New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Where to find Peruvian cuisine, the ‘original fusion food,’ in Connecticut
As Hispanic Heritage Month continues through Oct. 15, we’re spotlighting Peruvian cuisine, once called the “original fusion food” by the New York Times.
Peruvian food is a multicultural celebration, melding indigenous Incan ingredients like potatoes, chili peppers, tomatoes and quinoa with global culinary influences from Europe, Africa and Asia.
Those new to the cuisine may be surprised to find fried rice (chaufa) and pesto-style pasta (tallarin verde) on Peruvian restaurant menus, influence from Chinese and Italian immigrants. And with its west coast bordering the Pacific Ocean, Peruvian food is also seafood-heavy, with emphasis on ceviche, seafood-based soups and fried fish and shellfish.
“There was a lot of Japanese and Chinese influence a couple centuries ago, as [immigrants] settled in Peru, especially in Lima,” said Wilson Rodriguez, who co-owns Pesca Peruvian Bistro in New Canaan and will open Ayahuasca Peruvian Kitchen in Norwalk next month.
The Asian inspiration shows particularly in dishes like lomo saltado, Rodriguez said, where strips of beef (or other proteins) are flambeed and sauteed with tomatoes, onions, peppers and soy sauce and served over French fries and rice. Other popular dishes include pollo a la brasa, marinated whole chicken cooked on a rotisserie until the skin is goldenbrown and crispy, and served with French fries and salad.
Peru has become a popular spot for gastro-tourism in the past decade, winning a World Travel award for “World’s Leading Culinary Destination” eight years in a row.
“If you can beat Italy and France for that category, it’s pretty impressive,” said Bryant Aliaga, whose father, David, owns Empire of the Incas in Danbury.
With a sizable Peruvian population in the state, Connecticut boasts dozens of restaurants serving the cuisine, many concentrated in cities like Hartford, Stamford, Bridgeport and Norwalk. Here’s a selection of some of the top-rated Peruvian restaurants in Connecticut:
Cora Cora West Hartford The popular eatery, in a former McDonald’s building, offers both dine-in and takeout options, with a full bar and expansive patio.
162 Shield St., 860-953-2672, facebook.com/coracorarest
The Rockin Chicken Hartford
Rockin Chicken boasts the only charcoal rotisserie in the Hartford area for its pollo a la brasa, featuring an oven specially crafted and shipped from Peru.
476 Franklin Ave., 860-244-2536, therockinchicken.com.
Piolin Restaurant Sr. Hartford
This Hartford mainstay with daily specials also has a second location, Piolin II, on Franklin Avenue.
417 New Britain Ave., 860-293-1255, facebook.com/piolinrestaurant.
Sabor Peru New Haven
Sabor Peru’s owners came to the United States in 2002 “with hopes and dreams,” bringing family recipes from Peru to eventually open the Elm City restaurant.
56 Main St. Annex, 203-780-8801, saborperunewhaven.com.
Acuario Stamford
The Peruvian restaurant and bar, with a variety of pisco cocktails, margaritas, sangrias and other specialty drinks, also has locations in Port Chester.
78 W. Park Place, 203998-7722, acuariorestaurants.com/stamfordct.
Munay Kitchen Norwalk
Munay’s menu offers traditional dishes like ceviche, lomo saltado, chaufa and tallarin verde, and other specialties like tunita apassionada, an appetizer of ahi tuna and passion fruit sauce.
280 Connecticut Ave., 203-899-0410, munaykitchen.com.
Ceviche Palace Bridgeport
The popular restaurant offers happy hour at its pisco bar Monday through Friday, with cocktail specials (many featuring pisco) and snacks like mozzarella sticks with huancaina sauce, chicken wings and avocado salad.
1429 E. Main St., 203870-4404, cevichepalacect.com.
El Rocoto Fairfield and Stamford
With two locations, El Rocoto features many of Peru’s most celebrated dishes: ceviche, anticuchos, soups, fish and seafood entrees, chaufa, saltados and steaks.
937 Post Road (Fairfield), 203-292-8707; and 1209
East Main Street (Stamford), 203-818-3225, elrocotorestaurant.net.
Empire of the Incas Danbury
The Danbury restaurant, which opened in 2005, features brightly colored wall murals (recently designed by artist Sean Maze) and cocktails like pisco and chicha sours, margaritas and mojitos. Empire of the Incas also received a grant from the city in 2020 to update its exterior façade.
241 Main St., 203-7444622, empireoftheincasrestaurant.com.
Pesca Peruvian Bistro New Canaan
Owners Wilson Rodriguez and Jose Draganac call Peruvian cuisine “unique and wildly beautiful,” and serve a seafoodfocused menu with assorted ceviches, paella de mariscos and their own twists on chaufa and pescado de lo macho. The partners will open Ayahuasca in South Norwalk this fall, with an emphasis on pollo a la brasa, ceviche and other authentic Peruvian dishes.
70 Main St., 203-5947400, pescaperuvianbistro.com.