La Mar Cocina Peruana Bellevue — Restaurant in Bellevue

Rating it a 4 as the food was solid, but right on the border of 3 due to atmosphere, value, and service.

The good: The food quality and taste were excellent. This place really nails Peruvian flavor. As the son of a Peruvian immigrant who has traveled all over Peru a few times and has eaten Peruvian food all over the country, I very much appreciate having this place within reach. I’m happy it’s here and hope they succeed.

The meh: the atmosphere did not have much personality. Just generic fine-ish dining, low lights with modern decor. Very inoffensive. I get they’re not serving to Peruvians often (which I’ll mention again later), but the restaurant definitely does not feel Peruvian.

The uncomfortable: the service. Our server felt new and a little overwhelmed at serving a larger-than-average sized table. We felt scolded on a couple of occasions because we couldn’t hear each other and had clarifying questions. We also felt straight-up judged and pressured because of the amount of food we ordered. Our server was extremely insistent that the appetizers serve 1-2 people, which we thought was nuts at the price point. Even for higher end dining, which restaurants have appetizers that only serve 1-2 people? All the decisions we were making were immediately second guessed, just pressuring to order more. I honestly do not think the server has been in the industry long, and definitely does not know Peruvian cuisine. For example, when I enquired about the tomahawk (40-50oz of meat), she advised this would serve 2 people. I’m a big eater, but I definitely don’t remember the last time i ate 25oz of prime beef in one sitting. Finally, and most hilariously, she interrupted my mom’s eating of her ceviche to instruct her that she should eat it with a spoon instead of a fork, and then went on to try to educate her on ceviche consuming etiquette. 1) my mom is Peruvian from Lima, and 2) at that moment she was attempting to share a sweet potato with her granddaughter - a task more easily accomplished with a fork.

IMO service would be improved by adding a “have you ever eaten Peruvian food before?” along with the “have you ever eaten at La mar before?”, which we were asked multiple times. If yes, then explain La Mar’s unique take on portion sizes, serving style, etc. If “no”, then dive into the specificities of the dish.

The bad: the value was bad as the food was definitely priced high, but it wasn’t as bad as some of the reviewers here make it out to be. And it’s far better in terms of value compared to my single experience at Pink Salt in Seattle (never again). Based on our server’s insistence, we were expecting single bite-sized plates for literally everything we ordered. However, we found that, as we’d expected, what we ordered was more than enough. we shared our causa appetizer with four people. The chaufa dishes were huge, could easily be shared with 3-4 assuming an appetizer or two. The yucca fries (again were told was for 1-2 people) were shared with 4. Again, we are big eaters. The food was rich, well-cooked, aesthetic, and the portion sizes were on the small end but not tiny. One other nitpick that made us feel our server was just trying to drive up the bill - we weren’t offered tap water as a water option when we sat, just bottled or sparkling. We went with bottled, which was $9/per. My sister in Christ - we’re in Bellevue, WA, not downtown Lima. Just get us some tap. Our server’s coworker immediately grabbed us tap when we asked.

Overall, I’m glad this place is here, and I’ll try this place again, especially since we did not sample much of their seafood. Now that I’m aware of their offering and style I won’t be as affected by their weird service style, and can just order what I like/want without a worry.

Peruvian dining is not easy to nail. The cheap places have huge portion sizes in familiar/authentic environments, but the food is often bland and greasy. The higher end places nail food presentation but tend to fall short on value, and often seem pretentious. La Mar, IMO, is balancing...

Walking into the restaurant, we were immediately greeted warmly by the front desk staff, who offered to take our jackets. It was a thoughtful touch that set the tone for an elegant evening. Sergio, one of the hosts, personally escorted us to our table and took the time to introduce us to the restaurant’s theme and concept. It was a great way to set expectations and make us feel welcomed. He then introduced us to our server for the evening, who took excellent care of us—explaining the menu efficiently and professionally without ever feeling rushed.

We started with their taro chips made from sweet potato and taro root, paired with a Peruvian mint and jalapeño salt. The chips were light, crispy, and delicious, and the seasoning added just the right balance of freshness and spice to get us excited for the courses ahead.

Next, we moved on to the ceviches, which were presented beautifully. We tried the classical, the con leche, and the tuna. Each one was delicious, but the classical stood out as exceptional—bright, balanced, and packed with flavor—while the tuna was phenomenal with its clean and vibrant profile. I’d recommend opting for the trio instead of ordering individually. It allows you to experience all the flavors without overspending, and it’s a more complete way to enjoy this part of the menu.

After that, we sampled the nigiri, but it fell short of expectations. The rice was slightly tough, and the seasoning was lacking, which made it feel out of place compared to the rest of the meal.

We followed with the tuna wonton tacos. While they had a pleasant crunch, the flavors felt a bit flat and one-dimensional. A touch more acidity or spice could have elevated them.

Next was the scallop dish. The scallop itself was cooked well and tasted good, but the portion was very small for the price, making it feel more like a tasting bite than a proper dish.

For our main course, we shared the mixed grilled fish platter. The shrimp and octopus were definite highlights—succulent and well-seasoned—but the fish itself was slightly overcooked, which took away from the overall experience.

Dessert turned out to be the best part of the evening. We ordered the tres leches cake, which was moist, rich, and beautifully balanced—not too sweet but perfectly indulgent. To top it off, the staff surprised us with a complimentary chocolate cake. This thoughtful gesture made the evening feel extra special and left a lasting impression.

Service throughout the night was impeccable. From Sergio’s warm introduction to our server’s attentive and polished approach, every detail was handled with care.

While a few dishes could benefit from refinement, such as the nigiri and tuna tacos, the standout moments—especially the ceviches and desserts—made the evening memorable. With its elegant atmosphere, thoughtful service, and vibrant flavors, this restaurant is definitely worth visiting again. Next time, we’ll explore more of the menu while focusing on the highlights we now...

Extremely attentive service. However, we went for a birthday celebration, and despite leaving a note when making the reservation, it did not get passed along to the host/server.

They collect drink orders before presenting the dinner menu, so it feels obligatory to order a drink.

What we ordered: Cocktail - ¡No! Capitán (3/10) - I'm not a cocktail afficionado, but this drink was extremely sweet. I did not get any acidity from the strawberry shrub, and the "sweet & dry" vermouth seemed much more sweet than dry. The green olives that it came with just didn't seem to harmonize. Cocktail - Punta Hermosa (5/10) - Not bad, nothing special. But the crushed ice and stout glass made it get watered down quickly. Tiradito - bachiche (10/10) - amazing, very citrus-y and fresh. Causa - crab (4/10) - beautiful presentation, but lacking in flavor complexity and textural variety. Dungeness crab just tasted like mayonnaise, potato puree was thick, slightly tart, and was also reminiscent of mayonnaise. Nigiris nikkei - saltado (6/10) - tasted quite simply like steak, egg, and rice. There was too little chalaca (assuming vegetable salad?) and lomo saltado sauce for those flavors to come through. Piqueos - conchas oka (8/10) - the scallop was absolutely perfect. The parmigiano reggiano foam was more like a whipped mousse than a foam, but was good nonetheless. However, it risked overpowering the scallop. Keep in mind, it is a single scallop per order. Piqueos - pulpo anticuchero (4/10) - a bit disappointed. The octopus was a bit overcooked, and the chimichurri was not acidic enough. It ended up being a bit oily and heavy. Platos - achupado (7/10) - creamy seafood pasta. But I wish the huacatay was spicy, and that there was more seafood included. It came with 1 shrimp, 1 small piece of octopus, 1 scallop, and a bite-sized piece of fish. Dessert - tres leches cake (8/10) - meringue, toasted coconut, and salted caramel ice cream were nice ways to elevate an otherwise simple dessert Dessert - chocolate lucuma (3/10) - honestly, I ordered this based on the photo they posted on Google/Yelp that was captioned "Lucuma" - It was a beautiful-looking dessert with a turquoise ball. That's not at all what we got. And the dessert itself was underwhelming. Extremely sweet and decadent. It just tasted like chocolate pudding with crispy quinoa on top.

Would definitely like to visit again, and would probably lean more heavily into the cebiches and tiraditos, which seem more their specialty. Still, plenty of unique flavors, stunning plating, and a great opportunity to enjoy all...