Mex Perú Gipsy - Los Angeles, CA

I was challenged by my co-worker to find a good place around work for lunch. Well heck, everything was easy when you have the Internet. After some poking and searching, I decided to take the crew to try this mexi-peruvian place.

I had no expectations for the place but when we walked up to the restaurant, it still shocked me with its decorations and design, they were just so... simple. I almost didn't want to eat there but, we were already there...

The ordering system was like ordering from a counter, we ordered with the kitchen directly then sat at an open table. We were given chips and salsa right after and oh man, that was when I realized I hit the jack pot. The salsa was smoky and spicy. It was homemade and extremely addictive.

I tried lomo saltado and pescado con mariscos. Lomo was good, the flavor was spot on and the fries was fully soaked with the meat juice. With their homemade crack green sauce all over the dish, there was nothing more to ask except maybe more rice.

With pescado con mariscos, well, I know mariscos is seafood but I didn't know pescado was fish and based on their picture I seriously thought I was getting chicken, so it was a surprise for me when I bited into the "chicken". The fish was well pan fried and garlicky. On top of the fish was a pile of octopuses and shrimps. Definitely a must get.

The best thing about this place was the service. Chef/owner Juan would always come around the restaurant to make sure everyone is taken care of. From a brief chat I had with him, I found out he had the restaurant since 1982. He's a true Peruvian who learned to make Mexican food in order to adopt to his customer base. During our conversation, he brought out a small plate of refried beans. Even though I wish he used lard to make it, the way he described how it was made would make you want to dive into that plate and never look back.

Overall experience was nice with great service and tasty food I got. I do have to say the price does not match the exterior of the restaurant, but it's definitely quality food for the price. It's a shame to say I would not go back as often purely based on the price, but they have my business for sure when the crave strikes.

Wet burrito

Beef fried rice

Going to get the Peruvian ceviche next.