Inti Peruvian Restaurant

Best Peruvian food I’ve ever had! Good service, good food!

I’ve been here a few times because we live close by. The ceviche dishes are really great, as are the full-​size fish plates. I tried the Pollo Saltado (sp?) on recommendation, but have to say I was not that impressed, probably because I’m not a big fan of french fries mixed in with «real» food…
That being said, a lot of people love that dish, and everything else I’ve tried has been delicious. I will be back.

We stopped here at the recommendation of Unilocal,and have to say we were not at all disappointed. The only thing I don’t agree with is why this gem wasn’t rated higher!
The cancha (Peruvian popcorn) was fantastic, and we immediately ordered the pisco sours some of the reviews mentioned. They were great! We immediately ordered a pitcher (happy hour — $ 28) which turned out to be a 750ml carafe that you might find a house wine served in at a french bistro. House wine, indeed! It was so good that we just had to order another pitcher before the happy hour prices ended.
Meanwhile, we ordered two appetizers; one hot, one cold. They were out of what they needed to make the hot one, so we ended up getting the ceviche. The fish was delicious, and the shrimp were great. I’d recommend just going for the fish, though, and the octopus was a little rubbery for my taste. Honestly, though: hands-​down best fish ceviche we’ve ever had. It even beats my dad’s (don’t tell him I said that) and he was raised in panama!
On to the main course! Again, as recommended by fellow reviewers, we went with the crowd favorites: Lomo Saltado for me, and Pollo a la Brassa with the fried yucca for my wife. Both were incredibly delightful, and the sauces for the yucca were out of this world. Good sized portions meant neither of us were left wanting, but they weren’t so large that we couldn’t also enjoy a tres leches for dessert. Imagine a cake that is so deliciously moist that your mouth waters just looking at it, then put a cherry on top!
I would give it 4.5 stars for the few quibbling details, but since there’s no way to do that, I’ll just rate it at 5! Happy eating!

When I want to go to my happy Peruvian food headspace, I go to Inti and say, «quarter chicken, dark, with yucca, please.» Maybe even some extra yucca? I like plenty of aji verde sauce with my chicken and lotttts of rich dollops of that creamy huancaína sauce, allllllll over my yucca. No, that is not code for something. I lovvvvve sauce. Now, THAT is code for something.
Everyone gets a mini-​bowl of canchitas to munch on while they wait for food. These corn nuts have a lovely roasty flavor. I don’t even know what «roasty» means, but… whatever. You will like it. These don’t normally get included with takeout orders, so I once chatted up the smiling older woman behind the counter and asked nicely if she’d mind throwing a handful in with my stuffs. She said she normally charges a couple bucks, but she was clearly too amused to see a chirpy chinita ask for canchitas, to care.
Also: yukito relleno, lomo saltado, pisco sour — all very good.
Service is hit-​or-​miss but always very polite, which is fine with me. It never seems to get that busy, so you can flag down your server if you need to. What matters to me is that the food is fast and consistent. Except for the yucca fries, which have sometimes been a little dry.
So, just a note: I *have* actually had better pollo a la brasa AND fresher, moister yucca fries, but not in DC proper. Inti is still a more-​than-​worthy regular local go-​to.

Corn Nuts?! Awesome start to the meal, very authentic.
This place has some really good juicy chicken. I got the half chicken, and that was MORE than enough – but it was so good that I ate it all. Nom, Nom, Nom.
This place looses a star because it took a VERY long time to get our check.

Ummmm this place fell off from heaven & directly into my mouth!!! This was the perfect food/​vibe I was looking for when I went to get dinner with a friend on a lazy Friday night… good choice indeed.
I cannot complain at ALL. Service, food, drinks, all of these things are golden here. I was introduced to this spot before by another friend & for whatever reason never made it back… that must change IMMEDIATELY. I am making sure that part of my budget is saved aside for this place.

First night in DC and we had some crazy thunderstorms. My friend and I were almost going to order room service but found this place not too far from our hotel.
On a Thursday night they were pretty busy but we were seated right away. The lady that seated us suggested the pisco sours for drinks and it was really good. They also gave us cancha which is roasted corn for a little snack, very addicting! For an appetizer we picked the Ceviche de Pescado the fish they used was Mahi-​Mahi. The fish was perfect and the sweet potato was nice and warm. For our meals we ordered ¼ Pollo a La Brasa with fried yucca and Lomo Saltado. The chicken was perfectly cook and flavored. I really loved the fried yucca, nice a crisp. The Lomo Saltado was pretty good too, don’t think it’s the best I’ve had but I liked it.
Even though we were soaked by the time we walked back to our hotel I think our discovery of Inti was worth it. The staff was very friendly and attentive when refilling our waters.

Where the hell have I been all this time?
Coveting my Chix, chasing far away breasts hidden under distant bricks…
…When this reliable, loving and wonderfully succulent place has been here all this time, right in front of my face, just waiting for me?
The chicken is awesome. The Yellow Awesome Sauce is incredible. The prices are cheap, and the servers are both efficient and — get this — genuinely keen on making sure you enjoy your time here.
Humble, yet wonderful. What a concept.

There are few things in this world I am more serious about than Peruvian food, so I apologize in advance because this review will probably sound nitpicky. I lived in Peru for 4 years and visit often and I am forever in search of a place that can do it just like they do in the Land of the Inca. I have never found one. I am open to suggestions if you know of one.
More to the point, Inti isn’t bad, it just doesn’t take me there. There seem to be two main problems with Peruvian restaurants in the States: 1. The food doesn’t taste as fresh. 2. The stuff that is supposed to be spicy is not spicy. Inti falls into this category, though they are far from alone.
I’ve been there maybe 3 or 4 times. The food isn’t bad at all, it just isn’t what I hope for. The Papa a la Huancaina is creamy and good, but lacks aji. The ceviche is ok, but not quite as fresh, and certainly not as spicy as it needs to be. Out of curiosity, I once asked them if they intentionally gringo-​ized the ceviche to make it more palatable for the average American mouth, the waitress didn’t really answer me, but she told me they could make my plate spicier if I wanted. That definitely helped. The pisco sours are pretty good.
Anyway, I keep coming here because I don’t know of anyplace better in the city.

Feeling spontaneous and hungry for Peruvian, we went on Unilocal to research other Peruvian restaurants. Inti has a 4-​star average and is the closest, non-​rottissere-​chicken-​exclusive joint to us. As a disclaimer, El Chalan is on the top of our list followed by La Limena. Over the course of our dinner, we were constantly comparing Inti with them. The verdict: El Chalan and La Limena still win.
Cancha — complimentary toasted Peruvian corn. It was unique from the other two restaurants and was a crunchy distraction while we waited for the appetizers.
Pisco Sour — it was perfect
Ceviche — tasted/​smelled fishy which is a sign the fish was not fresh. The leche de tigre was way too salty. The fish was also a little raw in the middle, which it shouldn’t be if it were marinated for the 1 – 2 hours it requires to develop flavor. They were on point with having the fish cold and the corn and yams warm.
Stuffed Avocado — chicken salad over an avocado. It was bland. The salad-​avocado ratio was a bit off and a little less avocado would have been better.
Yukita Relleno — fried yucca stuffed with picadillo and huancaina sauce. It was ok, just needed a little more seasoning as well. The presentation was outstanding.
Tallarin al Pesto con Bistec — spaghetti with pesto and grilled steak. The pesto was unusually creamy for a pesto-​based sauce. The steak was pounded thin and was surprisingly cooked medium like we requested. However, the steak was over salted.
As you can see, there is some inconsistency with their seasoning. The biggest disappointment was the ceviche. No respectable Peruvian restaurant can mess up ceviche and this one, sadly, did.

The Good: Great for a large party. They are very accommodating, even with our last minute adds and reservation. Drinks were good. Prices were cheap. Service was great, they had no problem splitting the bill for our party of 11 (with 11 credit cards).
The Bad: Parking is also a piece of crap but I guess that’s everywhere in DC.
The OK: Sadly, food goes under this category. With the large party that we had, most of us ordered different entrees and appetizers. Sad to say, out of probably the 7 different items we tried, only 2 or so were actually good. For some of the appetizers, it came with this giant tasteless corn (I don’t know what breed it is). Most people enjoyed their cerviche. As for the entrees, it was just OK. I ordered the TACU TACU CON LOMITO AL JUGO, which is a steak served over refried canary beans and rice topped with madera sauce. The steak was very dry and the rice and beans were fried together into a strange log of food. Not a fan. I can’t remember the other dishes I tried but everything was just okay. What was good was the rotisserie chicken.

Inti was definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Washington DC. You walk through the door down the steps and the atmosphere right away feels very quiet and homey. Our waitress was very personal and attentive, and even shared personal stories of her mom’s Peruvian cooking when we asked for food recommendations.
We started off with a Pisco Sour, the best I’ve ever had! It was very crisp and light, I felt as if I could keep drinking more. As for our entrees we ordered the steak over fries and the chicken fried rice. Though it doesn’t sound very Peruvian, the entrees were incredibly delicious. My boyfriend and I agreed that the rice was definitely one of the best we’ve ever had. The flavors all complimented each other very well without any one flavor dominating. Although the portion looked quite large on the plate, it was so light that it was completely devoured. The marinade for the steak was very delicious too and went well with the fries underneath.
The prices were very reasonable as well and very well worth the quality of the food. This is definitely a place I will come back to.

Totally adorables and homey. I felt like I just entered a friend’s home for a dinner party — the kind of friend who has money and good taste.
I met up with friends at Inti on a Wednesday night. Of course I had my twins (at this age they’re just cute pieces of luggage and I take them everywhere). Thank gawd my husband accompanied me, there were 2 sets of short stairs. The waiters were super friendly and one offered to help me with the stroller. After the stroller nightmare, I was able to relax. The restaurant is soo incredibly cozy, I felt as if I were sitting by a roaring fire.
The staff is beyond friendly. My friend ordered the pisco sour cocktail. I wanted to taste his drink before I ordered one since I’m a pisco sour virgin The waiter assured me that if I didn’t like the drink, I could return it (yup, excellent service). The pisco sour was delish (I generally don’t like the taste of alcohol) and got me super tipsy. The table comes with popcorn (not really popcorn, imagine corn kernels that you can eat like it’s a soft nut) and a green spicy sauce that is silky smooth. I would pour that sauce on everything if I could.
We ordered a whole chicken for the 4 of us. It came with 2 sides and we chose the rice and beans. The chicken was succulent — juicy, tender, flavorful… YUMMERS. The side yellow sauce was creamy with a hint of mustard. The appetizer was a chicken salad with avocado — simple, healthful and full of flavor. The meal was like $ 6 per person.
This place is ridiculously cheap and the atmosphere is awesome. We sat around and chatted for the longest time. The service was impeccable. This is first date nice without being first date expensive.

Inti Peruvian Restaurant is one of those restaurants that is either a hit or a miss depending on the food you order. For me it was a hit, but for two of my friends it was a miss.
We sat in the back patio, and depending on your preference, it might be better to sit inside the restaurant. The outdoor seating was a great alternative to sitting in the cramped and humid restaurant but I don’t think the two candles at our table were sufficient. The service at Inti was phenomenal, with the server returning to our table multiple times and maintaining a high degree of patience while waiting for the last member of our table.
I wasn’t particularly blown away by the food (I ordered the mahi mahi), but I would attribute it to Lent’s meatless Fridays, so I couldn’t have indulged on the Peruvian chicken dishes :(. The purple corn drink was interesting, and as my friend commented, it tasted similar to a ‘sweet rootbeer float.’

Memo: Intel gathering at Inti.
The assignment: would Inti be an acceptable venue for a Peruvian’s birthday party?
The décor is warm and the service was done with heart. Our waters were refilled and refilled (the ladies room was warm and orderly), the foods brought to us at a relaxed pace, plates changed and straw fetched with a smile.
Menu: Heart to heart.
Anticuchos (heart on skewers)
Seafood ceviche
Causa (potato and chicken «loaf»)
Papas de Hauncahina (potatoes with Huancahina sauce)
Aji de Gallina (hen in special sauce)
Alfajores (shortbread sandwich cookie with caramel filling)
The heart skewers were cold and chewy.
The ceviche sauce was excellent (vibrant, spicy and soul cleansing) but the squid pieces were harder than the rubber end of a pencil.
The Causa was not as it should have been (missing that «something»).
The papas were warm (egregious!) under an incorrect sauce.
BUT the Aji de Gallina was good. Pretty in presentation and wonderfully meaty with a snowfall of parmesan cheese.
Then, lulled by the goodness, we ordered the alfajores… and out came a pallid heart-​shaped cookie with pink sprinkles!
We left the cookie on the plate much as we felt: broken-​hearted.
Case closed.

Am I in Lima or DC? That was the feeling I had inside me halfway through eating at Inti for what I think was the third time. Each time was better than before. Yes, I speak Spanish to the wait staff and they love it. It makes for better service too… But the ambience, food, courtesy, cleanliness and selection, make Inti a neighborhood gem.
The Anticuchos (flame-​broiled chicken or beef sticks) are great but if you want to enjoy them fully, use the cimicurri or hot sauce that comes with them. They are delightful. As many have stated here, the Lomo Saltado is amazing. And their Ceviche is unbeatable outside of Lima. And their Andean Corn, sooooo different from the American corn we are used to, is meaty and delicious.
The ambiance is also a plus, enough for a nice romantic dinner. All in all, a pretty impressive restaurant.
The only drawback is the stairs, which makes it totally unsuitable for handicapped customers.

Note: first experience with Peruvian food.
I ordered the: Choclo con Queso (Peruvian corn served with cubes of fresh cheese), Lomo Saltado (Strips of beef sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and french fries. Served with rice.), some dessert that translated into «the million layered cake» or something, and the Maracuya fruit beverage.
The drink was really yummy… I will need to look up the fruit now. The corn was just a blown-​up version of regular corn, but not as sweet. The cheese (white cheese from Peru, they said it was) was REALLY good. The Lomo Saltado was also really good (the sauce made it oh-​so-​yummy!). I ended up taking half of these dishes home because I wanted to save room to try the dessert. The dessert though was too sweet for my taste and it was the only thing I didn’t really like that I tried there.
Overall, good service and great food for a decent price!

Such a wonderful unpretentious find. And, so close to my house. Our server was super congenial.
Prices are AMAZING: ¼ pollo a la brasa w/​2 sides and a salad for $ 6.95.
My favorite thing was the appetizer — A perfectly ripened avocado filled with a chicken salad made with peas and carrots. Was refreshing and delicious. I want to make it at home.
Also the iced tea was GREAT — sweet and citrusy — I had 7 refills. Literally.
Conchitas — or little warm/​roasted pre-​popcorn corn kernels were addictive.
The black beans were made from scratch. They had a cozy delicious flavor to them.
Biggest problemo was that we were stuffed to the brim. I take full credit for this and attribute it to the 7 refills (see above).
So. Much. Better. than Lauriol.
The back open air patio would be a wonderful place for a bday party! Drinks looked great.

Two words: Lomo saltado. It’s the best dish here.
Skip the long waits and the margarita swilling crowds at Lauriol Plaza and come to Inti. If the weather’s nice, get a seat out on the patio. Start the meal off right with a pisco sour. I’m getting thirsty just thinking about it.
Peruvian rotisserie chicken lovers in the District will be excited to learn that a drive to Virginia is no longer necessary to get one’s hands on some quality pollo a la brasa!

A great addition to the neighborhood, Inti is a small but good Peruvian restaurant.
I had dinner here with 5 friends on a Friday night. As we entered the restaurant at 8.30, a group of 6 or so people came out, complaining: «There’s a 2 hour wait!» When one considers that the restaurant only has about a dozen tables, and it’s Friday night in the Dupont/​Adams Morgan area, not surprising. We were celebrating a Peruvian friend’s birthday, and based on the Unilocal reviews, I’d recommended that she make reservations. So, a table for 6 was waiting for us.
The space really is not large, and especially if you’re coming with a group, reservations are certainly recommended. I noticed that there was one free two-​person table when we came in, but there was no room for larger groups. The patio out back is also not big, and on this evening, it was a bit too chilly to be sitting outside, although a couple of people were.
We ordered 3 different appetizers: the ceviche mixto, the papa a la huancaina (a potato dish), and the choclo con queso (Peruvian corn served with cubes of fresh cheese). The ceviche was good, although for me a bit too lime-​y. The corn and cheese were a bit disappointing — the corn did not taste as good as the corn I had had in Peru, and the cheese was a bit dull.
For our main courses we ordered a variety of things. Portions were very generous, so I was glad that my friend and I decided to split the lomo saltado, which was very good.
Service was well-​above average and very friendly. They were able to keep up with my water drinking, but obviously realized that I drink more water than any normal person and wisely brought our table a large carafe of ice water. My only complaint was that we were brought only one little bowl of the Peruvian corn snacks — for a table of six, two bowls would have been more appropriate. A couple of people had Pisco Sours, and complained that they were a bit too sweet.
Three other observations:
1) when the restaurant was full, the noise level was high — I could barely hear what my table mates were saying,
2) at times I noticed a bit of a strange smell — kind of clay-​like, but I should mention that I have a very sensitive sense of smell,
3) Inti had one of the cleanest restaurant bathrooms I’ve ever seen.
Overall, a wonderful experience, and I’ll definitely return.