A taste of Peru in Westport

Husband and wife duo brings traditional Peruvian food to Lomito restaurant

“All we want is to deliver good products and a good service and be able to keep our customers happy.”

Pilar Payano

WESTPORT — Segundo Mercado comes from a family that has worked in the restaurant business in both Peru and the U.S. since he was young, even working at a family restaurant in Norwalk.

Now he and his wife, Pilar Payano, are sharing their culture with a restaurant of their own at 2 Franklin Street in Westport. Lomito opened Feb. 4 and is a take-out and delivery Peruvian restaurant.

“He saw that there was a need,” Payano said about Westport. “We liked the town, and we got the opportunity to open the restaurant there.”

Payano said they are looking forward to sharing their food and culture with Westport. About 90 percent of the staff is Peruvian, including the chefs, who have experience cooking in Peru and the U.S., she added.

“We wanted to serve the community,” she said. “We thought it was a great place to be.”

Though they are co-owners, Payano said Mercado is the brains behind the restaurant, spending about four years coming up with the idea. He even designed the aesthetic of the restaurant and its logo.

Payano said they wanted to open up a restaurant to serve the community with a different type of food.

“From working at the previous restaurant, of course, we saw that there was a need to be of service in other areas,” she said of their Peruvian offerings.

They also wanted to offer twists on traditional Peruvian dishes, such as their Peruvian Bowls, which are customizable with traditional proteins, bases and sides. Lomito even offers vegan versions for lomo saltado — a Peruvian stir fry — and other vegetarian options.

The restaurant’s name even pays tribute to lomo saltado. Originally,

the name of the dish included the word “lomito,” which means a small tenderloin, Payano said.

Payano said it has been great since they opened.

“We didn’t expect such a warm welcome from the community,” she said. “We’ve had many supporters.”

Payano said they’re already trying to make changes to the restaurant to better serve the community. She said they hope to grow Lomito and maintain high quality service.

“At the moment, all we want is to deliver good products and a good service and be able to keep our customers happy,” she said.

Orders can be placed online at orderlomito.com or over the phone at 203-5576700, with pickup or delivery offered.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media The staff at Lomito, a new Peruvian restaurant in Westport, on Feb. 9.

Grilled marinated steak served over pesto pasta with a potato, left, and grilled marinated steak served over french fried potatoes, plaintains, rice, and stir-fried vegetables, right, two of the dozens of takeout options available at Lomito, a new Peruvian restaurant in Westport.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media