Barra Brava Cevicheria Urbana — Restaurant in Derwood

Poor communication and inappropriate/microaggressive behavior. It is SUPER disappointing when a person of color is microaggressive toward another person of color (skip to paragraph 2 of this review for an example of microaggression). Before I get into that, let's talk about the customer service quality. I have been meaning to dine-in with this restaurant for quite some time because a friend of mine does carry-out frequently and the Lomo Saltado dish here is delicious. Unfortunately, it has taken me 3 unsuccessful attempts before I could finally enjoy the Lomo Saltado dish here. Why? The inconsistent communication given to me on the phone about the time of day that this dish is served. The first phone rep I spoke with informed me that Lomo Saltado is not offered until after 1pm. What did I do? I came in to dine after 1pm. And guess what, I was informed that Lomo Saltado was not being offered for the duration of that entire day! Second occasion- I called in and a phone rep told me that Lomo Saltado would not be offered after 11am. Again-wrong information because this dish was not being served until after 1pm that day. Third occasion- I came in at 5pm and there was no Lomo Saltado because apparently they don't serve it for dinner. What kind of restaurant serves a "dinner" type entree for the first half of the day and makes it unavailable during actual "dinner" hours? I don't know if the people that I've spoken to on the phone don't speak English well, or simply didn't know the answers to my questions, but misinformation is not helpful to prospective customers. Now onto the dining experience. After 3 failed attempts, I finally got to dine in on a day and time when the Lomo Saltado dish was served. And how does the waitress greet me? By calling me "chinito"! Excuse me?! First of all, "chinito" means "Chinese boy", and I'm Vietnamese and Cambodian, so...Second, when is it ever socially appropriate to greet someone for the first time by referring to them by a race or ethnicity that you are guessing they are from. Answer: NEVER. It is not a term of endearment and it is disrespectful to call me "chinito"! That would be like the equivalent of me saying "Can you get me some water, Peruvian girl?" (I would never do that, but see how rude that is?). I am a human being with an actual name. By the way, I told her that my name is "Jon" twice, but she continued to call me "chinito". Also- I got seated near the kitchen and chefs, who I also heard calling me "chinito" (I know they were talking about me because I was the only person of Asian descent in the entire restaurant). Anyways, the Lomo Saltado was delicious, but I am not planning on returning after these...

By far the worst experience of my life at a restaurant! We went to have breakfast (this would have been our second time there as we went the previous weekend and had a decent experience) and from the moment I walked in I was greeted by a rude guy that works there. I explained to him that we needed a table for 3 maybe 4 as we were not sure if one person was coming and he said we couldn’t sit down until everyone in our party was there. I explained to him that my husband was getting my son out of the car and he said I still had to wait standing at the door to wait till they were all in. I explained to him that I needed a chair with a back as my son was little and couldn’t sit in a stool. He looked at me like I was crazy and said I can’t allow u to sit until they walk in. I proceeded to wait and then was asked if I was mad, I told him I was frustrated by his level of service as my son n husband were getting out of the car. He walked away and didn’t say anything else.

A nice lady walked up to us to place our order and I this is what we want to drink and we need salchipapas for my son (as this was offered the previous weekend as a recommendation from one of their waitresses ) she said she would go check and asked the rude guy and he said (loud enough so we could hear) that it’s not on the menu and we had to order from the menu. I asked how come it was offered to us last week and explained to her my son had food allergies and she suggested we get a tamal. I reiterated that my son had anaphylactic reactions to both peanuts and eggs and tamales contain both. She looked at me and said she would be back. Went back to the guy and he said sorry about their luck. So we got up and left. As we were getting ready to leave the lady at the front asked me if everything was ok- I explained to her what had happened and she apologized but made excuses as time changes and staff being late. I fully understand that things happen and if that was explained upfront then we could have had an alternative but being treated disrespectfully for no reason is unacceptable. There’s way too much competition of good Peruvian food in the area to treat customers the was were were treated. The previous weekend we spent...

I had a delightful dining experience at "Barra Brava," a Peruvian restaurant located in Rockville, MD. Let me share the details of my visit.

First, let's talk about the location. The restaurant offers limited free parking in a nearby lot, which is convenient, though it can fill up quickly. I visited during lunchtime, and to my pleasant surprise, there was no waiting time.

For lunch, I ordered the "menu ejecutivo," which featured Pollo al Horno with rice and "ensalada rusa." The Pollo al Horno was delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned. While the ensalada rusa was good, I felt it could have been even better.

The meal came with a refreshing maracuyá drink and "leche de Tigre," which was absolutely on point and added a delightful touch to the dining experience.

We also decided to try the "pulpo a la parrilla," and it exceeded our expectations – a solid 10 out of 10! It was incredibly good.

One highlight for me was their offering of Inka Kola, the iconic Peruvian soda, in a glass bottle. It's definitely a step above the plastic bottle or can.

"Barra Brava" also stocks a variety of Peruvian products, from candies and sweets to cooking ingredients and even Peruvian beer, not to mention a selection of items from other South American countries.

While the seating inside is a bit tight and not the most comfortable, they do have outdoor seating if the weather permits, which is a great option.

The staff at "Barra Brava" is incredibly friendly, helpful, and always wearing smiles. The restaurant itself is clean, including the bathroom.

In summary, it was a fantastic dining experience, and "Barra Brava" stands out as one of the best options for Peruvian cuisine in the DC area. I'm looking forward to returning and will definitely recommend this place to friends and...