La Canela

This restaurant exceeded my expectations! The food was absolutely delicious — fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The staff were incredibly friendly and attentive, making us feel welcome from the moment we walked in. The atmosphere was cozy yet elegant, perfect for both casual dining and special occasions. I highly recommend trying their Arroz marsicos— it’s a must! I’ll definitely be coming back.”

Omg how do I start. Service 10/10 the waitress is very kind…I wanted to try their fried fish but it wasn’t avaible so he recommended this rice with seafood ❤️ amazing…the fried pork was so tender and juicy couldn’t take a photo cause we ate it in seconds. The chef knows what he’s doing and the place was clean and gorgeous. I love it and definitely coming back soon!

Food was pretty good. We had the Chicharrones de Cerdo, Lomo saltado and topped it off with there version of tres leches. Maria the server was very attentive as well. Overall a great spot for a date night.

Absolutely loved the food! The service was incredible. My ceviche was so good and filling, and the dessert was so good! I got the sweet potato and zucchini donuts and want to back just to have it again!

Found a hidden gem in Rockville! Not being very familiar with the menu, we tried a few different items: Tallarines a la Huancaina (beef with cheese pasta) for the kids, Pulpito (octopus), and Arroz con Pato (duck with rice). Before our main courses arrived, we were served a complimentary appetizer that was absolutely amazing — so good that we nearly licked the little dish it came in! It really elevated our expectations for the meal to come. The kids, who usually only ask for mac and cheese at restaurants, loved the pasta. The beef and sautéed onions — which they would normally refuse — were a hit, and the portion was generous enough for both kids to share (with some leftovers for me too!). The octopus was incredibly tender and flavorful — honestly one of the best I’ve had anywhere. And the duck was just as delicious. We left feeling proud of ourselves for discovering and trying this wonderful place. And I can’t forget to mention the service — so kind and friendly that “service” doesn’t even feel like the right word. It felt more like being welcomed into someone’s home. Even when we were walking in, we were warmly greeted right away, which was such a pleasant surprise and set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

This is an amazing place for Peruvian food. We tried this place in 2014 first and ever since we wanted to go back and try out. 11 years have passed but the quality of food and service only gotten better! Looking forward to visit again soon!

Great food and the lady greeting the guests at the door was beyond pleasant. She was cheerful and kind to my kids and dogs that were waiting outside. 10/10 perfect experience.

Wonderful food and service! Will return! Lomo saltado was a astounding, and their flan/crema volteada aka quesillo was even better than the Mango Pannacotta that was a 4.5/5. Seafood is their strong suit, my family ate the ceviche as well as other seafood dishes and were floored.

Rounding up to 5 stars We had a delicious meal. The chef started us with an outstanding fried dumpling. The Ribeye steak with an egg was flavorful. Everyone at the table was delighted with their entree. The room is well decorated, allowing you to forget that you're in downtown Rockville. The portions were generous and the staff were attentive and helpful.

It was a sunny day and the beautiful restaurant looked too good than what it really was:( We had the Lomo Saltado, Ceviche, and a free dessert due to lack of precision. It was OK but definitely better out there.

Definitely one of the best Peruvian restaurants in the area! Service is always amazing and very attentive. They will even give you a courtesy amuse bouche. Which is ceviche in a wonton, fried! 10/10 amazing! Food is always DELICIOUS and they are very willing to make food substitutions when possible. The restaurant is quiet and overall clean. I definitely recommend giving this restaurant a try. Even during our last visit they let us know in advance that their card machine was having some difficulties so if we had cash it would be helpful. We appreciated their initiative to let us know of the issue, my husband quickly went to the ATM took some cash out and easy fix. They were so grateful for us being understanding they gave us free inca cola soda! truly an amazing team and restaurant!

Servesr were amazing very polite and professional i have the ceviche de pescado it was good the fish was lilttlebit too cold but it was good I had it with a glass of red wine then I ordered the grill octopus it wasn't cooked all the way through but it's ok I know they can do better in the kitchen....I will defanaly come back and give them a second chance because I love food....

This is one of my favorite authentic peruvian places to eat. We usually get the combination, papa a la huancaina, and lomo saltado here. I've tried the chupe de camarones and that was delicious! Nothing beats a peruvian homemade meal but this is a close second. The staff there is very kind and attentive. I've been there on their slow and packed days and it's always great. The inside of the restaurant is awesome in itself, since it takes decor from Peru and merges it into the storefront and even inside! Would recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting to try peruvian food!

Great food and incredible service!!! The location is quiet and very peaceful. Would recommend this place to anyone!!!

Ambiance was delightful, service was friendly and food was amazing! We ordered 3 appetizers, entrees and desserts and everything was delicious. 10/10 would recommend

We ordered one starter, the fried wonton is on the house, two main course. All the foods are delicious and yum yum. The waiter is nice and very welcoming. We spend good time there and would come back to try other dishes in the future.

Peruvian cuisine is one of my favorite and I wanted to look for a new restaurant to try with my husband in Rockville. I found La Canela searching on google maps and it had over 400 reviews with a rating over 4 stars so we decided to give it a try for date night. We came for dinner on a Saturday night around 6:30PM. The restaurant wasn't busy and we were seated right away. While waiting for our food, we received a complimentary snack to try from the chef. It was fish ceviche in what looked like a fried wonton and it was quite delicious! My husband ordered a Sierra Nevada IPA for drinks and I tried their Pisco Strawberry Smash. My drink was the right amount of strong and reminded me of a margarita without the salt rim. For dinner, I ordered the Fettuccini a la Huancaína and my husband ordered the Pollo Saltado. The lomo saltado in my dish was perfectly seasoned but the fettuccini was not what I expected. I love huancaína sauce but this was more on the cheeser side and very thick in consistency. Needless to say, I didn't finish the pasta portion on my dish. My husband said his pollo saltado was delicious. No complaints on his part about the food. Service was on the slower end of things. Although, we got seated very quickly - the waiters barely came around to check on us. It also seems, they all share the tables and we weren't assigned a specific waiter. We had to ask for our check twice. The first waitress never brought the check so I was able to flag down a second waiter and he brought it to us. All in all, the food and drinks were delicious and we would definitely come back to eat here again.

La Canela is a gem hidden in plain sight! Right in the heart of Rockville at Rockville Town Center. We were greeted with friendly faces. The server was delightful! He was super patient and knowledgeable. Gave us plenty of options and explained almost every dish for us. We originally asked if we could sit outside. They told us we could but the server warned us that there were a lot of mosquitoes out on the patio that afternoon. We really appreciated his honesty, decided to take his advice and stay inside. Shortly after, we received our extremely refreshing pitcher of sangria. It was filled to the brim, and was not full of ice like most places. My friends and I were able to get 5-6 glasses out of the pitcher. It was a perfect balance of wine and fruit without being too sweet. The owner brought us an amuse bouche as we waited for our food. It was ceviche in a wonton, fried. That really set our palates for the delicious food to come. We got: Fried Calamari & Yucca As always, fried calamari is always delicious. The yucca was soft like mashed potato on the inside and crispy on the outside. Served with an aioli and pickled red onions. Ceviche The fish was very fresh. Cut into perfect sized pieces to give you the best bite of fish. The leche de tigre was just milky enough to help cut the heat of the bits of rocoto pepper mixed. There is a bit of sweet potato and Peruvian corn to bite on if the spice and lime juice do get a little intense. Perfect balance of heat, acid, fat, and sweet in one dish. Whole fried fish Lightly seasoned with salt and fried crispy all the way around. Served with white rice, the delicious yucca from before, and lime wedges. This dish was really comforting for me. My parents would often serve whole friend fish with rice and lime juice for dinner when I was a kid. Biting into this really took me back. However, we used to share the whole fish as a family. I definitely enjoyed the remainder for lunch the next day. Aji de Gallina I love aji de gallina. This one was not as heavy as many I've had in the past. It was delightful! Served with white rice and garnished with olives and egg. The portion was also quite large, took it home to eat the next day as well. To sum it up, La Canela is a treasure and I haven't stopped thinking about it since that dinner. How could I? The service was impeccable; the sangria is the quintessential summer drink; the food was nothing less than perfect. I would recommend this spot to anyone who wants to try exemplary Peruvian cuisine.

Good vibes. Food is Tasty and fresh. Good service little pricey but worth to try. Definitely go back again

Wow! The food was soooo flavorful and delicious. Appreciate our waiters patience as we asked all the questions. You can tell they care about the whole experience!! Location may be misplaced on Apple Maps, so just know it's right acrosss from the dance studio!

Poor service from the staff. Extremely long wait for mediocre food. Owner was very rude as well

Fantastic restaurant. The food is the best of authentic Peruvian cuisine, perfectly prepared and arranged on the plate. The decor is Colonial Spanish, as is the furniture and detailing. The server staff is friendly, informative and efficient. We live about ten miles away and we make a special trip to Rockville just to go here. We visited Lima a couple of years ago, and this is wonderful deja-vu experience.

Trying new things has never been my best virtue. But, I am sure glad I did last night. On the recommendation of a good friend, we went to La Canela. Beautifully decorated in old world European charm, this quaint restaurant has been tucked into a corner of Rockville Town Center. Our server, Irene, was par excellence! She was helpful with suggestions and gave us plenty of time to make up our minds. She had each round of dishes out on time and her sweet personality made the evening a pleasure. We started off with a complimentary stuffed wanton in a flavorful sauce. It was crispy and delicious. Next, for our appetizer, we had braised short ribs with yucca and pickled onions. I enjoyed the crisp yucca and pickled onions, but the short ribs were well done and dry. Then, we shared a ceviche. The ceviche was tasty and was packed with citrusy fish, tender and sweet potato, and these nuts that added the right amount of salt. I would order this again in a heartbeat. The main dish was grilled trout with jasmine rice and cooked lentils. The trout was beautifully grilled and was packed full of that smoky flavor. It was flaky and tender. The lentils came in a huge portion. They were tasty and cooked in a delicately seasoned sauce. I loved them. The jasmine rice was very good too. The end to a perfect meal, we shared a delicious custard like flan that melted in your mouth. The raspberry coulee was a fabulous addition to this dessert. Freshly made whipped cream and blueberries garnished this superb dessert. I am going to dream of this tonight. : ) Lesson learned tonight, take risks, listen to good friends, and you can find hidden gems, like La Canela!

We've been Rockville locals for a few years and we've walked by La Canela so many many times. My Peruvian cousin was in town for a few days and we committed ourselves to dine at La Canela. It was a great decision! The service was warm and welcoming... the place was packed with locals. We started with an order of ceviche and anticuchos (grilled beef heart), plus the chicharrón de calamares (fried calamari) - each were made to order and fresh! Additionally we ordered a round of pisco sours they were mixed expertly! For our entrees, we decided to order several items and share family style. We ordered the lomo saltado (beef stir fried with fries, onions, and tomatoes), aji de gallina, and seco a la norteña - era how came with a side of white rice. Lam dishes were delicious, those others thought the aji de gallina was supper i thought the standout was the seco a la norteña cause it was beef short rib stewed to perfection! I definitely recommend this restaurant in the Rockville town center! It's superb!

Every time I have gone to Canela, I always have a positive experience. It smells so good as soon as you open the door. The ambiance is nice, cute for a date or family dinner. No complain about the food, everything was amazing! You even get amuse bouche, I got this time a ceviche in a wonton wrapper. Super good! I would definitely recommend going. The picture includes their special menu option Jalea!

Food is great, the appetizer has a very good portion , we end up only order the appetizer, cause we were not hungry but we still finished every bite. The Waiters are all very nice and friendly.

Our server Ronnie was polite, knowledgeable and recommended the most delicious dishes. One of the most enjoyable meals we have had in a long time. Everything we ate was excellent. Very nice restaurant and comfortable seating, and lots of parking. A must try. You don't need to drive to DC for a good Peruvian meal.

La Canela had one of the best service I have ever received. I know this place has been in Rockville Town Square for some time now and I can't believe I haven't tried it until now. I took a friend out for her birthday on a Friday afternoon. We were the first customers. I was pleased to see all the staff wearing masks. It's a very lovely restaurant. The decor seemed like we were in dining in Peru. Our waiter was phenomenal and so attentive. We were treated to a fried wonton to start. I ordered the Arroz con Mariscos. It comes with shrimp, calamari, scallops, and mussels cooked with jasmine rice, white wine, Peruvian spices, sarza criolla, rocoto emulsion. It was such a huge portion that I ended up taking most of it home. My friend ordered the Chupe de Camarones which was a creamy shrimp soup- made with reduced shrimp broth- butternut squash, lima beans, poached egg, potatoes and just a touch of cream. She thought the portion was just perfect. It wasn't an overly large bowl so she was able to finish every last tasty drop. Our server was just wonderful. He overheard me tell my friend I did not want to split the check because it was her birthday. After he took my payment, he came back with a flan and candle on a large plate that said, "Happy B-Day!" I thought that was so nice of him. He also sang to her. La Canela, I will be coming back. Your server, Alberto, was fantastic.

My rating = 91 (food 71/75, ambiance 6/10, service 14/15). Impeccably prepared Peruvian favorites in Rockville Town Center. We had: 1. complimentary amuse-bouche - a stuffed wonton in huancaina sauce 2. Ceviche de pescado* in lime juice with soft, giant yellow corn, corn nuts, candied sweet potato, and causa potato ball (what a delicious combination of flavors and textures!) 3. Lomo saltado - Beef tenderloin tips tossed with onions, tomato, and fries in a vinegar pan jus 4. Pescado a lo macho* - Fried codfish topped with shrimp, calamar, scallops, and mussels in a white wine and dried panca pepper sauce (wow was this good) Also, our friends had a "leche de tigre" ceviche appetizer, pollo saltado, and arroz con pato.* (duck leg with spiced rice - I negotiated a bite and it was great!) Shout-out to Oscar for great service. * = My favorites. (But my suspicion is that you can't go wrong no matter what you order.)

Hands down the best Peruvian in the DMV. My partner and I have been to many and this one is unmatched. The quality of the food is great and service is amazing. We will come back!

If you want a good meal that hits your paladar and is as close as you can get to a good Peruvian restaurant in Peru, then you are in luck because this is it.

We love going here for date night or with friends for a wonderful Peruvian mean and cocktails. Highly recommend the food and cozy ambiance. If you like food make with love & good service - you will appreciate La Canela.

On May 16, 2024, we held a reunion dinner for the class of 1968 from the American School of Lima, Peru (FDR). We had also held one in 2012 at La Canela that was a huge success so decided to come back. I worked with the owner Lili and staff to develop a lovely 4 course menu with several choices, including, among other things, antichuchos, ceviche, pollo Saltado, arroz con Mariscos, cheesecake flan. The 20 of us were seated on the separate balcony level, which was charming. Everything, from the servers to the food and drinks, were first class! The group, which came from around the world, raved about the dinner. Kudos to La Canela!

Very nice, quiet and low key restaurant. It has a very romantic ambiance. I didn't have the opportunity to check the upstairs section. But I believe there are more seats up there. When I arrived around 6pm the place was empty. Don't be fooled because shortly after clientele started to come in. It got very busy rather quickly. It seemed liked folks were regulars. I ordered the red sangria. It was ok. I've had better in other places. They do give you a full glass which was nice. I didn't want much for dinner so I didn't try an appetizer. But instead they came out with a fried pastry puff that had ceviche inside of it. It was so delicious! I will definitely get it next time if it's on the appetizer menu. I ordered the lomo saltado. The meat was tender, juicy and very tasty. I was worried that their portions would be small but I was happy to see it was the standard. You get fries, diced tomatoes and a scoop of rice on the side. It was delicious. I will be returning to try new dishes very soon!

Everything was delicious. The waiter and staff were very friendly. Definitely will be back!

My daughter wanted to gift me a mutually enjoyable culinary experience. Since neither of us had tried Peruvian food before, so La Canela, with all their accolades and positive reviews, was the logical choice. Oscar, our server, made it an even more enjoyable experience. His well-timed caring attention and knowledgeable insights and suggestions allowed us to enjoy food choices we might not have made had he not shared his insights. We enjoyed a wonderful amuse-bouche of mahi mahi ceviche in a rangoon style pastry seated on a delightful creamy yellow sauce. We both love calamari, but we couldn't pass up an opportunity to try something neither of us had tried before. So we tried Oscar's suggestion of Anticuchos de Corazón-which is grilled marinated beef hearts, golden potato and maize with tasty garnish sauces. I opted for the Pescado a lo Macho, which is lightly breaded pan-fried codfish fillet topped with shrimp, calamar, scallops, and mussels, white wine and dried panca pepper sauce, jasmine rice, broiled potato. My daughter wanted something more akin to a stew, so she chose Seco a la Norteña, which are boneless short ribs stewed slowly in a cilantro based dark beer sauce, canary beans, jasmine rice. Everything I mentioned contributed to our total enjoyment of our first time Peruvian food experience!

Food was great, the decor is lovely, dishes are reasonably priced. My friends and I had a good time. Unfortunately, I don't remember the names of all the delicious food we tried. We will be back for ladies night again.

Fabulous Peruvian food. Maybe the best ceviche I have ever had. And the lomo didn't disappoint either. Portions are plentiful and the service was excellent. Can't wait to go back.

My boyfriend, my brother, and I went there for the first time Friday night after hearing amazing things about this place. We were immediately greeted with a friendly welcome by Irene. The food was so tasty and the portions were great! I ordered the lomo sataldo and I am already craving it! Our server Oscar was so attentive and friendly. He gave us amazing service! The ambiance was very beautiful as well. We will definitely be back. I have already been recommending this place to everyone I know. Thank you Irene, Oscar, and La Canela!

My husband and I decided to go to La Canela for Happy Independence Day of Peru. We ordered peruano combinado, Aji de gallina, and tres leche. They are so wonderful and delicious! The waiter service is very good and friendly! Next time we will go to La Canela again! It make me really happy :) my husband love it already and his favorite is Leche de tiger shot. Next time he will order a big cup with leche de tiger :D

The food was amazing and their service as well!!! I will love to come back again and bring more friends

I came here last weekend with my friend. We were immediately sat away from people though they were semi packed. Let me just start by saying the service is GREAT! SO KIND, FRIENDLY love it!!! We ordered the Fried Calamari, Fried Yucca, Pollo Saltado, and Fettuccini a La Huancaína (with chicken). The calamari was a bit cold but prefectly cooked, it's unfortunate that it was cold. The yuca was great. My friend got the Fettuccini a La Huancaína and let me tell you, I ate half the plate ...so good soo flavorful... I could not help it! My Pollo Saltado was great but his Fettuccini was omggg! We were also given a small bite, compliments of the chef, honestly as great as everything else was....this is something I'd order as a meal. So good!!!! Bottom line food is amazing, service was even better ( didn't think it was possible) and well you won't be disappointed

Had a family lunch here and it was excellent! The drinks were good, food was good, ambience was good, service was stellar, and the tres leches tort- I mean, beyond good. I'll be back!

A group of us decided to try this place out on a Saturday night. My friend was able to make reservations for a group of 7 on open table. The restaurant is a small spot in Rockville Town Center. It's down the street from la tasca. Parking was pretty simple since there are several parking garages. Make sure you ask about validating, because they will do so for up to two hours. When we arrived, my friend was already seated at our table. The ambiance and atmosphere was very warm and romantic. The lighting was dim and would be perfect for a date night as well. Our server was amazing. He was attentive and diligent. We ordered drinks and the pisco sour was by far my favorite. Very light, just the right amount of sweetness, and refreshing. I had ordered the chicha sour, but didn't like it. Our server replaced it right away. For appetizers, we had ordered Yuquitas Rellenas de Cangrejo, which are yucca croquettes stuffed with crabmeat. They were delicious!! My sister and I had decided to split our food so we shared those along with our main entree, which was he lomo saltado, beef tips with onion, rice and fries. The beef was so tender and flavorful. We also ordered a side of yucca, which was good except I wasn't a fan of the dipping sauce that came with it, you can order different sauces, but they cost extra. I also ordered the tres leches, which was just perfect. I have only tried one other Peruvian restaurant, so I can't really compare. However, in summary the food was delicious, but they are a bit pricey; yet worth a try.

Inside is homey and quaint. Staff is very polite and accommodating. Menu has a great selection of authentic Peruvian dishes and a variety of ceviches. The ceviches are flavorful and fresh. The portions are very generous. For my entree this time around I ordered the aji de gallia (like a shredded chicken stew). My companion had the lamb shank. Both were top-notch choices! Will have to try their short ribs or trout next time (nearby table ordered them, food looked yummy).

Food, service, drinks are good but I was charged 22% tip automatically. We were a big group. So I knew they will add tip... what make them decide to charge me so high--- 22%. That is a rip off. Against my consent. I can dispute my cc company but it's better not to return back to them again... and let them enjoy my tip money....

We checked this place out last night (Saturday at 8:30) before our IPIC movie. It seems to be a hidden gem. I absolutely loved the ambiance and decor. It made you feel like you were secluded in another world, especially on the 2nd floor by the window looking out onto the street. The server Ashley was excellent and very attentive. We both had the "arroz" seafood dish but with only shrimp and they were very accommodating with this. It was not super stuffy or packed and the noise level was reasonable. If you are looking to for a cute date night spot this place is it, especially because after leaving you can visit the ice rink a few feet away or walk around and be mesmerized by the lights. (Thank me later ) I really hate we didn't stumble across this in the summer or this definitely would've been on our date night list. Overall great service from ALL the staff and yummy food! We will definitely be back! Special thanks to Ashley again for keeping track of our movie time and bringing to-go boxes over to make sure we weren't late!

Try the ceviche if you're ever here. It's so fresh! They have these huge pieces of corn too. Yum. I don't have a nice photo of that since I quickly devoured it. I've been here two times and both times were pleasant. The first time I was here the staff gave me a sample of a dish to try for free! Super friendly. The inside and outside both offer unique vibes. I was accommodated well in their second floor area when I came with a large group. We had the whole floor to ourselves. Very private experience. I will be back.

Word of caution, this review was done for a visit about 6 months ago. This place is a hidden gem. Service is wonderful and the restaurant is clean. Only issue would be maybe a tight squeeze when the restaurant is full. They offer a small amuse-bouche which was a tasty bite consisting of something similar to a small dumpling. For entrees we ordered the lomo saltado, steak, and the "paella" style rice. Everything was delicious, especially the rice which was actually recommended by our server. Left happy and full, will definitely be back!

Peruvian goodness and stylin'! I had a very good experience here on a weekday night. It was quite empty, as was all of Gibbs street, and unfortunately the lively upper bar and upstairs on the weekend was closed on a Tuesday. However, the rest did not disappoint! Atmosphere: A fancy version of a Peruvian taverna. Lots of day wood, colorful fabrics, tile floors, etc. A tad too dark. Service: Fairly attentive staff and not overly pressuring for anything. Hard to really say what it's like given the small number of folks in the restaurant. No problems. Food: wowza! Such delicious authentic flavors, quality ingredients, and nice presentation. It takes me back to Peru. The Lomo Saltado and Aji de Gallina were on point. The apps were fairly interesting and nice, too. I liked the crab options. Drinks: The pisco sours were well done. Try the passion fruit add on -- it works! Decent selection of cocktails and wine/beer. Price: Definitely more expensive than your typical Peruvian food yet fancier and worth it. Still somewhat less expensive than other restaurants on Gibbs and honestly about the same as you'd likely pay in the pubs around there. Not bad for night out all things considered. We paid $75 for one app, one soup, two entrees, and three cocktails.

Love the vibe of this place! It has authentic decor with a cosy atmosphere. I came on a Friday night at 7 pm, there were only a few other parties when we arrived, but it really started to fill up around 7:30! It was my parents first time eating Peruvian cuisine and the waitress could not have been nicer or more helpful, taking the time to explain the popular dishes and helping us find something we'd all enjoy! The complimentary ceviche in puff pastry is AMAZING! I don't usually like ceviche but I could have eaten 10 of these things! We started with the Papitas Rellenas, which were so moist and tasty, with a hint of sweetness. There's some type of cheese inside as well as olives, so it was a good mix of salty too. We also split the Lechugas Variadas, which was plenty for 3 people to share as an app. It could have used a bit more dressing but it was still good! For the main course, I had the Lomo Saltado. The steak was tender and the sauce was great. The rice had an amazing jasmine flavor. I've had Lomo Saltado at other restaurants and I think this is the best I've had! My mom had the Pollo Saltado, and she said the chicken was very moist! My dad had the Trucha, he's a big seafood eater and loved this! The trout was cooked perfectly and he really enjoyed the lentils. We didn't save any room for dessert, but whatever the tables around us had looked delicious!

La Canela is located in the Rockville town center just off rt 355. La Canela is a Peruvian restaurant. This is my second visit here and so far I tried 6 different dishes. Every dish I tried was delicious and tasty. For lunch, They have a pre fix menu for sixteen dollars. You get an appetizer and main course dish. I order the mini Ceviche for appetizer and troucha for main entree. I think is a good deal for the quality of the food. If you never had Peruvian food, This is the right place to try it for the first time.

This is an updated review. I have been going to La Canela for a few years now and I've always loved their food but I'm sad to say that I will not be returning here. I went to La Canela for dinner with my mom and boyfriend, the ambiance was great and the ceviche was good. I ordered a fish dish that came with other seafood although it didn't specify which seafood it came with. For this reason, I made sure to ask for no shrimp because I am allergic. When they brought it there was shrimp in it, which is ok, mistakes happen, but when they brought it back for the second time it was clear that they hadn't made a new one because there was still a shrimp in there- they just picked out the pieces that were visible and accidentally left one in. To me this is negligent, as I told the server that I was allergic and instead of making a new one they took the preexisting contaminated one and made it look like a new dish. A woman came by to apologize, i think she was the owner, which was very nice of her, and I appreciated that. They brought me a new one for the third time and it was alright but was not that good so I barely ate it. They brought the check and they had reduced the price but still charged me even though I barely touched it. I'm really disappointed because this use to be a favorite spot for me, my boyfriend, and my family for many years but unfortunately we will not be coming back here. Allergies are a serious thing. I don't want to hate on this restaurant because i'm sure they didn't do this on purpose and that they are a decent establishment, but I think that this is worth saying- luckily I am not severely allergic but I still got hives. Some people have far worse allergies so I hope that they start treating this topic more seriously.

ordered a number of items to-go to celebrate my sister's birthday from home! my dad ended up taking a while to pick it up, so i regret not being able to eat the food fresh and hot (no fault of La Canela's, of course) very satisfied with the food we got! for only 5 dishes, we were able to feed 6-7 people AND have plenty of leftovers! as echoed in other reviews, their portions are GENEROUS! my favorite was the fettuccini a la huancaína, and this portion lasted me a day or so after the night we ordered this which made me super happy hehe :) i only wish there was more short rib in the short rib dish (i cant remember what the name is, Seco a la Norteña? but that also might be a different dish). this one might have been overpriced because it's mostly beans instead of meat. short ribs were cooked to PERFECTION though and tasted AMAZING and tender! service was great :) i'm a learning spanish-speaker ordering my food in spanish, so i'm used to people (who are able to) switching to english to accommodate me bc they can tell, but that was not the case when i called La Canela to place my order. they were definitely very patient, kind, and answered my questions well AND continued to converse with me in spanish, which i really appreciate!

My favorite place to eat in Rockville town center. The lomo saltado is really good and the restaurant is very clean, also very welcoming. It's a super cute vibe, you'll forget you're in Rockville town center once you're inside.

First time at Peruvian restaurant. It was so good. Delicious foods and authentic drinks, warm ambience and great service. Definitely five stars.

Wow. How is this place getting overlooked for another "La" down the street? The other place doesn't hold a candle to this one. Other than the stellar service (like something you'd get from a five-star hotel), the food is simply perfect... every time... consistency is king here. The amuse bouche, a fried dumpling-like puff stuffed with fish and served with a creamy, spicy sauce was even better than I remembered. We got the Cala Mari app. When I tell you it's perfectly cooked I mean I've never had it so tender in my life. If you're not a Cala Mari lover, I implore you to try La Canela's, as theirs will make you a convert. Aside from the Cala Mari itself, the accompanying fried yuca was cooked to perfection, too. Light and crispy, whereas most restaurants' fried yuca is heavy, mealy and fibrous. This yuca reminds me of the yuca from a Rockville place called Kickin' Chicken that has since gone out of business--up until now KC had the best yuca. Now, La Canela takes first place. I also love the onion "salad" served with this--perfect to balance, brighten, and lighten up the fried goodies. I got the short ribs, which could be cut with the side of my fork they were so tender. They were served with tacu tacu, a hearty bean dish with a fresh, green hit of pesto. (The delicious onion concoction was also piled on the side here.) My husband got the cod, which I previously ordered. This cod could not have been cooked more perfectly, nor could the Cala Mari that topped it off. The place is gorgeous. Rich, oiled wood compliments scrolling wrought iron. Dramatic, baroque mirrors adorn the walls. I love the "outdoor" mystique created with a painted wall mural and working streetlight. I love you, La Canela! Don't change!