Lydia C.
Yelp
We had a reservation for an early dinner here. It was surprisingly lively even before the typical dinner rush, with several large families/groups gathered.
The food was meh to begin with. I ordered the ceviche de pescado, which comes atop a piece of lettuce and has cancha (corn nuts), choclo (corn kernels), and a piece of sweet potato on the side. As is quite typical at Peruvian restaurants, the table is served with cancha as an appetizer (similar to bread at Italian restaurants or tortilla chips at Mexican restaurants).The best part of it was probably the hearty hot stone plate that the food came on. The ceviche itself was okay but relatively bland, while the accompanying sides were generally unappetizing. It certainly wasn't worth $23 by any stretch of the imagination. But what really knocked it out of the park was that there were HAIRS in the food. I found the first hair after a few bites, then set it aside and tried to ignore it - until I found more hair throughout the meal. Anyone would have trouble enjoying dinner after that!
The other dish was the lomo saltado (stir-fried steak with onions and tomatoes), which came with rice and fries. The stir fry was fine, and the sides were basic and what you'd expect.
The service was just okay. For example, when we entered, we weren't greeted by anyone (even though there were a few employees standing at the kiosk near the door). Nobody really checked in on us throughout the meal, but the staff took our order, so I guess they fulfilled the basic requirements of the job.
The family-friendly environment is probably the most appealing characteristic of this place. The ambiance is nice enough, with décor that evokes Peruvian icons - like my favorite animal, the alpaca. Combined with the lackluster food and service, this restaurant could've been 3 stars, but having hair in my dish definitely lowered it to 2 stars. If someone in my life is dying to come here, I wouldn't refuse to return, but it's definitely not on my list of places I'd like to eat at again.