Clan - Cocina de Autor — Restaurant in Arequipa

We went to all the best restaurants in Arequipa: after eating at Clandestino I was filled with regret for not knowing about this place from day 1 because I would have just ate here every day. Don’t bother wasting your time anywhere else.

From the moment you walk in and are seated, you can tell the place puts an emphasis on design and presentation. You are instantly immersed into another level of fine dining. Just after a short talk with Josh, the bartender, we found he’s a chef of 17 years from England who is now making the best cocktails I’ve ever had. Clandestino takes risks with food. Creativity at the highest level. To tell you I had a drink with fruit, soda and chocolate - I went for it and it instantly became a favorite - the Chalacato.

Our host, Edu, guided us through the menu with great detail. Explained every drink and dish that was served perfectly so we could understand their creation. I have never trusted someone so much with an order that I asked him to just surprise me and bring dish after dish out to my girlfriend and myself.

The moment you take a bit out of ANY dish, you’re transported. I can’t even explain the perfectly balanced mix of flavors. You just have to close your eyes and enjoy the moment. Clandestino has become one of my favorite restaurants I’ve been too. And I’ve been to more Michelin restaurants than I can count. I never leave reviews but this place was such a surprise and went so beyond my expectations that I have to let people know. Take the jump, don’t even look at the menu. Just trust Edu on your...

I enjoyed the experience very much! Love the presentation, the taste, the story behind the dishes. Seeing the negative comments did make me doubt my tastebud a bit lmao. I do think the dishes are very delicious and savoury (maybe except the last dessert. I don’t quite understand it. But I wouldn’t say it’s bad) I love love love the ceviche and the hot and cold soup. Also the price is cheap (compared to similar restaurants in Europe and North America), I don’t know how people are giving 1 star.

However, there are indeed some cons: IT IS SO HOT. Where’s the air con amigo??? I wanna leave the restaurant early not because the food was bad, but because it’s too hot.

Language barrier: the servers were nice and friendly, but their English were not the best (and the music was too loud), so I only got 50% of the stories.

The pairing menu: The wine was okay. Personally I think you don’t need to go with the pairing menu.

Seating: the seatings weren’t the most comfortable.

The meat dishes...

This is fine cuisine, man. Definitely wasn't expecting this level of a culinary experience out of a seemingly random place I stumbled upon at nearly 10 p.m. The food perfectly captures the physicality of Arequipa (earthiness, dry weather, rocks and volcanic ashes) and translates it into beautiful and complex flavours that do tell a very unique story. I have been in Peru for 10 days now and eaten at many amazing restaurants thus far, but this is definitely noteworthy due to it being so authentic and creative. Service is very attentive and efficient, with a completely fair price considering the quality of the food. Personally, I would advise them to tune it down a notch on the presentation and aesthetics, kinds trying too hard to sell the concept which makes the menu feels kinda cumbersome and plating a bit challenging - I believe less here would relay more focus to the food (which honestly speaks for itself). Hope to be able to come again and see how the menu evolves if I visit Arequipa...