China Chilcano

This was my third visit to China Chilcano and I finally feel like I gave this place enough chances to impress me to write a solid review. I was initially intrigued by the concept — a fusion of Japanese, Chinese and Peruvian cuisines– and expected creative dishes that will surprise my palate. The portions are rather small (think dim sum/​tapas sized). After trying 70% of the menu, here are my conclusions.
The good: both ceviches, atun picante (basically just great sushi rolls with tuna), pegao norteño (dumplings under a crispy pancake-​type concoction — really great presentation), aeropuerto (a really fun vegetable dish) and the soups.
The not-​so-​good: lomo saltado (I don’t know where they get their steak, but come on! hanger steak should be great or not be served at all), camaron saltado (a very disappointing dish with 5 shrimp and a bunch of limp mushrooms) and the skewers.
The ugly: OK, I know that Jose Andres likes to make his restaurants original and fill them with all kind of random designer crap and I am fine with that. But this has to be the worst laid out space in DC. Everybody is constantly in somebody’s way and the seating is just so uncomfortable. I saw at least 3 servers bump into each other within 1 hour. The service is so, so slow. Last night it took us 2.5 hours to have our dinner.
Bottom line: neither the service nor the food are great enough for me to honestly recommend this place. Visit it once if you like Jose Andres and don’t mind slow service. And, for the love of God, don’t get the hanger steak!

I kept passing by China Chilcano and never knew what it was until I looked it up. So glad I did!
The restaurant itself has a very modern feel inside. Noise level is pretty high, but it goes with the rest of the feel of the restaurant.
First, I chose a pineapple infused pisco (piña macerado), which the bartender made into a cocktail for me. I trusted him wholly and he made me a fully delicious drink that was very light and not too sweet.
Next, I had the Ceviche Clásico La Mar. It was nice and fresh and citrusy with a few thin slices of red onion, kernels of roasted/​salted corn, kernels of fresh corn and cubes of sweet potato. Seasoned with cilantro, garlic and the tiniest diced red peppers. The dish had a really good ratio of fish (more) to other bits like the corn and sweet potato (less). The kernels of roasted corn really added something nice to the dish for me with their delicate crunch. This dish was very good, but not infinitely amazing. I would order again if I wanted to splurge or really wanted ceviche.
Then, I enjoyed Ají de Gallina, which was a hearty and comforting chicken stew. It was very slightly sweet with a slight kick. It had some cotija cheese, pecans, tiny pieces of carrot, a kalamata-​like olive cut in fours, potatoes, and the smallest boiled egg I’ve ever seen. So incredible delicious. I would really come back just to have this dish. It comes with a small scoop of white steamed rice — maybe ½ cup.
Finally, I ended with a Suspiro Limeña, which was like a nice thick butterscotch pudding with a very thin layer of passion fruit on top and a dollop of lemon meringue and a lemon meringue stick. The perfect portion size and perfect end to the meal! With my dessert, I also had a dessert drink — Algarrobina. The drink was so delicious. It was pisco with crème de cacao, condensed milk and algarrobina syrup (which is made from black carob trees). It was a very nice light and sweet, but not overly sweet drink. It kind of reminded me of a sweet iced coffee with a bit of milk.
I loved that the «non-​stars» of the dish (eg. the non-​main ingredients) only have a starring role as to not take away from the grandeur of the main ingredients — in my case, the fish (in the Ceviche) and chicken (in the Ají de Gallina).
I would definitely come back to enjoy another meal at China Chilcano. Thanks for the great experience!

China Chilcano’s décor is trendy and hip but the menu fails to impress me. It’s just really more Chinese food than Peruvian fusion. It carries on the Jaleo tradition of tapas, but somehow it doesn’t past muster with quality and price. If you want to check out a better Jose Andres backed place, then check out Chaia at Georgetown (vegetarian tacos at a good price point).

First, we are BIG Jose Andres fans so I hate writing this. Second, we are familiar with tapas or small plates (love Jaleo), and one of us is very familiar with Peruvian fusion having lived in South America and eaten at Peruvian-​Japanese, Peruvian-​Chinese, and classic Peruvian restaurants as well as had way too many Pisco Sours.
Pisco Sour: This was too strong on the lime and citrus flavors without enough pisco. The egg yolk and bitters were well proportioned but it was just far too «citrusy» to taste anything like a Pisco Sour.
Chifa: Ordered the Aeropuerto and it was excellent. Great Peruvian Chinese combo and very delicious.
Chicken Anticuchos: Good but not great. They seemed to over-​season or flavor the meat instead of letting the meat flavor through. A great and classic anticucho (typically beef which for some reason is not even on the menu) is pretty much just meat and salt. These were disappointing but we had high expectations.
Snapper wrapped: Don’t remember the name but this was one of the classic Peruvian dishes. It was pretty good but again, no bite felt sensational or excellent… which frequently happens at Jaleo.
We had two other small plates (won tons and the plaintain chips) as well as a dessert (custard — suspiro de limena is typically super sweet and while we heard that they cut it with salt we didn’t want to try but maybe it is sensational).
All in all the verdict was that the taste of the meal was not good enough and slightly better than average. Our conclusion was this restaurant has the potential to be phenomenal IF they go away from small plates and do real amazing Peruvian cuisine which is known to be excellent in South America. For the price (50 or more per person if you each only have one drink) the food simply does not warrant the cost and you are better off going to Jaleo or saving money and going to Beefsteak.

YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS PLACE! My fiancé and I were looking for a place to eat after our engagement shoot. They didn’t have any walk-​in seating on a Friday evening but we came in before the dinner rush and found two seats at the bar.
I am not sure how to rate service since we did not have a waiter but we ordered from the bartender and everything came out. They offer both tapas and large plates. Plates came out in a steady pace so our eating area did not feel overwhelmed.
I normally do not care for pork buns but this place has the best pork buns in the DC area. The pork is nice and fatty and the bun is so light and airy. And whatever sauce they used is indescribable. Just a perfect combination. We also tried the Concolon (aka Peruvian Fried Rice) and it was a delightful surprise. The pork skin was a nice touch; a nice crunch in every bite. We also ordered the lucky 12 (Dorado, Concha, and Pollo Siu Mai). My favorite was the Dorado!
All the dishes were so pleasing to the eye and to my taste buds!

I became a big fan of Peruvian food while living in Miami so the decision to have my birthday dinner at Jose Andrea’s new Peruvian restaurant was an easy one. I had never done a tasting menu, and it sounded like fun so my husband and I gave the market tasting menu a shot.
It was kinda cool to taste many different dishes, but here’s what I learned. It really is a tasting. You aren’t getting the full tapa. So instead of the ceviche dish that I had really been looking forward to eating I got precisely 1 spoonful of ceviche. It was a delicious fish ceviche, but it was just one small spoonful so I was disappointed. We also weren’t told ahead of time what we’d be served and I found the menu heavy on the bar snacks (fried taro chip and dip, fried yuca, popcorn kernels), but very light on actual food because as I mentioned some of the tasting menu portions of real food turned out to be very small (a spoonful of ceviche, 1 dumpling).
Now onto the things I did like. First of all as expected at a Jose Andreas restaurant everything is plated so uniquely and beautifully. The bonito flakes really look like they’re «dancing» and the fried bits of sweet potato are so colorful and unusual. My pisco punch was delicious and I also really enjoyed all the Chinese influenced foods; the aeropeurto fried rice and the shrimp saltado. The hearts of palm salad was really tasty. They also serve you two small deserts in the tasting menu, a shaved purple corn ice and a passion fruit condensed milk custard. Both of these dessert were really amazing. Don’t miss out, do yourself a favor and order one.
So all in all I enjoyed my visit to China Chilcano and I hope to visit again, but I won’t be ordering the tasting menu again.

I’m updating my review to rave about the fantastic dinner we had here last night.
Nick, the store manager, invited me back after my last review to address the service-​related issues. The service last night was exceptional — the dishes were spaced out perfectly and our waitress was not only attentive but also shared with us the inspirations behind the fusion-​concept. I am so impressed by the management’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the restaurant and to ensuring that every aspect of your dining experience was flawless. How many restaurants invite you back to remedy a complaint you had in your review? I can count the occasions with only one hand.
We were offered piscos on the house. While I have a personal preference for my piscos to be a tad stronger, I thought the drink was well synthesized and a great apéritif.
Between the two of us, we shared four dishes and I was quite stuffed by the end. Although this is a tapas restaurant and the portions may seem small, we couldn’t finish all of the dishes, despite my friend having skipped lunch.
Dancing Yucca: This one was the most memorable fusion dish, both in taste and in presentation. I absolutely love baked sweet potato fries, which satiate my french-​fry craving without the guilt after. Thus, I was delighted to find out how delicious baked yucca could be. It was served with aji amarillo, a mild yellow-​pepper sauce, and kabayaki sauce, aka sauce of the heavens (aka the sauce on top of unagidon or eel rolls at sushi restaurants).
The entire dish was topped off with «dancing» benito flakes, which is traditionally a Japanese staple to make broth. The chef instead used them to create such an whimsical illusion of something alive in the dish. My friend and I were skeptical until we read the item description and were relieved.
Basically, if umami is your favorite flavor profile, you will fall in love with this dish.
Nobu usuzukuri: I think the ponzu sauce was a little more tart than last time, which gave the sun fish a slight tang. However, the presentation was just as beautiful (and perfectly instagrammable) and the fish still buttery tender.
Aeropuerto: Still a party in my mouth and SO delicious. I overlooked the egg noodle last time because of how the 20 vegetables and the crispy sweet potatoes worked so well together with the fried rice. I loved the extra carb. This dish is a smooth transition of umami flavors from the Dancing Yucca, but I definitely recommend the Nobu usuzukuri or some other light dish in between to cleanse your palette first.
Lomo Saltado: I think this dish was more of a steak dish with the ingredients of a Lomo Saltado and didn’t achieve as much of the wow-​factor as the dishes listed above. However, the hanger steak was beautifully cooked medium rare and the soy sauce paired very nicely with the steak.
We had such a lovely evening, and I definitely recommend trying the three dishes above to experience Jose Andres’s magic!

**Still debating if I should give this a 3.5 or 4, but you’ll see.
I came here with my friend about a month ago to China Chilcano. We came during brunch/​lunch time. We had the following:
1) PICANTE DE HUEVOS: This was probably my favorite dish out of everything. You can’t go wrong with poached eggs and pork belly.
2) DORAYAKI: At first glance, it looked really good. And then you start eating it, and you’re thinking, «Okay. This is good.» And at the end of it, we were pretty full. On top of that, they gave this to us in the beginning. I think this would’ve been amazing if it was at the end of the meal.
3) CEVICHE NIKKEI: From what I remembered, it was good.
4) TAM TAM: This was good, but I felt like I had better tam tam noodles in cheap Chinese places. I would skip this, if I were you.
I mean, the food was good. The service was excellent. But I didn’t think the food was worth THAT much. If you just want to try some peruvian fusion, I would think this would be the place to go.

Really average.
My boyfriend lived in Peru for 5 years. Through him, I’ve experienced some of the best Peruvian fare.
This place is not it.
It’s cute, bright, and the menu looks promising but the food and service are filled with so much «meh» that I couldn’t recommend this place with good conscience.
The service was not bad but very slow and you practically have to run after the servers to put in your order. Do yourself a favor, if you’re doing 3 courses, order them all up front or prepare to lace up your sneakers and track down your server.
There was a place in a strip mall in Gaithersburg that had ah-​mazing Peruvian food with better pricing and genuine pisco sours. It was la canela or something like that. It’s closed now.
Thankfully this place admits that it’s fusion because there is nothing authentic or flavorful here.
Le sigh.
Drinks are pretty weak here too (so much ice!!!). Double sigh.
The «ponderaciones» dessert is really tasty.
Zaytinya is still my favorite JA spot, and that’s including mini bar.

Meals like this happen once every couple of years, if you’re lucky.
It was a dream — we were lucky enough to secure a reservation the night before at such a popular place, then we found ourselves at one of the best tables in the house.
Sitting there, soaking in the atmosphere — we were excited. The ambiance was amazing — young DCers coming from work, sitting with candles having intimate conversations over food. Huge murals on the walls, waiters and waitresses carrying platters of beautiful food.
Since we had a lazy Susan, we decided to take advantage of it and order a number of things to share…
Aeropuerto
I’ve never had fried rice like this — ever. Each bite — baked sweet potatoes, fragrant snow peas, crispy egg noodles — the flavors and texture combinations were amazing.
Sanguche de Chancho Nipon
Like bao, but with a crispy, fried lotus bun exterior, fried pork belly, daikon, sweet potato, miso, hoisin sauce compacted in to four very memorable and very good bites.
Seco de Res
The most delicate, tender short rib with a savory bean and squash purée on the side. The flavors were deep and rich. Outrageous.
Tallarin Zhen Fe
Rice flour noodles shaped like small Japanese radishes — chewy, like a Botan rice candy — but doused in a sweet tomato stew sauce with black garlic and soft fried egg with cilantro. Something so simple — but so incredible.
We definitely ordered more, including the outstanding dim sum, but these plates were definitely the highlights of the meal for me. We also ordered dessert to share, including…
Suspiro Limena
Sweet condensed milk custard with a light caramel color. Crunchy meringue passion fruit sticks popped up from the custard — texture like popped chalk, if there was ever such a thing. Only lasts for a couple of spoonfuls, but so good.
Yan Wo «Birds Nest» Soup
This was a hit or miss for people, depending on what they looked for in desserts (this was a hit for me). A soup of sorts, with pink grapefruit sorbet and sinewy strands of birds nest with mint and sesame ginger. Light and refreshing.
Ponderaciones de Kiwicha
Probably the best presentation of the night — a crispy spiral cookie resembling a snail shell with thick chocolate cream, banana and creamy Algarrobina ice cream.
We were there until closing, where the manager — who took fantastic care of us — chatted with us for a bit before we were on our way back.
One of my favorite meals of all time. Thank you.

Visiting from LA this place came recommend you a friend. We got the corn in the appetizers it was like a peanut roasted but instead a corn kernel I loved it! We also got the pickled daikon which was weird because it seemed more like a condiment than a main course.
My husband is vegetarian and u fortunately they didn’t have that great veggie options.
We
Got the fried rice with soy sauce instead of oyster sauce it was really bland. However the Hongkong noodles were amazing!
Service is great and their very accommodating.

Just like many of other Jose Andres’ restaurants, it is a guaranteed FOUR STARS at least. I went there with my family and we really enjoyed everything except for the noodle! One star out because they forgot our fried rice (Aeropuerto)! The bottom of our water glass was a weird oval and it wasn’t steady. Two people in our table knocked their glass with full water twice (sorry!).
Our YAY bucket:
1. Atun Picante — a fancy spicy tuna roll
2. Chiracha — their version of sriracha, HOT!
3. Classice ceviche — white fish with onion, cilantro n sweet potato
4. Lomo Saltado — salty steak (not for the health conscious) cooked medium with crispy shoestring potatoes, my top recommendation
Our NAY bucket:
1. Cancha — corn nuts, skip
2. Wantan special — egg noodle with plain bland broth
I would definitely recommend this place!

I went to China Chilcano to catch up with some girlfriends on 10÷26÷15.
If you’re looking for a cheap restaurant in the area, I wouldn’t recommend Café Chilcano.
If you’re looking for a fine dining experience with a twist, Café Chilcano is a great choice.
I thought the ambiance of the restaurant was super fun. Our group took a picture together at the end of the night and the floral background only made the picture better.
I enjoyed almost all the tapas. My favorite was the quinoa salad.
I don’t eat meat and although, the menu was somewhat limited for me I enjoyed what I had. The meatarians (with my group) also seemed to enjoy their meals.
Our waiter was fantastic. He answered all our questions. I never felt rushed.
In a nutshell, a fun restaurant with a twist on the traditional tapas. However I can’t give it 5 stars because I was limited in what I could order.

no deberian usar el nombre de comida peruana para hnos platos que no son peruanos, el ceviche fue el peor que he probado en USA, tenia poco limon y no tenia aji, el lomo saltado no tenia cebolla!!! no tenia papas fritas !!! y a eso le dicen lomo saltado???, el aeropuerto, era mas pequeno que la causa, la comida es mala, es facil enganar a unos americanos pero a los que sabemos de comida peruana no se puede. la decoracion y la atencion son muy buenas, los tragos tambien