Coya Peruvian Secret — Restaurant in Del Mar

4.5 stars. I have tried 3 Peruvian restaurants in North county (Qero, Manka, Coya) and this is the best. Their food is top notch. Their service and the overall ambiance needs some work.

The restaurant is described as a quaint vintage cottage with vines running all over. At night, with the lights, it looks cute. But honestly, with the exception of the two tables right underneath the vines, the rest of the seating is just a mix and match of tables and chairs. There are a few tables that extend outside the restaurant patio area and it feels like you are sitting on the pavement rather in the restaurant. We almost got seated on one of those tables and requested to be moved to community high top table instead. If you are a party of 2, my recommendation would be to choose the tables right underneath the vine near the window.

The service was a little underwhelming. Our server came to our table pretty quickly to take our order but after that, she disappeared for a while and we had to wait quite a while to flag her down for dessert, to-go boxes and the check. There were about 3 different servers and the other servers were more prompt with their tables.

The menu is selected but hits all the major Peruvian dishes I've previously eaten. We ordered the classic ceviche, the lomo saltado and the half roasted baby chicken. We also got the pisco sour and Cusquena beer. We ended the meal with a quatro leches.

The ceviche was excellent. Peruvian ceviche is a little different from the Mexican ones I've had before. The catch of the day was sea bass. The whole plate was tart, fresh and delicious. The yams were a great addition. We enjoyed it thoroughly. The portion was bigger than what we expected too.

The lomo saltado was very good, but we would have liked a little more meat and a little less of the potatoes and the tomatoes. The meat was cooked perfectly. I've always found the filet mignon a little chewy but this one was on the medium/well side which we liked. The sauce was excellent. The whole plate was very filling but we'd have liked slightly more protein than the starch.

The half roasted baby chicken was the star of the night. The chicken was cooked very well. The bed of rice, salsa and the aioli elevated the plate. We thoroughly enjoyed this plate and definitely recommend getting it. It is large enough that it could be shared by 2 people for sure.

The quatro leches was disappointing. The biscuit added as the second layer was too dry and there was a weird raw powdery taste to the whole dessert. It got slightly better when you took a bit of all the layers together but I think they went overboard with this dessert and it ended up not being the classic that I'm used to.

The drinks were good. I liked the pisco sour. It was slightly more eggy than I'd like but still good. The beer was interesting and my husband found it decent.

The whole meal cost us about $85 without tips. For the quality and quantity we got, it was absolutely worth the price. We will be back here when we want Peruvian food, and will hope for better service and try to book the table...

Service was unbelievably fast! And food was unbelievably delicious!

Husband and I love trying new cuisines and we decided to go for Peruvian food this time. Made a reservation ahead of time and we were about 10 minutes late so the guy actually called us to check if we were going to be there. Really sweet.

Ceviche Classico - This is their classic fish ceviche. There was so many different components to it and OMG everything just went together so well! Mixtures of sweet and tart and tangy and just everything. 🤌🏻 There was the fish of course, some crunchy Peruvian corn, some other things going on, a sauce on the bottom and then some sweet potato on the side which just brought it all together. Magical. Definitely going to get this again next time!

Lomi Saltado - This is a traditional Peruvian dish so we had to try it. Basically strips of beef cooked with some sauce and veggies. I don't know what sauce they use and how they cook this but it was real perfection. Perfection in terms of the flavor and how the beef was cooked. So soft and tender and just wow! Came giant fried potato wedges on the side. Husband and I love to save our cars for the end and this was the perfect end. Crispy potatoes that did not seem really oily at all. Appreciate that.

Lucuma Flan - Did my research and I knew that lucuma is something native to Peru so we HAD to get this. I don't think I have had a flan that tastes like this before. It was soft and delicate and perfectly smooth like a normal flan, but there was a slight hint of different flavor that I can't quite describe. I Guess that was the lucuma, haha. It was a good kind of difference though.

Overall definitely recommend the place and can't wait...

We love Peruvian food – it is hearty, comforting and has a unique flavor palate. And offering authentic flavors, Coya Peruvian Secret is undoubtedly a gem among Peruvian restaurants in San Diego. The decor is vibrant and plush; the food is exotic, and after two glasses of champagne, you’ll never want to leave. The food at Coya shows a great imagination, precision and a wonderful harmony of flavors. The menu is fresh, bold and soulful with sizable portions. We sampled several dishes and we loved all of them! For starters, we had the Red Wine Braised Octopus, the Ahi Tuna Tartare, and the Chalaca Mussels. Each appetizer dish had that perfect mix of acidity, texture and refreshing zest that came in generous portions! For the main dish we loved their Short Rib braised in red wine served with roasted yams and dried cherries. If you’ve never had Peruvian short ribs before, you’re in for a treat! Coya wine braised short ribs will change your life. Flavorful, soft, fall-off-the-bone meat marinated in red wine sauce. The depth of flavour and the richness of this dish is just amazing. We also tried the Peruvian classics: lomito saltado made with a filet mignon, perfectly seasoned, and mixed with onions, tomatoes, fries, and served with garlic rice. The creamy white wine based rocoto sauce was outstanding. We also loved their mixed seafood dinner (Macho) which included pan-seared sea bass, scallops, mussels, shrimp, prawns, and calamari served with garlic rice. It was so good, we finished it down to the last grain of rice!

If you are seeking cozy colorful vibes for a magical date or family gathering Coya Peruvian Secret offers authentic flavors, warm ambiance, and...