double check on BYOB, and bring a nice bottle with you for the meal. Waiter was awesome and took a lot of time to explain the menu items and the backstory of the place. He is from Peru and had lots of tips to share. Also gave some backstory on the various Peruvian establishments we see popping up in South Hartford. As for the food, most of us ordered a Chaufa platter (fried rice mixed with meat) and my wife ordered the ceviche platter. Waiter commented that Peruvian restaurants are known for large portions and he wasn't kidding! I can usually polish off whatever is put in front of me at a restaurant and was only able to make it halfway through my dish. If I had to offer a tip to the owners, you may want to go with a lunch menu that halves the portions and prices ($14 for lunch is a bit much), but you are definitely getting 2, or maybe 3, meals out of your entrée. Even my wife's ceviche was over the top with the amount of seafood they provided. It was all very good. Quick note / tip: When you read the menu ingredients for Chaufa, you might say 'This sounds a lot like a fried rice entrée from a Chinese restaurant' and you would be right. It is very similar except for the seasoning they use on the meat requested. I only say this as a family member was slightly disappointed as she was looking for something more unique to Peru and felt she could have gotten this elsewhere. I knew what I was getting myself into and loved every bite of it. While we just came upon this place by happenstance, my wife and I agreed that we will definitely come back for a second round. read more

Took the family to the Peruvian Independence Day Celebration this Sunday. Got there just in time. The place was crowded 1/2 hour after we arrived. The most striking thing about Vista Alegre is the ambiance. It is extremely friendly and accomodating. And they have a nice patio. The food was excellent and the menu extensive. The owner brought my father-in-law and me each a Peruvian soccer shirt and baseball cap. My wife is from Lima, Peru and I am the tag-along Gringo. I can tell you, this place rocks!! This is our new go-to place for Peruvian food. read more

Service is ok, but food by so much. The Restaurant have changed a lot from the time the first open. I have tried different dishes here, and the best and probably the only one they are good at is "combinado de chicharron". On everything everything else they just have prove to be very inconsistent. For instance, Ceviche , Jalea, etc sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's very salty, sometimes you just get what is left and still charged full price. One start for the good service; one start for the open deck. read more

The food is amazing and the authenticity is top notch. Especially great for pleasant sunny days because of the patio.

A few centuries ago in South America, Spanish kitchen met Native American, African, Asian and even Italian. Spanish Viceroys and Dukes started demanding specialties using ingredients as diverse as the natural regions found in Peru. This is how one of the most amazing and diverse Kitchens in the world was born. For a few dollars, Vista Alegre promises not to leave anyone hungry. Portions are hefty & packed with lots of flavor. Definitely worth the try. Good luck Alegre family! read more

So I haven't been here in about 6 months, the chaufa was good, not great. The ahi which used to be the best in the area was bland, almost watered down. The rice while good wasn't great and it used to be great. Still so much better than Chinese food, but a little greasy not as good as the last time. I really can't get over the difference in something as simple as ahi, I hope it was just a weak batch. I give it one more shot. read more

Wonderful service, comfortable restaurant with outdoor seating. Return visit just as tasty as the first. Been to many Peruvian restaurants and I must say this ranks with the best. Great selection, generous portions served hot and attractively presented. Waitress always ready to please and bring to the table whatever is requested. Hope Vista Alegre is supported because I would hate to see them close. read more

The most expensive ceviche that I ever had in my entire life. $23 ceviche mixto...How much are the pound of fish in the fish market? $100 per pound? read more

Amazing restaurant, authentic Peruvian cuisine and incredible service! My husband and his family are from Peru and we used to go to Cora Cora, but after their prices went up and the portions got smaller, we decided to try something else. We have been to Vista Alegre several times now and continue to be impressed with the high quality food, their attention to detail and the friendliest waitresses around! read more