El Rey Peruvian Restaurant Seattle — Restaurant in Seattle

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, we enjoyed a couple's dinner at El Rey Peruvian Restaurant in South Park. Heck, I never would have found it otherwise. I absolutely love Peruvian cuisine and was so excited to find such an authentic and cultural restaurant close to home. They have had their first location up in Mukilteo but wanted to open up in Seattle. I was shocked to not find any reviews given that it opened in September 2024. Score!

Our group agreed to try something we hadn't had before. For me, it was the drink Chicha Morada which reminded us of a chilled mulled wine but made of purple corn. Then came the ceviche made of white fish, salt, lime and onions. The simple ingredients and flavors were so fresh and tasty. We also ordered Lomo Saltado (their nation's take on a teriyaki beef), Jalea (a pile of lightly breaded and flash-fried seafood consisting of oysters, mussels, white fish, shrimp, and calamari that weren't surprisingly overcooked), Chaufa ('arroz chaufa' is a Peruvian fried rice that comes from the country's Asian immigrant influences) and Tallarines a la Huancaina (usually I have papa/potato or pollo/chicken with this Peruvian yellow chile sauce, but they served it on pasta which wasn't my favorite; yet had a nice creamy texture with a tiny kick).

All in all, we loved each and every one of our food items. Everything appeared to be homecooking and made with South American love. The waitstaff was also sure to also accommodate our dietary limitations and remained attentive. The space isn't anything special besides some painting and a small bar in front.

We will definitely be back. Welcome to the...

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The food was good, but overall, the experience didn’t quite hit the mark. While the restaurant boasts an excellent food grade rating, the cleanliness inside left something to be desired—it just felt a bit too messy for my taste.

As someone who’s had a lot of great Peruvian food, I’d say this was just okay. The biggest downside, however, was the overwhelming smell. You know that lingering, greasy scent that clings to your clothes when a place has poor ventilation but serves a lot of fried food? That was definitely the case here. By the time I left, my clothes and even my hair smelled like oil, and I had to wash everything as soon as I got home. It was that strong.

From the moment you walk in, you can tell what you’re in for—the air is heavy with the smell of fried fish or seafood (which they do serve), though I ordered a chicken and rice dish. It was mostly rice with a single chicken leg, and in hindsight, I probably should have gone for the half chicken instead.

If I give this place another shot, it’ll be takeout only. Until they fix the ventilation, dining in just isn’t...

I came on a Sunday morning for a pollo a la brasa to go that I've been craving for weeks, paid close to $45 with fries, salad and tip.

When I made it home roughly 15 minutes later and serve the pollo, I realized the chicken was cold to the touch, hard, and dry. The fries were soggy and cold as well. The salad was the only thing that was edible. The chicken clearly was cooked the day or days before and it wasn't freshly cooked the same with the fries. This is so disappointing because I'm Peruvian and I know what I'm expecting but it also ALWAYS seems that it is your own Peruvian peers the ones who try to screw you over. This is so disrespectful and disgusting! This has never happened to me at an American restaurant for example. Just next time save yourself the trip of coming here and go straight to San Fernando. At least I have never received old food from them.

Never coming back here. I can't speak for the other food but once being served leftovers I don't plan to ever give this place...