Hot & Cold

If you’re looking for authentic Peruvian food in Northern Virginia, Hot & Cold in Springfield is a hidden gem worth checking out! This small, local spot offers a great selection of traditional Peruvian dishes and drinks. We ordered Papa a la Huancaína, Papa Rellena, Lomo Saltado, and Bistec a lo Pobre, and each dish was packed with rich, authentic flavor. We also got to try a few Peruvian sodas, which added to the overall experience. Everything tasted fresh, well-seasoned, and true to what you’d expect from classic Peruvian comfort food. Highly recommend stopping by and supporting this local business, you won’t be disappointed! #luismasterplumber #plumber #foodlover #foodismedicine #plumbersofinstagram #foodie #eatswithluis #peruvianfood #hot&cold #foryoupage #lomosaltado

Service was great. However, we were disappointed to find the tip already added to the bill. We are generous tippers, but when the tipper is already included, it is insulting.

I Travel a lot and always look for my native Peruvian cuisine. This trip I ended up close to patterson, nj aka lil peru. Maybe my taste buds were spoiled all week from the great flavors. On my way back to southern VA, I stopped here due to the reviews and rating. The atmosphere give the total peruvian vibe. It is a smaller location intimate location. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I order a papa rellena and a ceviche. The papa rellena was a hit soft and flavorful. The ceviche de pescado on the other hand was a bit off. The leche de tigre had a weird taste i couldnt pinpoint. The server was so generous to allow me to switch my plate free of charge. I ended up choosing the lomo saltado. It did not crack my top ten but the dish was put together well and it had flavor. This is great place to bring a small family and have a good time. They do have an extensive menu that covers most of the popular peruvian dishes. The staff makes this place a solid 4.5 the food preparation brings the score down slightly.

This was my first and last visit. I wanted Peruvian, similiar to a place I discovered in Stafford, but could find any pIace like it. After desparately looking for something decent to eat, I settled for this place. I chose something simple. I will not be spending $20 or more for a meal anymore not knowing whether or not I will like it as I have done recently and did not like the food. Unfortunately, I was terribly disappointed. The food did not even look appetizing. 😑 The yuca fries smelled greasy, left grease all over my fingers and taste greasy. Just because something is fried does not mean that it should smell or taste greasy. 😳 The Philly chicken sandwich was also very disappointing. Not only was the bread hard from being overcooked, it was burnt, which I did not notice until I turned the sandwich toward me. 😠 I do not understand how you burn the bread. ☹

5/5 stars and a little slice of Peru in the neighborhood. Friendly staff, beautiful set-up and delicious food. I got the arroz chaufa and a smoothie. Ingredients were fresh and so tasty! I will be coming back to try the lomo saltado and more. Viva Peru! 🇵🇪

My husband (who is Peruvian) and I got dinner to go from here tonight and LOVED it!! My husband got Ají de Gallina, which was amazing, and I had the Pollo Saltado, which we also really liked. We shared Maracuya juice and the pound cake for dessert. Highly recommend this place! We went again the other night, and my husband got the ceviche and I got the Lomo Saltado sandwich (with yuca as a side) and both were amazing! The Lomo sandwich was very filling; I ended up saving my yuca.

I had a very nice lunch here, the dishes and flavors are very authentic, and the atmosphere is friendly. I never would’ve found this place without Google because their sign on the shopping center marquee just says ’Hot and Cold.’ I had a Ceviche Mixto, and a Lomo Saltado; and some house-made Chicha Morada to drink. I recommend all three of these dishes, because they were well balanced and authentic in flavor. The server was very nice, bubbly and friendly. She told me that they have over 70 Peruvian dishes available on the menu. The only thing I would change about the place would be perhaps adding to the name, to make it more clear what type of restaurant they are.

I just ate there between 5 and 5:30 pm today. That was pretty bad. The employees were very rude and chatting with each other like it’s a junior high school cafeteria. I noticed a roach on the table which I had to kill myself. Also the food did not look prepared right. I then explained it to the lady and she did not apologize at all and she also did not check on me seeing how things are going. I absolutely do not recommend this place. Here are pictures as proof

A place to try if you want something different and somewhat of a hole in the wall - well literally - because they were redoing the wall inside while I was there lol. Was recommended this place by a Peruvian friend and the food is definitely good. I ended up picking the first item of the menu and have no complaints.

The local is small clean and the food was really good. The staff was friendly and very accommodating.

Really good ceviche mixto and lomo saltado. The food took forever to come out but it was worth it

Hole-in-the-wall suburban strip mall Peruvian restaurant offering dine-in and take-out. Note: They do not serve pollo a la brasa ("Peruvian charcoal chicken") here and will provide table service for dine-in patrons. There isn't much dine-in space here so I'd recommend coming only with a small group. Interestingly there is somewhat of a homey ambiance here, with a large Peruvian flag in the window, a retro arcade machine in the dining area (not sure if it was working or not) posters on the wall advertising local Latin American concerts, and Spanish language ballads playing on the speakers. *Lomo Saltado - As advertised this is sauteed beef over fries, with steamed white rice. The beef here is somewhat tough, the marinade is basically just salty without the depth that you'll find in the same dish at comparable Peruvian places. Lomo saltado is one of my favorite Latin American dishes due to its delicious Chinese influence, and I was somewhat disappointed here. *Yucca Con Chicharron - The pork belly here isn't as crispy as similar restaurants, and the only thing I appreciated was that it tasted warm and fresh. I would say the same thing about the side of yucca fries served in this dish. I'm going to have to give this restaurant a suboptimal rating because this was one of the least spectacular Peruvian restaurants I've visited despite plenty of competition here, plus prices at Hot & Cold are not great compared to the competition. I'm happy I came here once to support a local spot, and it wasn't "disgusting", but I wouldn't make this a regular occurrence.

Got the fajita sandwich because I needed something no to go that would be fast to eat it was clearly made with the limo saltado chicken but it was SO GOOD. get the green and pink sauce.

Authentic Peruvian food!!!!! Hot & cold is one of those mom& pop restaurants. My favorite here is lomo saltado! The steak is so JUICY &TENDER!!!! Adding a fried egg to any dish only for a $1.

I loved it. I had the Lomo Saltado and a Cristal. I thought the portion of food was perfect. The meat was cooked and seasoned well. The rice was perfectly cooked. The staff was nice. I would definitely go back if I'm ever in Springfield again.

Terrible experience I placed an order on Saturday afternoon I cannot explain how disappointed I was overall. The lady who took my order was really disrespectful and had no customer service or cares about what customer service is, she just wanted to get your order fast and money. She brought my food to the parking lot and when I asked her if utensils were in the bag, she replied upset " I never asked for utensils and I should have asked before " Food was by far the worst food ever, it wasn't fresh, it smell like it if it was cook on really old oil and the portion was so small for an average meal. I understand we're going thru hard times but it doesn't make ok for a restaurant to rip off their customer.

Solid spot for some Peruvian food to go or dine in. I ordered to go given the pandemic and was very happy with the chaufa and the papas a la huancaina. Solid spot, would come back if in the area.

Hot & Cold is my Peruvian family's go-to restaurant whenever we want some Peruvian food or "homemade" takeout. They have all the classic Peruvian dishes and they do it well with generous portions. My American husband has fallen in love with their lomo saltado and my parents also love their tamales and ceviche. Highly recommend checking them out!

We came in here twice. Both times for the chicken soup. The first time was great and the soup was delicious according to my girlfriend. The name of the place is a bit confusing. I would think it would be easier to look for or wanna pop in to an unknown restaurant when driving by if you saw any type of name to entice you to come try it out. You know, like a Peruvian name or something. Hot & Cold makes me think its some sort of american deli or something along those lines. Anyway.....I digress. The decor was perfect for a divey hole in the wall place. The place had an old fashioned video game in there (maybe Pacman), and the decor definitely made you feel like you were in an authentic Peruvian style diner. We came back the second time because my girlfriend liked the soup and this time I ordered food as well. I'm usually up to trying new foods all the time. I got en empanada and a Tamal Peruano. There were distinct differences from the flavors that I'm used to from perhaps some other latino style restaurants. No bad, just different. The food was presented well and the service was nice. I thought the empanada was a bit dry however. I had that nice shiny glaze on the outside and I was hoping for some of that delicious crust like apple pie but it was not. Insert sad face emoji here. It crumbled away. The chicken inside was flavorful and good. The tamal however I didn't like the flavor too much. It may be made in exactly the right way but I personally did not like the seasoning on the chicken on the inside. Now after all that, it may be a coincidence but i didn't feel good for 2 days after this meal. It could have been something I had from somewhere else so I'm not saying it was something I ate here. My girlfriend did not have any issues, just me. I would def give this place another try and perhaps review it again. For a great divey place and true authentic cooking, I do recommend this place. I only gave it a 3 since I wasn't a huge fan of the food flavors.

Food was very seasoned. We went with a group of 5 other people. Everyone was happy with their entres. I ordered the lomo saltado, which was delicious, but a little salty. Also ordered the ceviche. Which was a 7 out of 10. Needed more seafood like shrimp. The employees were extremely nice and on point with the service. Will be back for sure!

I think the ownership and management has changed recently because our overall experience has been good. This is quick Peruvian food with their basic line up of lomo saltado and tallarin saltado pretty good.I have also had the sandwich de chicharron. Well prepared and the onion sauce was tasty. We've been here with friend and family and dine in and take out. All good. Always coming back.

Don't let the uninventive name or its hole in the wall location fool you, this little mom/pop cafe is overflowing with authenticity from the range of food items down to the decor as though one touched down in Lima and wandered into a sidewalk cafe to tune in to watch the World Cup. There is an old school arcade machine from the 80s, a large Peruvian flag perpendicular to a large screen TV showing football (soccer) games and other indigenous programs, and a countertop with an a small selection of ice cream, and flavored syrups, a case of baked goods including Peruvian empanadas, and fountain drinks including horchata and passion fruit juice. The menu offers a wide variety of classics from Lomo Saltado and ceviche as well as jalea (mixed fried seafood), Papa a la Huancaina (boiled potatoes in a spicy cream sauce), and Cau Cau (tripe stew). I was also delighted to see that they even have some options for arroz chaufa (the Peruvian take on Chinese fried rice). The lunch specials are a steal coming in just under $10 which include soup and a drink, and the quality of the dishes are representative of native preparations but perhaps not necessarily the best of the best (having sampled some excellent renditions elsewhere, I'm a little biased, but I can attest they are nonetheless delicious and definitely hit the spot if you are hankering for Peruvian food or need a primer as a first-timer). The Lomo Saltado has that fresh off the griddle aftertaste with tender cuts of beef, well cooked onions/tomatoes, and french fries that have soaked up the zesty sauce whereas the ceviche is well textured with an adequate hit of spice and acid. The fillings for the empanadas have a nice spice profile, although the flour shell is a bit atypical with a sweet pie crust like texture topped with a little powdered sugar reminiscent of a Monte Cristo sandwich. The chaufa has great flavor but the rice could be crisped up a bit more on the wok. I was delightfully surprised to discover this little spot existing among the plethora of other ethnic eateries scattered in the Springfield area that boast Bolivian, Afghan, Yemenese, and El Salvadoran joints to add to my growing list of Yelp bookmarks, so it definitely stands out among the nearby Peruvian chicken joints for a quick work lunch or a legitimate tasty bite of Peru in a fun casual atmosphere. Pro-tip: 15% discount with first Yelp checkin

Called in for a take out order and I was greeted with one of the rudest employees I have ever talked to. I still ended up ordering food (lomo saltado). The food wasn't bad but it was also nothing to write home about. There was barely any gravy and the meat was tough and hard to chew. For food this place would get 3.5 stars but it gets a one due to the rude and condescending tone I was met with.

No sure why this place has a 4 start rating because food isnasty . Today I when for the first time and order bistek a la limeña the meat was super salty and had a weird taste couldn't eat it, rice was hard (old) overall food was not fresh what a shame, I still have a stomach ache for eating a few bites before throwing it all in trash.

II come here for good, local ceviche. It is a little nontraditional, they use muscles. But this is my first time eating here. I like it, and it's close to my house. They also have 15% instant discount on yelp. I don't know anywhere else in Burke or Springfield that serves ceviche as good as this place. I find it better if you wait a little bit before you eat it. It's extremely fresh, the delay gives the citrus processing time

I used to envy my friends living in the city. So convenient to work, live and play. They can go to all the hottest bars and eateries without worrying about traffic and parking. But what they sorely lack in DC are scrumptious mom and pop cafes like this one. It is THE advantage the 'burbs have on city dwellers: an abundance of delicious, ethnic eats. And this one is a gem. I'm sad it took me this long to get around to visiting them. When you walk in, it's slightly confusing whether you're supposed to order at the counter or if there's table service. The space is so small, you think it's either/or. But the server (the only guy working FOH) stepped out and invited me to take a seat if I wanted to eat in. I knew what I wanted. Friends of mine had made it a weekly haunt for their lomo saltado so that's what I ordered. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. While I have yet to encounter tender steak (in the way one wants a ribeye or filet mignon to be), this was the most succulent, flavorful and least dried out of the bunch. In fact, I was happy that there were pieces of medium rare in the mix. It's a little heavy on the red onion and scarce with the peppers, but I wasn't complaining when I destroyed that dish. Service was welcoming, efficient and attentive. While small, the place is clean, boasts a huge menu of traditional Peruvian eats (I'm trying the jalea next time) and serves beer and wine. Muy delicioso

If i could leave zero stars i would, first of all i got civiche, jalea and fried rice. The fried rice taste like it was like 5 days old the jalea had some calamari that also taste very old not to mention it had barely filled out any of the plate it was just terrible I couldn't enjoy it. Atleast the civiche was alright but just those 3 orders was almost $70.... DO NOT RECOMMEND SAVE YOUR MONEY

The food was outstanding. My family is full of picky eating but everyone finished their entire plate. We tried the ceviche, jalea, lomo saltado and tilapia everything tasted great. You must also try the flancocho, half flan and chocolate cake its to die for. This is our new fav spot for peruvian food.

We ordered to have catering for this Christmas from here (btw we are from Peru) & OMG I have never eaten any other Peruvian food more delicious in the U.S.!!! We had lomo saltado, arroz con pollo, tamales, causa & arroz chaufa.... Everyone ate at least 4 rounds of dinner and we never got to eating the desserts because the food was just to good to not keep eating more of it!! also the salsa criolla for the tamales & the other sauces especially la crema de rocoto was so delicious!! My family has to be the pickiest eaters, it's embarrassing to say but I hate going to a restaurant with them because there is always something they are unhappy about & send back, well not with any of the food made here!!! My brother said it was the best tamales he's ever had, my son & husband couldn't stop eating the lomo, my sister said the causa was definitely one of the best she's ever tasted, the arroz con pollo better than my mom's (sorry mom!) & my brother in law loved the crema de rocoto so much he was looking up how to make more for himself!! The portions are generous & food quality is EXCELLENT!!! We will DEFINITELY be ordering again!!

I'm Peruvian and have been living in USA for over 18 years.... this is by far the best Peruvian restaurant I have ever tried. Ceviche was super fresh, arroz Chautauqua de mariscos was the boom!!! Lomo saltado was awesome and the suspiro a la limeña was soooo good I bought all of the other ones they had left. Yes I took them all home!!!

Good spot, fresh food, delivery to the house when needed. Good spot for kids, decent prices and authentic Peruvian gear you can purchase.

I absolute absolutely absolutely love this place! Their food is so authentic and they have great options! It's prob the only Peruvian place that doesn't only sell pollo . The only downfall is their waitresses don't speak English too well but the menu translates everything in to English so I just point at things and order that way. This place is amazing!! I highly recommend, I doubt you'll get a more authentic experience anywhere else in the area

For me, this place wins hands down. I have tried multiple lomo saltado versions from various establishments and let me tell you this is the juiciest, best portion to dollar amount ratio, and packed with flavor. They know my order when I call, they know my name when I walk in, and they treat me like family. I like to eat in places where I can feel comfortable. I always feel welcome here. Like any establishment you should give it another chance if you've had one bad visit. I can tell you as a restaurant manager I've had days where I've been alerted to a situation where food wasn't cooked properly or service wasn't right and I rectified the issues. I believe any issues are fixable with communication. Quality food + portion/cost + service = repeat customer. I always order lomo saltado + extra meat + egg and three sauces. Red white and green. Yes I've tried other items and they are also great. The owner makes a tasty tuna fish sandwhich. The sons make awesome lomo. The bistek is on point.... Why are you waiting? Call and order maynneeeeee

This mom-and-pop hole-in-the-wall has been at this nestled-in location for eight years. I read the reviews so I had to give it a try (I want to support local businesses as much as I can and try new restaurants). I asked the waitress what their best dish is and she recommended the Lomo Saltado. Essentially it is thinly cut but extremely tender beef with onions, tomatoes and spices on a bed of fries, a side of white rice and two pieces of garlic bread. I thought, "Why the bread? There are already fries and rice." The meal was so delicious and juicy that I used the bread slices as they were intended: to sop up the yumminess left over on the plate. The staff was very pleasant and friendly. This gem is a must-try. I think I am hooked.

Ok, here is the deal... we were in the mood for Peruvian food and like always we search the places with good reviews, in this case Yelp reviews are saying Hot & Cold have 4 stars, so here we go; place ok, food ok, service ok, now let's get to the point why 1 star: they charged us 18% gratuity, seriously? If they have those practices to charge without being written in the menu we wouldn't have dinner there. I'm not against tipping, in matter fact we are pretty generous when we tip, but do not use my money without my permission. Some places charge gratuity once the table has more than 5 guests, but seriously, it was only 3 including myself. The waitress said when we left we hope you guys come back soon, lady we are sorry to say , we will never buy food at this restaurant again.

Food here is amazing, lunch is served with soup and dish plus drink for less then $10. Absolutely love it. Service is awesome!

Great food!! Awesome service. I just started working in this area. This place is so much more than I expected. The guy who was working there was uber nice!!! I got the Chicken Saltado which was amazing!!! I highly recommend this place.

Very good chicharron sandwich! And that green hot sauce is the bomb. Yuca was good too. Wasn't crazy about the empanadas. Will be back for more yummy Peruvian food!

Disgusting food. Definitely food from the freezer that was frozen for quite sometime it tasted expired. I came home and rushed to the bathroom, i will leave the rest to your imagination. Not a pleasant experience. I had The lomo with eggs and fries, it was Rubbery and the plate was drenched in sauce I felt like I was eating a soup rather then a steak.

I can not be happier discovering this place. Peruvian food is the best!! Arroz con pollo, limo saltado, anticuchos de corazon. All amazing !

Wandered into this place and ended up ordering some Lomo Saltado to go. The girl at the counter was friendly, and she packed a sample of each of their three sauces. The steak was nice and juicy, and the fries underneath wasn't just fries underneath. It was a little pricey but tasted good.

Excellent food, Reasonable prices, and wonderful service. A great little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Springfield.

Popped in here for an early dinner around 5:30 on a Tuesday and it wasn't busy at all. Ordered Lomo Saltado with frijoles after conferring with my server who also sought the input of the very helpful owner seated across from me. I don't have a lot of experience with Peruvian cuisine but after tonight's meal I will seek it out more often. The beef was very tender and juicy, the vegetables were cooked well, and everything was seasoned perfectly! It did not need any of the sauces which were presented but I did indulge in them anyway as both the green (cilantro and jalapeño) and orange/red one (forgot the ingredients) were delicious! Everything just had so much flavor! The portion was large enough for me to split it into two meals. Even if I'd only have gotten one meal from the dish I'd be ok with that because just like in all things in life...you get what you pay for...and this place was great! My server and the owner made me feel quite welcome and hopefully I can make it back in the future to try other dishes!

been coming here for years! authentic peruvian food! great service! love the food and atmosphere!

My first visit, but it won't be my last! The pollo saltado was absolutely delightful, and the mega burger was fantastic. The color pictures of each dish were helpful, and our plates looked every bit as appetizing as the pictures.

This place is now one of my favorites to eat authentic peruvian food... Never a let down.. The staff is always friendly and food is fresh... I've had the Lomo Saltado with Frijoles... The Ceviche Mixto... The Pan con Chicharron with Pork Tamal and the Lucuma flavored ice cream is lights out. Every time i go it gets better and better... Good place to watch football too.. Definitely see myself watching the World Cup here :)

My bf and I ordered take out from here for lunch yesterday. I got the gyro and he got the lomo saltado. We also got a side of sweet potato fries. The fries were soggy by the time we broke into them, but the taste was still pretty good. The gyro was tasty and the lomo saltado was delicious. The juices from the lomo saltado collected at the bottom of the container and the fries soaked them up, which made it all even better. The food was great, as was the price, so I'll definitely be back!

This restaurant should not deserve the stars which display under it's name. Me and my wife had one bite of their lunch item and said goodbye to this restaurant. Served old, smelly and too much slated food to us.

For us, Peruvians, living is difficult mainly because the food. Just moved to Kingstowne and exploring Peruvian restaurants in the area, I found Hot & Cold through the recommendation of a friend. Food was very good, particularly the ceviche, that is usually impossible to prepare, and in many of Peruvian restaurants it is simple horrible. I didn't give it the 5 stars because the chicha morada was not naturally prepared. Definitely we will come back!

Worst chicken gyro I've ever had. Rather small for the price but in this case that did not matter since I disposed of it after 2 bites. I can't even describe the chicken - tough little cubes of cartilage or something. Yikes! The Yucca fries were also unpalatable as they were dripping of grease. Together with the food I threw the menu out as well!

My work catered from this place. They have a separate catering menu and it is delicious! Customer service is friendly and food is Yummy!

Only been open a few weeks I believe. Good food and friendly service. I had a burger and my husband had a chicken Caesar wrap. The deserts were also very yummy! I nice little place for well priced good meal.

yum! I got the steak and cheese, a smoothie and a dessert- I can't remember what it was called, but it looked like flan and was awesome! this was so good, i don't know why i never tried it before. it was pretty nice in there, too, it seemed like a real family place!

The have really good Salchipapas! You can't really decide what you want because all of the foods are really delicious.

My friend and I are always on the search for a nice little place to grab dinner after working out that is open until 10. We found this place on yelp and thought we'd give it a shot. It wasn't very good. We got two plates to share plus fried yucca and they were all just okay. The yucca was tender but too oil-soaked, like it was put in the fryer before the oil really got hot. We were hoping for a standard peruvian pulled chicken sandwich but they didn't have that. Unfortunately, we will not be returning.

Went by the first month or so. Had wrap sandwich. Food was very tasty and well priced. It is a small carry out but there is seating and the atmosphere is great. Outdoor seating as well. Great deserts and drink selection, fast service. I called ahead, ready on time!

Fantastic food! The lomo saltado, seafood, and chicha morada are my favorite (my daughter loves the salchipapa and the snow cones). Not sure why some reviews mention chicken, the chicken place used to be next door and it's not the same place. Pretty sure that place closed though. Check this place out, I recommend it.

I am a regular here my favortie is the pan con chicharon .. Its so fresh and soo GOOD! I am peruvian and till this day i have yet to find a peruvian place who makes those sandwiches as EXCELLENT as here!! I recommend everyone to try this place. Prices are resonable and they have there lunch specials that come with your drink and soup! What else can u ask for??!