Inka Grill — Restaurant in Charlottesville

Second time here and the service was much slower than last time. At 1PM on a Friday only one guy to serve. It was a long lunch as a result.

There is a language barrier here in our two experiences, so study the menu before you come or be prepared to just order something to find out what it is...depending on the server, the ability to get a clear description of the dishes can be a challenge and the menu is written in a weird way as far as the English descriptions of the dishes.

My wife asked "what kind of seafood is in the dish thats describes it as seafood". The answer from the server was "seafood".

We enjoyed our first two meals we had here last time very much, and definitely intend to come back again and again, but its a bit pricey. The online menu has not been updated to reflect current prices at the time of this writing.

Last meal here was hit and miss. My wife ordered the fried fish platter and the fish was cooked perfectly. I ordered that fried seafood dish and the fish was also perfect, but other aspects of the seafood were overcooked and chewy including the shrimp. I also have never seen oysters and mussels deep fried in the shell. That was different. I think a lot of the "seafood" for this dish likely comes from frozen, like those bags you can get at Sam's club. That would explain the various "other seafood" being chewy/firm.

The breading on all of it was bland. Could have really used at least some salt fresh out of the fryer. The Peruvian tartar sauce was also unremarkable with little flavor to help the flavorless batter. But, they have a spicy "green sauce" for lack of a Peruvian word for it myself, that they also serve with these fried dishes. THAT sauce is very good.

The fried Yucca is..."different". We would have preferred the fries that were oddly served with my Lomo Saltado last time. A good dish but the fries seemed way out of place for my American mind.

The presentations were beautiful and the salsa/salad they built the plating with is very good.

I'll be back, but through just ordering something to see if I like it, I have eliminated the deep fried seafood from my potential future order.

I dont know what happened to my other first review, Google didn't have me revise that, instead giving me a new fresh form. I'm keeping my rating at 4 of 5 stars from then. Not perfect, but still very good. We'll...

Inka wants to defy description. Perhaps it's my ignorance of the Peruvian culinary idiom, but the menu seemed to be all over the place and every strange, bebop-like construction was more interesting and delicious than the last. It was all so surprising. The menu is large and intimidating, divided into multiple (large) sections. Some are explicable (apps, soups), some are more opaque (traditional, international... CHAUFAS?). Don't sweat it, pick something with a favorite ingredient, pick something at random- you'll be happy. We ordered something off of every menu category except for international which is mostly pasta. First we had little eggroll shaped potato cakes covered in a sauce I would drink as a warm beverage. Simple, delightful, perfection, they were light, crispy and hardy all at the same time. We had a traditional dish of stewed beef as well as a fish ceviche. The beef was comfort food that took me back to the best Sunday roasts of my Kentucky holler childhood, and the ceviche, a dish I am not a fan of, was nutty, acidic and so fresh and vibrant that I found myself ganking the last piece in a fit of selfish pique. The Peruvian paella was dense rice with perfectly cooked shrimp and mussels and so many flavors that each bite felt like a different dish. It was also very filling, as paella is want to do, and I can say it's the best version of this dish I've had in town. Finally, the Chaufas. How does a Peruvian restaurant have the best fried rice in town? The Googles say that the large Chinese expat population in Peru has made fried rice a staple there. As far as I'm concerned Inka wins the award for best Chinese food in Cville. My takeaway is that Inka is best described as comfort food. Filling, interesting and an excellent value. I've ordered take-out twice since my first dine-in experience and usually get two meals and a snack from one order of the Chaufas. But you should try in-house first. The 5th street location is chill and clean and the service is spot on. Try it, but bring...

I’ve been here several times, but this will definitely be my last time.

I had a terrible experience at this location. Everything from the disengaged staff, to the disgusting bathrooms without soap in the dispenser, to the fried fish being undercooked. I cannot recommend this place to anyone looking for a good meal with sanitary conditions.

Before my meal even arrived I went to use the bathroom to wash my hands. The toilet had not been cleaned and there was no soap in the dispenser. I brought this issue to the wait staff’s attention. They blew me off and told me I just had to “push it hard.” I walked back in the bathroom opened the door dispenser confirming there was absolutely no soap in the dispenser. Only after I showed her the empty dispenser did she go to the back and refill it. So much for “all employees must wash their hands.”

I ordered the fried red snapper. The fish was completely translucent and raw underneath the fried skin. I again brought this to the waiter’s attention. He apologized and took the plate back to bring another one. Not even five minutes later he brought out another fish. Except it wasn’t another fish. They had re-fried the same fish and tuned it over to make it look like they had prepared a second fish. I couldn’t believe it. I asked the waiter if this was a new fish and he lied to my face and told me “yes.” I then flipped the fish over to show where I had taken bite earlier. He tried to act surprised and shocked, but it was very apparent what had happened.

I expressed my disappointment at the lack of customer service and integrity and asked to speak with a manager. The young woman (who added the soap to the empty dispenser in the bathroom) told me there was not one available.

At no time was there any recognition of the issue (the blatant misrepresentation ) or any meaningful attempts to correct it.

So, I walked out. Really...