Abida H.
Yelp
Wonderful experience at Llama Queen! I had been craving Peruvian food and everything here is authentic & flavorful. The owner is from Peru and the menu reflects a variety of local favorites and ingredients. This is actually the only sit-down spot in Austin I know that offers Peruvian and does it so well!
First, the ambiance. How CUTE is this place!! Love all the thoughtful touches, colorful pieces of art, and Peruvian decor. The glossy tables and string lights make for a cozy, elevated outdoor dining experience. It's a beautiful and lively space! Inside you'll find a smaller seating area with a colorful bench, little skylight, and eclectic bar area.
Drinks are a must, the cocktails here are fantastic! We definitely wanted to try the traditional pisco sour as well as the chicha sour -- a more tangy version made with chicha morada (or purple corn) -- and it was my first time trying the latter. We LOVED them both but especially the chicha morada! So tasty with foamy egg white and it's a gorgg purple color so that's a plus :)
To start, we got the yucas fritas (or cassava fries) and they came with a huancaina-like yellow dipping sauce but cheesier, almost like a queso. The combo was fantastic and the yucas fries were made perfectly! Fluffy inside but crispy on the outside.
We also got the ceviche tasting, which is a great choice if you can't decide which one you want or want to try them all. This includes all 3 -- ceviche clasico, nikkei, and mixto. My partner loved the clasico and my favorite was the nikkei! The tangy sauceeeee is just amazing.
For our entrees, we got the lomo saltado and pollo a la brasa. The lomo saltado is a classic favorite! The pollo a la brasa is a more simple, roasted chicken dish, but the flavors were all there. The potatoes that came with both were addicting! Neither came with a dipping sauce so we asked our waiter for some and he brought out this orange spicy sauce and a green cilantro sauce that complimented the dish well and were great for dipping the potatoes.
Finally, dessert! We got the Lucuma cheesecake and Suspiro a la limeña because they sounded the most interesting. Our waiter described Lucuma as a Peruvian fruit and only after biting into it did I realize I have had it before (or something similar!) It tasted like Sapodilla. While unique, the cheesecake was a little grainier than I prefer. The Suspiro a la limeña was a combination of caramel and condensed milk in a martini glass. While it was pretty sweet, what's not to like!
Service was great! Everyone we spoke to was attentive and helpful, knowledgeable of the food and ready to offer suggestions. They checked in on us often and made sure we were taken care of.
We had a lovely time and can't wait to return!