Llama Lips Restaurant Pure Peruvian Home Cooking — Restaurant in Stamford

This local Peruvian restaurant is the "real deal". Authentic food prepared by a Peruvian native in a small, lovely storefront setting charmed my friend and I, who recently returned from a trip to Peru and were craving food that reminded us of our trip. (Helpful hint: Park in the strip mall next to the restaurant.)

First, drinks were tall and flavorful--my sangria was delicious and fresh, and my friend's Pisco sour was perfectly blended. The menu is quite large, including beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and fish dishes, all using authentic ingredients and cooking techniques. (they have a happy hour until 6 or 7pm that includes cocktails and beer)

We tried the chicken wonton appetizer, even though I'm not a fried food fan--and it was light and delicious and NOT AT ALL greasy. For our main meal, we shared causa de pollo on the appetizer list, and chicken in a creamy cashew sauce. Both portions were large enough for sharing and a bit of leftovers. The causa (a potato-based dish) was full of flavor, and the chicken dish was savory and very smooth.

We were way too full to even think about dessert, but next time we eat there we'll save some room since the desserts all looked yummy to us.

We met the owner, who stopped at our table to chat. His wife is Peruvian and she is the chef. Everything is made from scratch, using Peruvian ingredients and spices. Clearly this restaurant is a labor of love for them, and Stamford is lucky to have this restaurant in our town. (make sure you ask the owner where the name Llama Lips came from--interesting story.)

DO patronize this wonderful gem of a restaurant and try some real Peruvian food. It's a pleasant change from other restaurants that...

All the times I’ve been to Llama Lips, the food has been delicious. Being raised in a Peruvian family and having stayed in Peru several times for vacation months, there are times when one craves the “real” Peruvian flavor. Not that other restaurants are not “good”, it’s just that they don’t “hit the spot” for someone that knows what authentic Peruvian flavor tastes like. Yes the cost to eat here is higher than other fusion restaurants, but it is 100% reasonable when you take into account that they are literally working hard to bring to your table what they would offer you in Peru. Details like, the “cancha salada”the minute you sit down, the specific yellow potato that is used in the Caldo de Gallina, the real “yellow sauce” that’s robust and not watered down by mayonnaise, the “yuyo” (Peruvian seaweed) that dresses the ceviche, and many more things that gives you the real authentic Peruvian flavor. Every time I eat there it’s like I have been transported back to Peru. The fact that they now offer a lunch menu is a total gift. I highly recommend giving at least the lunch menu a try. My only reason for not rating the service a perfect 5 stars is that the wait time for your food to get out during the lunch menu hours (from the menu of the day), can be a little longer than expected. For someone going there to eat lunch during their lunch break, you may be rushed to eat due to the time or have to take it to go. Other than that, the servers are clean, friendly, informative and polite. The space is spotless and the ambiance is great to...

I genuinely wish I could give zero stars. This place is an insult to Peruvian cuisine and a masterclass in how not to run a restaurant. Let me walk you through the disaster:

First, the food. Bland. I’ve had frozen dinners with more flavor. The pork tasted like soap. What should have been a celebration of vibrant Peruvian spices tasted like someone Googled “Peru” and gave up halfway through the recipe.

But the food was nothing compared to the service. The owners are shockingly rude — dismissive, condescending, and unapologetically arrogant. When I calmly pointed out that a dish was inedible, I was met with “that’s how it’s supposed to be” Right. Because every Peruvian grandmother serves soapy pork drenched in sadness.

And now for the best part: no refunds. Not even a credit, not even a gesture of goodwill. Just a flat, smug “we don’t do that.” Apparently, once they have your money, customer satisfaction is optional.

Save yourself the time, money, and stomachache. There are plenty of fantastic Peruvian restaurants run by people who actually care. This is not one of them.

Run — don’t walk — in the other direction.

Hey Bill,

4.4 stars speaks for itself. Your waitress is a liar and we told her multiple times the hot dog fried rice was completely inedible. Including before she brought the bill and she opted to keep it on. We took the food to go because we have multiple raccoons that won’t leave us alone and seemed to solve...