Casa Zoraya — Restaurant in Portland

I discovered this new restaurant in my neighborhood thanks to my brother-in-law. He suggested this place for his birthday meal this year. I'll absolutely be back here, not just because it is located close to where I live, but because the food and service were top-notch! This was my first experience with Peruvian cuisine and I'm already dreaming of my first adventure to Peru!

Go with a few people and get several things for the table to share. The restaurant is pretty small and there are not a ton of tables. This could mean it might be difficult to snag a table here on the weekends (once everybody finds out how fabulous this place is). Also, I don't know if this is always how the restaurant works, but each of the food items we ordered came out one at a time. This give you some time to really enjoy each dish and get some good quality conversation in. Maybe not the place to come if you are in a rush.

We started our dining experience with the Ceviche Carretillero. This was unlike some of the other ceviche I have had in the past, but very tasty. Very fresh tasting and the fired calamari was a wonderful addition! I think I'd like to demand that there is fried calamari in all the ceviche's I order from here on out. I think this dish even has octopus in it which I tried for the first time and enjoyed.

The next thing we ordered was the Lomo de Zapallo. I think I will order this dish every time I come to this restaurant! I seriously could not get enough of this! The squash was pureed with the other veggies mixed in and all the flavors were just wonderful! I'm still dreaming about this days later.

The last thing that came out was the Arroz con Mariscos. Again, such a good dish! I'm not quite sure what kind of seasoning was on the rice, but it was delicious. This one came with the seafood of the day, which was shrimp and scallops.

The service at Casa Zoraya was perfect. Our server was able to answer all of our questions and our glasses were never left empty. I sorta hate to recommend this place because it means it will be increasingly difficult to snag a table here without a wait. Whether you have experience with Peruvian cuisine or not, go and give Casa Zoraya a try. You will...

The recipe for a 5 Star review is pretty simple -it's a mix of stellar food and beverages , good service and cute ambience and Casa Zoraya nails all of them and then some . I came in thinking that I wont be very impressed with the Peruvian food here but boy was I wrong ! Everything and I mean everything I tasted blew my expectations out the park . There was a slight wait (20ish minutes) which I found annoying because I could see at least 50% of the tables empty but they just wont seat us .Maybe standing customers at the door makes the curb appeal better ?? who knows !! Anyways we were eventually seated at there outdoor patio and it had a very cute vibe . I would have preferred a little bit of heating because the evening was chilly but I saw no heaters in sight . The menu is not very long but has some really good options. We had -

Passionfruit Pisco Sour- This was my favorite drink in Peru and casa zoraya indeed made it well ! Highly recommend

Classic Pisco Sour Cocktail - Classic and very light , another must try here.

Chilcajito Cocktail - This is like a mojito mixed with a Moscow Mule .I love all things ginger and lemon so this was a good cocktail for me

El Capital

Papa Rellena - Fried balls of potato, sirloin, carrot, sweet peas, eggs that come with huancaynas sauce. Just like a croquette it had a nice crunch but soft from inside .

Causa de Camarones - Wow ! I love shrimp and this dish really did it for me . The potatoes come with different sauces and just melt in your mouth and the creamy shrimp along with it just made a stellar combo.

Aji De Gallina - Rice covered with shredded chicken and a creamy ají amarillo sauce & eggs . Another great dish we loved . Really big portion size too .We struggled to finish it.

The service is friendly and our server had a good understanding of the ingredients and the flavor profile .Pricing is slightly on the higher side but I wouldn't call it...

Disappointing experience at a restaurant that claims to be Peruvian, but really isn’t.

We went during the winter to celebrate a friend’s birthday. As Peruvians, we were excited to enjoy food from home, but we left very disappointed.

From the start, the prices were high for the portions served, but we decided to treat ourselves since it was a special occasion. We were planning a surprise, so we spoke ahead of time with the main waitress, she was American, but we managed to communicate , and asked her to bring out a cake and a piñata we had brought after the food was served.

When the food began arriving, I got up to remind them about the surprise. They were getting ready, which gave me some relief. I then asked if they could play the traditional birthday song, and this is where the cultural differences became clear. Not a single waitress was Peruvian in a supposedly Peruvian restaurant. They played a random song that didn’t fit the occasion. I politely asked if they could switch it to the traditional birthday song, and was told, “We have tables to attend.” I then asked if they could at least sing “Happy Birthday” with me, and the answer was, “We don’t sing.” So I ended up walking in alone, singing by myself.

My friend enjoyed the surprise, and we tried to have a good time afterwards, until the food arrived. I ordered ceviche, anticuchos, and a pisco sour. The only thing that tasted authentically Peruvian was the pisco sour. The anticuchos tasted odd, and the ceviche was terrible, it looked like chicken and tasted like it had been stored too long. My friend had the lomo saltado, which was okay at best.

To top it all off, they automatically added a 10% tip to the bill, even though the service was cold, impersonal, and lacked care. Honestly, we felt scammed. We came hoping for an authentic Peruvian experience, but the only Peruvian part was the owner, and he...