Rinconcito Cusqueño — Restaurant in Mata Redonda

As someone of Peruvian descent this is so so far from authentic. As you can see from the picture, the ceviche is yellow, which is not normal. It quickly became apparent that this is because they use aji paste as opposed to fresh aji picado. The texture of the ceviche was of defrosted frozen fish - really unappetizing texture. The acidity was too high (perhaps because the aji paste likely had some sort of acid stabilizer as a preservative) and the flavour of the ceviche was completely off. The onions were also mushy, which led me to believe this was made in advance as opposed to made to order. It was served with yellow maiz instead of the traditional white choclo. The jalea de calamar was fine, but it's accompanying sauce was not as flavourful as you would expect for a Peruvian style tartara. The chicha morada tasted like it was made from powder, definitely not freshly made with maiz morado. Just one dish with a beverage came to 12000 which is too much for a solo lunch on a Monday, especially given the quality...

The food was simply great and so affordable compared to what you would spend for the same amount of food in the Bay Area. The mariscos Inti Raymi was so fresh and delicious with a good variety of seafoods. The Parihuela soup was also very savory, truly flavors from the ingredients not from artificial additives. The beef tongue was a little bit over cooked but maybe it is because I did not ask for the tender cook. Lo siento, hablo muy poco español! I just cannot complain about the restaurant for my first night in Costa Rica. The waiter was quite friendly despite of language barriers. I will come...

I recently had a delightful dining experience at this Peruvian restaurant. It was the perfect birthday treat while traveling thru Costa Rican. The anticuchos were perfectly grilled, offering a tantalizing blend of flavors. My beau really loved them! The papa huancaina was rich and creamy, complementing the dishes beautifully along with generous pisco sours. The seafood tirados were a highlight, featuring fresh and vibrant flavors of octopus, avocado and tomato that left a lasting impression. The overall atmosphere and service were excellent….this was a memorable culinary adventure....