SUYO Modern Peruvian — Restaurant in Vancouver

The Good, the Bad and the Huh? My partner (who is German, and will be relevant later) and I have enjoyed Peruvian food here in Vancouver. We were therefore excited when we saw that a new ‘modern peruvian’ restaurant was opening on Main street.

I was excited to see that they were offering Lomo Saltado so we decided to have that as our shared main. We saw that they were offering a staple in many Spanish speaking countries: Ensalada Rusa. For those of you who have not experienced a Spanish Russian salad it is a modified potato salad with the addition of peas, carrots, and sometimes meat of some sort. We also ordered the ceviche.

Then came our first course. The ceviche was good, and if that is all we had had we would have been happy.

At this point I must digress and talk about our overly friendly and loud waiter Andres (or Andreas, I did not catch the name exactly). Andres is loud and loud. He spoke loudly to us (on the border of shouting) and did it far too often. While conversing with Andres he found out that my partner was German. This resulted in each message from Andres being loudly conveyed in English, then slightly louder repeated to me in Spanish, then finally very loudly conveyed in German to my partner (She speaks English, and understands Spanish, so she already understood the message being conveyed). This continued for the whole evening.

Ok back to the meal, remember I told you about Ensalada Rusa? Well, we did not get a Russian Salad, or at least we did not expect what we got. We got a beet salad with carrots and taro root crisps. Not a potato in sight, no mayonnaise. I was befuddled and immediately did a google search for the new Russian salad recipe since I obviously remembered incorrectly what a Russian salad was. No, the recipe had not changed. We did not get Russian Salad. We got a so-so beet salad that in no way delivered on the anticipation of experiencing another version of the delectable Ensalada Rusa we were expecting.

So while we were being shouted at by the waiter, we ordered the chicken ravioli and the Lomo Saltado. Lomo Saltado is a unique Peruvian dish that contains stir-fried (Saltado means jumped and is a reference to the jumping of the steak in the wok) beef served over some potatoes and cooked vegetables. It is a scrumptious dish. We wondered at the offering since it was using tenderloin meat instead of a cheaper cut usually associated with this dish.

The waiter took the opportunity to tell us about the Chinese migration to peru about 100 years ago and hence the birth of the Lomo Saltado. (He explained in English, Spanish, and German). The ravioli arrived and we were greeted by 4 ravioli that contained chicken and were served very dry over some sauce that had been placed on the plate. The filling of the ravioli was tasty, the dough on the ravioli was oddly textured and there was not enough sauce to make up for the dry dough on the ravioli.

Having finished the ravioli, we were presented with the Lomo Saltado. Andres came in close and repeated the origin story for Lomo Saltado in English, Spanish (and I think maybe german again, but I am not sure).

The meat was tender (duh, its tenderloin) and it was presented over some large wedge pieces of potato (not enough really). The Lomo Saltado was good, but definitely not worth the 68$ we paid for it. (I know, tenderloin,,,, but this dish does not need tenderloin)

The Good: the restaurant space, the ceviche, the Lomo Saltado, and we learned Uruguay makes good wine. The Bad: being shouted at all evening, and the misrepresentation of the Russian salad. The Huh? That ravioli. There was nothing to make the dish memorably, Huh is exactly our reaction to it.

We do not need to go back to this restaurant, it is overpriced, and the menu is odd. Right now it is the newest thing on the block and is full every evening. I hope they enjoy being the flavor of the month and that they are ready for improving their offering once they are no longer the...

Came to celebrate a birthday. The experience was a huge letdown. Hoping that reviewing will convince others to take their money elsewhere.

We arrived and were sat right next to the door at a table where the seats are next to each other, not facing. Not ideal but we're not fussy, just happy to be there. I noticed another table further into the restaurant was empty but we weren’t offered it. Nobody came to sit there the rest of the night either which I found odd at first but it became more clear as to why that might be the case later on.

It’s winter, so we had bulky coats that we put on the booth seat next to us. When the server got to our table we got a disapproving look, not a warm welcome. She hung our things up and we got a coat check slip. This wasn't offered when we arrived or during the 15 or so minutes we were waiting for the server. Keep in mind out table is right next to the hosts stand.

So we’re at this awkward table with our pile of coats, browsing the menu and waiting for service. In the meantime a large group was sat next to us. They were looked after right away— coats hung up as soon as they got in the door, drinks ordered and on the table before we could even flag down our server to order ours. Server asks us for ID. My sister (whose 35th birthday we’re celebrating) only has her drivers licence and her phone with her. The server looks at her ID suspiciously, tells her she needs to see a second piece and makes her scroll through her phone for 10 minutes or so before she can find something. I get that there are requirements for ID’ing and penalties for serving minors but really? She looks pretty good for 35, but definitely not 18. Not something I’ve ever encountered in a fine dining setting where they probably don’t get too many underage patrons looking to use a fake ID… Just a wild guess there. No carding for the patrons next to us who looked to be in the same age group as her.

So at this point we’re not pleased, but decide to brush it off in anticipation of the food. 2 of the dishes we ordered came out of the kitchen at the same time. This would have been ok had we not just gotten our drinks. The table is small and overcrowded. We asked about it politely and acknowledged the fact that the kitchen and servers know best, but we were just feeling a bit rushed. We were told that these 2 dishes are supposed to pair well together but no explanation as to why— one was ceviche and the other was fried served hot so it was hard to understand. At no point during the meal were we given any recommendations or guidance, no suggestions from the wine list based on what we had ordered either. Basically we were left to fend for ourselves.

I might have been able to accept the frosty treatment if not for the fact that during the time we were there nearly every person working in the restaurant gave what seemed to be their best service to the table next to us. I’m talking bending down to be at eye level with people who are sitting, in-depth explanations of the origins of the dishes, bartender coming out to explain the tasting notes of the wine, head chef out from the kitchen, the whole 9 yards. The empty table I noticed earlier was on the other side of their table, so it seemed that it was left open to give the staff enough room to jump through the hoops they had placed out to entertain this group.

The food was decent but honestly, crummy service aside, nothing to phone home about. Lots of better options for the price range in Vancouver.

I’m racking my brain for reasons as to why we didn’t receive ok service. I’m thinking they just didn’t like the looks of us when we showed up which is…. ageist? classist? At the very least snobby. My advice if you want a good dining experience here: don’t look young or poor. If you look young and/or poor maybe come with a big group that they can charge 20% gratuity to, then...

August 5, 2025 I dined here last Saturday and had a great experience — so much so that I left a 5-star review (see below) and made another reservation for August 23 to return with my family.

Unfortunately, one of my family members became unavailable, so I decided to cancel the reservation. I tried doing so through Tock multiple times over the past three nights, but the system wouldn’t allow it.

Tonight (August 5), I called the restaurant. A woman named Martina answered and immediately asked if I was calling to make a reservation. I told her I was calling to cancel one, and she quickly asked to put me on hold. I stayed on hold for over eight minutes before hanging up because my phone battery was dying. I called back two more times, but no one picked up either call.

Out of frustration, I decided to try calling from my home phone instead. This time, the same woman picked up right away. I explained that I’d been on hold earlier for eight minutes and that no one ever came back to the line. She responded by saying it was dinner hour and they were very busy — and then asked how she could help. But it was already clear I was calling to cancel a reservation. She then said I could “always cancel online or send an email,” neither of which had worked. The way she handled the call gave me the strong impression that she didn’t want to assist with cancellations at all — only take new reservations. That really upset me.

What’s most frustrating is that the restaurant has a $50-per-person no-show fee, and based on other reviews, it seems they enforce this very strictly — even when guests have made reasonable efforts to cancel. It makes it feel like they’re more focused on collecting no-show fees than providing fair customer service.

This experience has been genuinely disappointing — especially after such a positive first visit. If you're considering dining here, be absolutely sure of your plans. You may not be able to cancel or make changes, and you could end up losing $200 simply for trying to do the right thing.

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Dinner review for Aug 2

I recently visited a small, cozy Peruvian restaurant with a friend who had highly recommended it—and it did not disappoint. We sat at the bar, which was surprisingly spacious and comfortable, with an open-air vibe thanks to the wide open doors and windows.

The cocktail menu was one of the most unique I've seen. Every drink comes with a story, and the staff are clearly passionate about sharing it. I ordered The Ancestor, a non-alcoholic cocktail that was beautifully layered and complex—far from your average mocktail.

As for the food, every dish we tried was exceptional. The octopus was incredibly tender—possibly the best I’ve ever had. We also shared the duck cilantro beer rice, which was fragrant but well-balanced, and the ribeye steak, cooked to absolute perfection. The portions were generous, the flavors bold and spice-forward, and the presentation felt like edible art—complete with carved carrots on each plate.

This was my first time trying Peruvian cuisine, so I can’t compare it to others, but I truly loved everything we had. I’m already looking forward...