La Mar Cocina Peruana Bellevue
Peruvian restaurant · Bellevue
10508 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98004
Highlights
Upscale Peruvian cebichería with fresh seafood, pisco bar
Upscale Peruvian cebichería with fresh seafood, pisco bar
"This upscale Peruvian spot has a great reservable patio—a Bellevue rarity—where you can sit under an umbrella and dig into a citrusy cebiche trio. It’s the kind of after-work escape that’s made better by tuna wontacos and a frothy pisco sour within reach at all times—especially when you can see someone across the way stuck staring at spreadsheets and know you made a much better choice." - gabe guarente, kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo
"For a place packed with office workers who crave weekday escapism, Bellevue is surprisingly short on patios—but La Mar makes up for it. Here on the smallish deck (which thankfully takes reservations) you can sip a frothy pisco sour in one hand and nibble on a citrusy ceviche trio in the other. And if you look close enough into the offices nearby, you might catch a glimpse of row 54 on someone's Excel sheet—clearly you made the better choice for an afternoon activity." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente
"Expensive party restaurants often have bad food—call it correlation, not causation—but La Mar is the Peruvian transplant here to squash that claim. With a huge space, ample weeknight reservations available, and a menu stacked with really great stuff, a birthday dinner becomes effortless to plan. Order snacks like flaky chicken empanadas or wonton tacos stuffed with creamy tuna tartare. Share blowtorched Nikkei nigiri highlights hamachi that nearly disintegrates beneath bright sauce drizzles. And because you’re celebrating, browse their long list of pisco cocktails for a toast." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"Expensive party restaurants often have bad food—call it correlation, not causation—but La Mar is the Peruvian transplant here to squash that claim. The dining room with furnishings seemingly plucked from a luxury showroom feels right at home on Bellevue’s Old Main, only the menu is stacked with really great stuff. Snacks like flaky chicken empanadas or wonton tacos stuffed with creamy tuna tartare would be demolished at a wedding cocktail hour. Blowtorched Nikkei nigiri highlights hamachi that nearly disintegrates beneath bright sauce drizzles. Even the complimentary taro chips and herby green dip are poundable. With a massive space and ample weeknight reservations available, a serious birthday dinner or after-work team drinks become effortless to plan." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, gabe guarente, aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley
"Expensive party restaurants often have bad food—call it correlation, not causation—but La Mar is the Peruvian transplant here to squash that claim. The dining room with furnishings seemingly plucked from a luxury showroom feels right at home on Bellevue’s Old Main, only the menu is stacked with really great stuff. Snacks like flaky chicken empanadas or wonton tacos stuffed with creamy tuna tartare would be demolished at a wedding cocktail hour. Blowtorched Nikkei nigiri highlights hamachi that nearly disintegrates beneath bright sauce drizzles. Even the complimentary taro chips and herby green dip are poundable. With a massive space and ample weeknight reservations available, a serious birthday dinner or after-work team drinks become effortless to plan. Food Rundown Cebiche Tasting The trio of marinated raw fish includes the halibut- and hominy-filled Clásico, a peppery orange-hued Limeño with calamari and plump shrimp, and a Nikkei version accented by salty soy and Japanese cucumber. While we wish the halibut cubes were diced a bit smaller, this is a great way to share some standout cebiche with the whole table. photo credit: Aimee Rizzo Nikkei Nigiri Be careful with the nigiri—some taste delightful, others are bland. The keyword here is “hamachi.” photo credit: Aimee Rizzo Wontacos We cannot understate how good these crackly little isosceles triangles of creamy-spicy tuna and bright aji amarillo squiggles are. If the night exclusively entails pisco sours and a fistful of wontacos, hats off to your better judgment. photo credit: Aimee Rizzo Langostinos Melcocha But this plate of crispy blue shrimp tossed in tangy-sweet melcocha sauce belongs on your table, too. The idea is to assemble lettuce wraps with the crustaceans in question along with the accompanying mango salsa, and we can’t think of a better kind-of-light dinner. photo credit: Aimee Rizzo Chaufa Aeropuerto It’s a hot stone pot filled with rice, quinoa, pork belly, pickled vegetables, and some other stuff that doesn’t nearly get as crispy as it should, despite being housed in a scalding cauldron. Not bad, but there are better menu pursuits. Lomo Saltado La Mar’s pinkies-up version of the steak and fries classic is infiltrated with snooty little touches (read: microgreens). The thing’s freaking delicious, we’re afraid. Just note that lomo saltado purists may become angry—nay, furious—with the clunky fried potato hunks in place of fries." - Aimee Rizzo
