Chola’s Restaurant

mediocre. pretty bland food. I’ve had better Peruvian food. Waitress was nice. That’s about it.

I love my Peruvian food, I grew up with it so when my sister told me about one in my town I had to try it out. The problem was I read the reviews and they were all pretty negative. The resturaunt I’m talking about is Incas Grill, but in it’s reviews people had mentioned that there was another, better, Peruvian resturaunt a couple blocks up called Chola’s, so naturally we wanted to try that one instead and after reading a couple reviews it was settled. It’s a small place with 8 tables or so and half the chairs are really comfortable cushioned high back chairs and the others are small, wooded and cushionless. I switched my wooden one for a cushioned one, I figured this wasn’t a big deal since you seat yourself in this place and the tables are covered with rollout paper anyways. The decoration looks home made and not very authentic and the backround music was 70s disco. When I asked for an Inca Cola I expected to pay per can, since this is not usually available as a well drink, but all the drinks were pay per serving at about $ 1.70 per drink. When we asked for the Causa, they said they were out, so we ordered Pappas a la Huancaina, very good sauce but you’d think for $ 5.00 they woud give you more than one potato cut into fourths. When I asked for the Arroz con Pollo the waiter said «she’s not making that today». When the waiter brought our food he stood there with it waiting for me to move our appetizer plates and bread bowl, I placed them on top of the menus he never bothered to retrieve. I ordered Bistec a lo Pobre, the steak was too salty and too dry but it was alot of food. My wife ordered Pollo Saltado, her favorite, which she said was kind of bland. We only saw the waiter when we ordered, my wife had to het up and go to the counter for more drinks and chile sauce, it wasn’t very busy only 2 other parties and the waiter spent his whole time at the counter on his phone. I don’t think I’ll be going back, I gave it two stars for the large sizes of the main course.

Great place and great service. Unique, give it a try!

No way! the steak need it a VA: IUM it was so full of nerves! and hard.
I did not like this place at all and will not go back.

In the San Francisco East Bay Area by far, the best Peruvian restaurant. Period. I have tried all of them from San Jose to San Francisco, to the East Bay. This place serves mostly traditional Peruvian grub, none of that sophisticated, noveau, ridiculous-​sized dishes everyone wants to «specialize» in when it comes to Peruvian food. The cebiche mixto is excelent. The Arroz Puerto Bravo is a must-​have seafood «paella-​like» treat (could be good for two light-​eaters, not me!!). The Pescado a lo Macho is also superb. Great tamales. One dish I would definitely not recommend, however, is their Anticuchos. It lacks flavor and authenticity. Overall, one of my favorite Peruvian restaurants in the entire SF Bay Area… take it from a real PERUVIAN!

I first learned about this place back on 2004 or so, and have not been disappointed. I am born in Peru, I miss my country, but gosh, love living in the US. My boyfriend is Caucasian and an avid lover of Peruvian cuisine, so we are always happy to go there and treat ourselves.
This place is very low-​key, staff is friendly and helpful. They have different and colorful art on the wall. Could either have Andean music or radio as background music.
Peruvian food is not as popular as other types of food here in the US., so when a person first go into the restaurant will need to choose something that is somewhat similar to what they have tasted before. That way, disappointment and bad mood do not take over the experience.
Here are some suggestions that my boyfriend and I like:
*The sampler as an appetizer is a good way to try different types of dishes or appetizers. You get like 5 or 6.
*Lucuma ice cream is the BEST!!!
*Try agua de maracuya, delicious. Give chicha morada a try too, as well as inca cola (soda). Beer, try cuzqueña, arequipeña, pilsen. They have wine too.
*I looooove fish, so ceviche is a good dish to try. If you are adventurous and a major sea-​creature, try ceviche mixto or jalea.
*Lomo saltado, bisteck a lo pobre, and seco de carne for meat fans.
*Milanesa de pollo or breaded chicken is goooood.
*Chuleta de chancho if you are in the mood for pork.
When you go there, they will give you bread, so ask for aji and put in on your bread after you are done spreading the butter.
*Fried rice? try arroz chaufa.
*I just went there for V-​day and they had a special for rotisserie chicken — pollo a la brasa. I did not try it from them, but my memories back from Peru tells me it is yummy.
*There are more stuff there I like a lot, but I don’t remember the whole menu. Ha ha.
On the same side of Clayton Road, there is a new Peruvian restaurant, Inca’s Grill.
I went there twice, and I am not happy to admit it, but I was so disappointed on the service and food both times. It did made me and my boyfriend sad since it would have been nice to have another Peruvian restaurant around. Maybe I had bad luck, not sure I will be trying again anytime soon.
I hope this helps to all of you who want to give your taste palette something new to taste.
–From your Peruvian friend :)

The stars for this one are all over the place, which tells me this place is probably a bit inconsistent. This is my experience and what I learned tonight…
The waitress and the chef are the owners. She and her husband were born and raised in Peru. Their families are restaurateurs in Peru. Her family specialized in traditional Peruvian rotisserie chicken and his family served various traditional Peruvian dishes. Her demeanor was friendly and she was very helpful answering our questions thoughtfully.
So. .. we had never tried this sort of food before and were licking our chops at the chance. We started with the Anticuchos (beef heart) appetizer with Cristal (Peruvian Pilsner). I normally don’t eat much beef, let alone heart, but this dish is very popular in Peru according to the owner so…
The appetizer came with two tender chunks of potatoes and a salad with tomatoes. The marinated beef heart was sliced very thin and had a rich flavor. Slightly chewy it was very good. .. a bit salty, but it paired perfectly with the cold, crisp beer.
We had the shrimp soup and Bistek a la chorrillana (top sirloin smothered in garlic and sauteed onions and tomatoes). The soup was loaded with tender shrimp and one whole big daddy shrimp in the middle. It had chunks of potatoes, rice, onions, garlic, egg and various spices in a mild broth. Man! It was delicious and filling.
The beef was very tender and delicious with a marinade similar to what was used on the beef heart. The proportions were generous but not too gluttonous.
The service was great, the ambiance was so-​so. But the food was very good! My only concern is that the beef dishes were a bit on the salty side. They might want to tone it down a little and gain a half star.
3.5 Stars rounded up.

For an appetizer I ordered the papa a la huacaina, served cold it was okay. About a half boiled potato cut into large chunks and covered in a light cheese sauce. It’s pricey at $ 4.99 for a few bites. My main entrée was the lomo saltado, slices of beef stir fried with onions and potatoes served with white rice. The potatoes were like steak fries, but soggy and rather greasy. I did not like the flavors of the dish at all. It seemed muted, like the chef forgot something or accidentally put a bit of fish sauce in my beef. Or the same pan was used to cook the seafood dish my sister ordered without washing it in between.
No ambience– dark, silent and full of distracting art on the wall.
Will not be returning.

Las Cholas Restaurant is my favorite place to eat in the Bay Area. I am planning to go back on Saturday and try the seco de cordero (lamb) plate
The place is really cozy and the food is really delicious!!! :D
If it is your first time in Las Cholas, I recommend you try the sample platter since it has a little bit of the best Peruvian dishes!
Prices are really great, and remember if you go any day during the week (except Tuesdays) during lunch time, you can have lunch for only 6 bucks or so ;)

Food is delicious! Service is quick and friendly. Did I mention, the food is delicious!!!

We dropped the dog off next door at the groomers, and decided to give this quaint little place a try, despite our groomer’s diplomatic suggestions to the contrary; we should have listened to the dog lady.
The service was by far the worst aspect of the experience. Our waiter/​host gave us a cold reception and proved to be less than helpful when we requested suggestions from the menu. His attitude was one of contempt, as though our inexperience insulted him.
The food was so-​so, and a bit bland. The prices, however, were exorbitant considering the locale, menu, and ambiance. The décor is a hodge-​podge of tourist keepsakes and phoney bring-​backs, and the restaurant furniture is in desperate need of updating or replacement (I spotted a folding chair pulled up to one of the dining tables!).
I would rather eat broken glass than eat here again.

This is a good Peruvian place if you don’t mind spending a little bit of money. I recommend the lomo saltado if you go (i order it every time) but make sure you get the aji amarillo pepper sauce with it. For some reason they are super stingy with it so definitely ask and don’t be suprised when they give you just a little bit. I’ve had to bitch at them to give me more cuz they covet the stuff like it’s gold. The appetizers are ho hum nothing to remember. I’ve had their ceviche and it needs C.P.R. Not very good and flavors are lacking. The assorted fish soup (i forget the name of it) is really good and spicy with a fair amount of seafood. The food is expensive and the stingy sauce needs improvement but it’s hard to find Peruvian food in the east bay.

Very decent food. We tried the ceviche, papas a la huancaina and another dish that I have forgotten. The restaurant was comfortable but not fancy — main drawback as it is very out of the way. Reasonable prices.

I’d give this place 3.5 stars if I could, but decided to bump it up to 4 stars because the service was friendly and helpful and we got our food very quickly after ordering it. The meal was also affordable and the servings were pretty big.
Just went here last night and really enjoyed the meal. We shared a seafood soup (white fish, mussels, shrimp, squid and octopus in a tomato-​based broth) which was very flavorful and delicious, but a tad bit salty.
We had the battered fried fish topped with grilled red onions and tomatoes and soy sauce. It was amazing! I didn’t want to put my fork down, it was that good. We also had the chicken with grilled onions, tomatoes and french fries. The chicken had a slight smoky flavor as if it had been barbecued, but it was really tender and juicy. The vegetables on top made a yummy sauce to dip your bread in. Both dishes came with a pile of white rice, but I didn’t eat much of it, as I’m not a huge fan.
I ordered a side of platanos fritos too, but i was disappointed in that they were a little underdone for my taste (not crispy) and were really oily. I know that platanos absorb a lot of oil, but it seemed more noticeable since they weren’t cooked very long. Maybe the oil wasn’t hot enough when they started cooking them? Anyway, they also did not serve them with any sour cream or beans! So it was just a plate of greasy platanos, which tasted OK, but could have been way better. We didn’t have dessert, but I’ll be sure to try it next time.
I will definitely come back here again. The food is very good and even though I’ve never eaten Peruvian food before, it seemed authentic and rustic. As mentioned above, we had a really great server who was happy to explain the ingredients in many of the dishes and give recommendations. The décor is a little hokey, but I liked the latin american music they played, and the restaurant seems pretty clean and well-​maintained.

It’s alright. No La Pollada, but it’s okay. I called before they were open and ordered it to go. I had to sit in my car while I waited because it was 11:25 and they open at 11:30 (lame). It was okay, but not as juicy or as much TLC that I was expecting with such a cool name, and a great menu.

We’ve been going to Cholas for several years now, and keep going back. It’s tucked away at the back of a non-​descript strip mall in a non-​descript part of Concord (which is itself non-​descript!), but once inside, you’d think you were in some funky neighborhood in San Francisco. The décor reflects love and care of ownership, and the food is always well-​prepared (I do wish they’d replace the chair seat covers, though …)
The menu offers a wide variety, and is unlike any other cuisine. The food is generally light, with none of the heavy beans-​and-​rice you might assume would be served in a South American restaurant. They have some ‘interesting’ dishes for the adventurous (which my partner loves) such as tripe and beef-​heart, but also some simple dishes such as grilled beef. Almost everything is served with fried potatoes, which I happen to adore! The Lomo Saltado (chicken stir-​fry) is my current fravorite, but the Potato appetizer is a close second — ‘Causa’. Who would have thought cold potatoes could taste so good!
The place is clearly a family run operation, with the cook’s children running around in the back, and english is clearly a second language to most of the staff we’ve encountered, which is just fine for us — adds to the authenticity!
Given it’s location, I’m surprised this place has survived as long as it has (menu has already been pared back since we started going), but as long as it does, it’s firmly on our weekly dining-​out circuit! Absolutely worth a try!
(I wrote a similar review a few years ago on Trip Advisor, updated it for Unilocal — just in case anyone spots the similarity :))

Kel had Jury duty and once she made it home neither of us felt like cooking so we loaded up Unilocal and looked for a new place to try. Chola’s is pretty much down the street so off we went.
It was a weekday night at about 7:00pm and the place was empty. Service was friendly and mostly quick though the food took a little longer than we thought it should. Server suggested the passion fruit juice, which was very good. We started with the Sampler appetizer plate and that was heaped full of tasty bites. All of it was good, especially the potatoes in some sort of cream sauce. The thinly sliced marinated beef was good too.
Entrees were only OK however. I had the Arroz Puerto Bravo (from memory… I think that’s what it was called) which was basically mixed seafood over rice. Not too spicy (I like mild). The shrimp were ok and the mussels and whatever whitefish they put in with them along with a vinegrette was quite tasty. The calamari rings were really chewy though and one of the clams was a little past it’s prime. I hate to say it but the seafood reminded us of the jumbo bag of frozen seafood you buy in the frozen food aisle at Costco. Not terrible, just meh. (well the clam was terrible and got left at the scene). Kel’s had the same collection of seafood but was spicier. The Picante something.
The portions were huge and after scarffing down the appetizer plate we barely got through half our entrees. They all fit into one take-​home box though so we have lunch for tomorrow. No room for dessert. Meal came to about $ 50 with no alcohol and just the two of us. That’s alittle more than I’d like to have paid. While the food was OK we’ll probably not be back anytime too soon. Too many other places to try. Oh the décor was minimalist strip mall. Clean and definitely not noisy the night we went (had the place all to ourselves). Next time maybe just the appetizer platter.

It may sound silly but I wanted to eat here because I really like Peruvian ceramic art. Sadly the restaurant contained no ceramic art but did have some electric pieces on the walls. We had dinner there last night and it was great! Peruvian food is so good! Who knew!
We started off with drinks; they had fresh passion fruit juice, which was sweet and very refreshing. They also had Peruvian soda Inca Kola, which I’ve got to try some time.
My husband ordered the pork chop with fried potatoes and side salad. He really liked the way the meat was seasoned. And was able to pull the onion rings off his salad (he doesn’t like raw onion in salad) pretty easily so that was nice.
I had the fish soup and it was wonderful. The broth was so unusual, it tasted a little bit like barbeque to me, that fresh from the grill smoky taste, but it also had a mellow essence that made me think of ginger. There was a large hunk of white fish, small mounds of tomatoes and petals of red onion. It was served with a side of white rice as well. It was a very appealing dish, colorful, flavorful and light, warm and soothing. They have 4 or 5 soups on the menu and I am willing to try them all if they are all this wonderful! I really enjoyed, the more delicate Peruvian spices, which seem subtle and exquisite compared to a typical Mexican restaurant.
I also had a spicy seafood dish as my main course. It contained little octopus (tentacles and all), rings of squid, mussels, white fish, shrimp, dice sized potatoes, and peas all sauted up with a semi warm orange colored sauce with a side of rice. It was really good, although not very spicy at first the more I ate it the more the level of heat grew. I really liked the way the sauce made the fish, octopus, and potatoes taste.
The menu had a great mix of seafood fried or sauted (white fish, shrimp, muscles), beef, chicken, lamb, and a few items for kids. They also had cold and hot items on the menu, which was kind of refreshing, next time I will have to try the Ceviche. The waitress was prompt and the service was very efficient and friendly.
I really enjoyed the food and snagged a to go menu on the way out. I will definitely want to dine here again. It was just too tasty!

You can’t find a lot of Peruvian food in the east bay, and this one is good. The décor is a little hokey and mismatch, but the food is good. I have ordered a lot of different things and all have been tasty. If you are feeling a little «alive» try the anticuchos to start– its a shish kebab of beef heart. De-​licious! Also can’t go wrong with the lomo saltado– so many flavors you taste it for hours. Their seafood soups are great as well. For dessert make sure you try the alfojoros– a small cookie with a dulce de leche cream filling topped with powdered sugar. Mmmmmm. Good service too.
***UPDATE 08÷18÷09
I had to take a star away. I hope I’m wrong, but Chola’s may be headed for closedville if it doesn’t get a better chef and figure out how to get more customers. I was disappointed with the food the last time, and there wasn’t a soul in the place other than us. The parijuella was still good, but the lomo fell way off. I’ll try back in a few months, if it’s still around.

See, if it weren’t for my temporary job as a solicitor (see my review on the National Aids Marathon Program), I never would have discovered this little Peruvian place right in my ‘hood, tucked away in a suburban strip mall! I’ve only tried two things on the menu so far, and I really liked one of them (the chicharron de pescado — fried fish with rice and tomato salsa — and it only costs $ 5.99 as the lunch special or $ 9.99 regular). The full marks are because the place is cute, the staff is friendly, the menu is loaded with tasty-​looking things (especially for seafood lovers), and it’s so close to where I live.