El Porteno

I wanted to find a restaurant that offers different kind of taste and I found El Porteno on Unilocal.
Given the appearance of the restaurant from the outside, the way the menu was layout and printed, I didn’t have high expectation. The freshness of the food and how tasty everything was surprised me. The waitress was super nice and after I asked her what’s the most popular Peruvian dish here, she recommended and I ordered the Lomo Saltado. The food was really good and it was exactly what I needed. This place is now on my list of places to go for lunch or dinner.

Food is ON POINT. The ceviche mixto and lomo saltado are my go-​tos. Restaurant service is friendly. However, ordering may be difficult if you don’t know Spanish. Just point to the selection on the menu :)
I was surprised to see Chinese food on the menu. There were a few tables with fried rice. Looked yums!
I also ordered takeout through EAT24 with no problem. Food was ready within the estimated time frame and the guy was very nice when I picked it up. LAAAAV

I love this family run restaurant — the food is generous and comforting. The ambiance is simple and homey, and the waiter was the cook’s son, who took the time to explain each dish to our party, since we had a few people in our group who were noobs to the cuisine of Peru.

Starting with the appetizers, we ordered and shared: Ceviche de Pescado, Causa Rellena with chicken, and Chicharron de Pollo. The seafood in the ceviche was fresh, and the dish very light and delicious. The Causa Rellena was a great, cool appetizer — though deceptively filling. Don’t bother with the Chicharron de Pollo. It is just fried chicken on the bone (chicken leg?). The chicken was chopped up, so you end up getting chicken bone shrapnel in your mouth — very unappealing.
For the main courses, we ordered from the Peruvian side of the menu (will try the Peruvian Chinese next time): The Arroz Con Mariscos — chock full of seafood — was absolutely delicious; The Lomo Saltado with any of the proteins available (but beef and prawns are preferred). This dish is great in both quality and quantity. Now pay attention Unilocalers: I know the last thing on your mind is to order the pesto pasta (Tallarin Verde) — but DO IT!!! Yes, just do it. You’ll thank me later. Get it with the grilled beef or chicken. Get it by itself. Just do it.
Finally, for dessert… a little coffee, and… a little Alfajor: 2 humble cookies, dusted with powdered sugar, sandwiching the most decadent, smooth, luscious, caramel. Coffee + Alfajor = Heaven.

Peruvian Food I have missed you!
Coming from Miami, the dearth of South American food has been depressing. Sure, the Mexican and Asian is far superior, but hard to leave your roots. So when I found myself in… Crocker-​Amazon and right near a Peruvian place with 4 stars, I had to check it out.
Pretty empty on a Monday night, but I was fine by that. The staff quickly handed me a menu and told me in Spanish that one side was traditional Peruvian, and the other side was Chifa — Peruvian Chinese. While I love my chaufas, I had had plenty of Chinese and Filipino over the weekend and wanted the classics. But that lead to another difficult decision as it all sounds great. Ultimately I had trouble decided between the arroz con mariscos (paella) and the lomo saltado. My waitress even brought over another staff member and they looked on in pity as both are highly recommended.
Ultimately I went with the paella and had no complaints. Out came a delicious plate full of saffron rice, with plenty of squid, 4 huge mussels, and at least one big shrimp. The flavor was excellent and definitely tasted like something I could get from Miami. ¡Estoy lleno!
That said, I still want to try the lomo saltado, the chaufas, so many things. But at least I have my Peruvian spot!

There food is really good! Good Service as well. I hate that I can never find parking but besides that if you just want a quick pick up order ahead of time and your meal will be ready!

El cebiche de pescado es magistral, como en Peru, la porcion… muy pequena, el sabor espectacular… Best cebiche, original flavor

I think I didn’t order the right thing.’
Just went on whim, easy street parking, in a less than desirable area of SF. But that’s why I think it’s probably authentic.
I’m a sucker for pasta. I had the pasta porteno. Not sure if peruvian cuisine has a lot of pasta, but like I said, I’m a sucker. I saw pasta and huacaina sauce, and thought yeah that sounds good. And it was. Except, it was more like a creamy, off-​alfredo, italian dish. Still great, but don’t think I got the right flavor I suspect I should have gotten.
Also had the Lomo Saltado, which was much raved about by fellow Unilocalers. And rightly so! The beef is tender and has enough flavor to separate it from a simple piece of steak. The sauce complements the rice, and I swear there is soy sauce in it (which wouldn’t be a huge surprise, because on the back of the menu is Chinese food offerings!)
Ceviche — good, fresh, not the best I’ve had, but excellent nonetheless.
Will give this place another chance. Will try something that is not pasta.

Ceviche here is excellent and affordable. Must have. Noodle dish was well seasoned. Service was good.

e travajado en muchos restaurantes peruanos y en este hay mucha diferencia esque es riquisima comida felicito al chef ya que si tiene el toque peruano y los picarones son muy bueno s

Let me start off by saying there service might not be 5 stars good… But the food is GOOD! Me and my hubby (Peruvian) go here all the time now! We have ordered beef and broccoli chicken fried rice chicken won ton pollo ala brasa salchipapa yuca Frita lomo Saltado pollo con Papa a la Huancaína (my Fav) –Every single time it’s delicious! I love the fact that they make everything spicy and give you big potions to share with your family! Also the chicha is pretty good not as good as my bf moms OG chicha but it’s good! It’s also a bonus they have a Peruvian side and Chinese side but not traditional Chinese it’s Peruvian infused so I think it’s better that way no MSG! Every single time we’ve gone we haven’t had terrible service I’m pretty sure they remember my boo and I so there pretty nice now. Mm sopita from there sounds extra good right now :) haha Also… Did I mention parking is a bitch?

Food = good.
Chicharrones de pollo = crispy deep fried chicken (mostly dark meat with bone), delicious and crispy! Comes with a slightly sweet and tart lime dip. $ 7.98.
Lomo saltado = stir fry of tender strips of beef, tomato, sweet onion and potatoes in a great savory and tangy sauce, and comes with rice. $ 14.98.
Sopa de pollo = large piping hot bowl of chicken noodle soup, full of vegetables, too. $ 10.98.
On the reverse side of their menu, they have Chinese food, too.
Service = friendly but slow. She never did refill my glass of water. And she took a while to give us the change. It appears that she was the only server.
Seating = plenty. Mostly 4-​tops.
Prices = moderate. Dinner for two was $ 39.09.

The food is good but the service sucks! At least a smile geez… Heka rude waitresses!!!

I have finally been able to satisfy my Peruvian fix here in sf. After going to Limon and came out not satisfied. I came across this place and it really took care of it.
El Porteno it’s more authentic/​home style cooked Peruvian food, my only «complaints» are 1 there was no aji verde and 2 the chicha morada could have been a bit bolder as far as flavor goes.
We got papas a la huancaina which I’ve been craving for a while, it was delicious, the potatoes were cooked all the way and the huancaina sauce was perfect.
As a 2^nd appetizer we got the ceviche mixto, wow the ceviche couldn’t have been more perfect, it had a little bit of heat which added character to it.
I really wanted to get the causa de Cameron however since I got the papas a la huancaina we decided to skip on that.
As a main entrée we got the lomo saltado and I gotta say I have no complaints perfect. For dessert we got alfajores and crema volteada, the alfajor was fresh and pleasant to bite into, and the crema volteada very rich.
I highly recommend this place if you’re into authentic Peruvian food, by the way the Peruvian/​Chinese dishes looked amazing.
We’ll be back :)

LOVED this restaurant! Ordered: Chicharron de pollo: fried chicken, Lomo Saltado: strips of steak, onions and tomatoes served over a bed of rice with french fries, and bistek a lo pobre: marinated steak served with rice, french fries, eggs & a plantain ALL were delicious! There are so many more items on the menu that I want to try, I cant wait to go back.

I came on a Friday at 5pm and finding parking here was difficult. I would suggest you come with a friend and have them circle while you grab the food. Or über/​muni is an option of course.
Also, a lot of the workers don’t speak English. After I placed my Eat24 order, The estimated time the food would be ready was 10 – 35 min. So I gave the restaurant a call to see when I should come pick up the food, and the lady just kept answering «hello?» because she didn’t know how to speak English.
But the most important part… the food is AMAZING. I’m so glad I found this gem! I ordered the Lomo Saltado and my friend got the seafood paella. I couldn’t pick which one was better. They’re both so flavorful and delicious. They do not skimp on the seafood in the paella. The meat in the Lomo Saltado is juicy, tender, and bursting with flavor.
Can’t wait to introduce my boyfriend to this place!

Had a really great experience here with friends– definitely worth it to come back! Service was great as well and it was easy to find parking. Portion-​sizes are great for the price. A few of my favorites:
–Arroz con Mariscos — Paella — I’ve had better but this dish had great flavor. Still delicious!
–Picante de Mariscos — Seafood stew– My favorite dish; the spices/​sauce seem similar to the paella but creamier.
–Ceviche Mixto — Portion was great, fresh and had a strong flavor.
–Roast Chicken — It was delicious and not dry like I would’ve thought. Great flavor. Only available weekends. It also came with a side of salad and fries.

Came here today for the first time with my husband because he told me the ceviche was really good, and he was right! We ordered the ceviche mixto and it was the best I’ve ever had. Not too citrusy and the fish was really fresh. I also loved the sweet potato and corn that came with it because they added both sweetness and texture.
I was in charge of choosing our entrée, the seafood saltado, and the hubby chose yucca fries. The Saltado was cooked perfectly because the calamari wasn’t chewy and the onions and tomatoes weren’t too soft. I loved the yucca fried as well because they weren’t super greasy or dry.
Our waitress was really friendly and I wouldn’t hesitate to come back. We might just become regulars ;-)

Almost every Sunday after church we come to have dinner here. The place is cozy and the food is very good and IT’S not too expensive! I’m peruvian and my dad cooks delicious, I am very picky with peruvian food but this place is one of my favorites. The food never disappoints.
Casi todos Los domingos despues de Iglesia, vinimos a cenar aquí. El lugar es cómodo, la atención es buena y la comida es muy rica, y no muy cara. Disfrutamos siempre la comida nunca nos decepcionan! Uno de mis favoritos.

Where the eff have I’ve been?! I grew up in this neighborhood and it’s my first time here? Wow… I’ve been missing out!
This restaurant just officially became one of my favorites!
Here is what I have tried so far:
*Seafood soup with rice and cilantro sauce
*Pesto pasta with grilled chicken
*Lomo Saltado
*Ceviche Pescado
*Mussels
Everything was absolutely delicious and I’m impressed with this little gem. Can’t wait to go back and try their Peruvian chicken next… yummmmmm!

Just had lunch here with my husband and it was great! We’re originally from NY and have had a lot of Peruvian food before so we weren’t sure about this spot in the neighborhood. But it was delicious.
The restaurant itself is basic. This is not fine dining. However the waitresses were attentive the food was so so good and the prices were fair for the huge portions. We had the Lomo Saltado and the Seco with rice and beans. If you’re in the hood check this place out.

Peruvian with a twist of chinese for those who like «non-​american style» Chinese food. Perfect price point. I trekked to east San Francisco: Excelsior (Geneva & Mission) The restaurant tucked near the local pool hall is no frills, straight to the point Peruvian/​Chinese Oasis.
I had only one thing in mind «Paella» (fifteen-​fifty) full of buttery rice, shrimp, mussels, squid, clams, simmering in beautiful aroma spices. I came, I ate, I left stuffed and satisfied. I will come back and try more of the Peruvian variates this restaurant has to offer.

The only thing that comes to mind when I think of Chinese and Peruvian is how hot that combo is. And I ain’t talking about the food; Hello Russell Wong and Christian Meier! Too bad, they can’t make babies together. And too bad, I don’t know anyone of that joint ethic makeup so I’ll have to revert to talking about food. Boring I know…
El Porteno | Chifa Peruano is home to the only Chinese-​Peruvian restaurant in SF (that I know of). It’s basically the successors of Chifa Peruano (
) with new owners and a more expensive menu. The prices aren’t yipster expensive but at about 20−30% more than their old menu, it’s a bit pricey for this more sketchy area of the city.
One side of the menu features your typical Americanized Chinese food while the other side features Peruvian items. Other than the ceviche, expect a carb heavy menu with lots of fried items and meat. Not a place I could eat at frequently because the food is heavy. For those who are sensitive to msg, El Porteno uses it even in their Peruvian items. Most of the sauces are premade beforehand with msg but you can ask that they chef prepare you something without it.
We started with the Causa de camarones ($ 8.95) which is basically a shrimp salad stacked between a mash potato mixture and topped with an aioli sauce:
. Very creamy and delicious but I could detect some msg in the sauce as it numbed my tongue and made me thirsty.
If you like fried food, El Porteno is the place for you. The Chicharron de pollo ($ 7.98) is a solid choice is you like chicken karaage:
. It was crunchy and moist. A dab of the citrus sauce helped cut through some of the richness. I’m not sure what possessed us to order another fried dish but we did. The Jalea ($ 14.98) is a must order if you’re a fried calamari (or fried seafood) fan:
. The combo of the fresh seafood and light, über crunchy (not greasy) batter made this a winner. Loved the accompanying fried corn and pickled red onions. Too bad, I was fried out from out former dish to eat more of this dish.
Initially, I wanted a stewed chicken dish for my entrée but the chef/​owner told me the sauce they use is already made using msg. I was bummed but she offered to whip up a plate of her Lomo Saltado without msg and promised it would be good. I’m not a fan of Lomo Saltado, this is usually Mr. NSS’ go-​to dish but the chef/​owner delivered on her promise. This was by far the best Lomo Saltado ($ 12.95) I’ve tried and was even better than La Mar’s, Mi Lindo Peru’s, and Limon’s version:
. The strips of beef were incredibly tender and flavorful while the fries still maintained a slight crispness to them. That rice doe, perfectly al-​dente with a subtle richness from the broth (?) it was cooked in. I gave my leftovers to Mr. NSS and he made it a point to text me at work at how good it was.
They do serve pisco sour but it’s premade from a bottle. Being responsible adults now, my childhood bff and I chugged chicha moradas (Peruvian purple corn drink) instead. Such a far cry from waking up and wondering how we got home. We’re all grown up now!
Service from the chef/​owner was very sweet and timely. I really appreciated that she was forthcoming about the use of msg (so many restaurants claim to not use it and I later find out the hard way that they do) and did her best to make sure our dishes were free from it. My only minor gripe is they charge $ 1-​$ 1.50 for to-​go boxes. What the heezy?!
If you’re ever in this neck of the woods and Popeye’s across the street is too hood for you, give El Porteno a shot. Not literally of course. Happy Friday!