Al Toke

There was a line already when I arrive ten minutes before opening on a Friday! My order was taken while I was waiting in the queue. My order arrived promptly as I was seated. I ordered the Combinado, the combination of cerviche, arroz and fried calamari for only 30 soles. Everything was incredibly tasty! The sauces went so well with the crispy fried calamari, and all the other seafood were prepared well. I washed everything down with their refreshing Chicha Morada. I thoroughly enjoyed the intimate dining experience, we had a great view of the kitchen and had the opportunity to interact with the chefs and staff if we wished.

Show up earlier than opening and you’re likely to get a seat. The maps said it opens at 12 but we were seated earlier. With limited spots, best to be early or you’ll wait 30min to an hour to eat. The combinado is amazing for the price. Chicha is good too. The owner is sometimes there and when he is, the food tastes even more exceptional. Cash only.

I highly recommend this hole in the wall restaurant, cooked by Toshi, a chef with fine dining cooking experience. I have been obsessed with this restaurant since I watched it get featured on Netflix. I am so glad it exceeded my expectations! We got there 5min before 12pm (opening time) and there was already a couple seated and eating. We grabbed the second 2 seats and less than 10min after the place was full and there was a small line. The patrons are mostly locals but also tourists who might have watched the same Netflix episode as I. I absolutely admire that the menu was so simple. You can get the their 4 main dishes individually, or you can get their combo. We both got the combo: mixed civeche, seafood rice, fried fish. Why is it that we had the same combo plate yesterday at a different restaurant but Al Toke Pez made this better??? - Fried fish: perfect thickness of batter. Perfectly flash fried so you get a nice crisp on the outside but have a tender tasting fish on the inside - Seafood rice: my favorite seafood rice ever. Every single grain of rice was cooked to perfection, every single piece of seafood chunk was seasoned and perfect texture. - Ceviche: The way the fish was cut was perfect, not a single chewy bite. The marinade was a great balance of sweetness and tartness. I usually don’t eat the corn or potato that comes with the ceviche, but Al Toke Pez made you want to eat them for the final balance! The whole operation is as so efficient. There are 2 helpers who managed seating, took the orders, managed transactions, served drinks, packed to go orders and laid out the plates. The helpers also staged the plates with the fried fish and ceviche. As soon as the seafood rice was ready, Toshi added the rice, and poured the final magical sauce for the ceviche and you are served. As soon as you finish indulging in your meal, your area gets cleaned up by 1 helper while the other closed you out. And boom, the next set of patrons sit down and start their experience. Hands down, one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I wish I had more time in Lima to go again.

My expectations were quite good. My girlfriend and I went there so I ageed. To sum up PRETTY BAD . Salubrity : pretty bad the kitchen was quite dirty . Service: ok mostly due to a netflix street food episode there were tourist lining. FOOD: FROM AVERAGE TO BAD. THE CEBICHE WAS AVERAGE THERE ARE WAY BETTER OPTIONS. THE CHICHARRON WAS GOOD OR AVERAGE .THE ARRROZ CON MARISCOS WAS TERRIBLE THE RICE WAS STICKY AND BLAND WITH SOME SEAFOOD. THE WORST ARROZ CON MARISCOS I HAVE EVER TRIED.