La Parihuela

Average food, average service. Small place that can have a long wait in busy times. My biggest knock was that I went there with my wife and tried to open the front door — locked. At 7pm on a Saturday night, with a full house… What?! It turned out that they didn’t want anyone else to some in because they were full! OK, how about a hostess then to say «sorry, we’re full…» Nope, let’s just lock the door instead so that everyone inside can stare at you when you when you are trying to figure out how to get in… (the whole front of the restaurant is windows).
Bottom line — It was not worth the hassle.

this is a Peruvian Place, The only comment I have is that it was edible and an ok fish fry type dish. I also had a cold potato appetizer which was so so. They have Peruvian Beer which always is good. The ambiance is terrible. it is in between a ‘cool” dive and a pizza hut type décor, which lends nothing to the senses. Would I go back? Do not think so until it gets better.

I ate here when it first opened over a year ago and still remember this place fondly. Having corn to dip in the salsa instead of chips is one thing that strikes you as different than a mexican style place.
This is my first straight Peruvian restaurant and loved it. The location used to be an old George Webbs so that sort of throws you for a loop when you walk in so the atmosphere and ambience is a little off.
If you looking for a drink get a Pisco Sour, which is a native drink that has about 2″ of foam at the top and soooo good. This was the highlight from what I remember of the meal.
The food was good too but the drink and the appetizers are what stick out in my head.

we went with some friends a few weeks ago and I cannot wait to go back. The drink Pisco and sour was delightful. I loved the ceviche!!! & the other dishes we had were equally delicious.
The service was great too!!! I have recommended it to everyone.

Unilocal, this place is great.
We ordered the special Peruvian drinks to start off with, which were white and foamy and fun! Then the seafood ceviche. Good lord this was HUGE and great! They bring you corn nuts that the server suggested we mix in with the ceviche (that’s how they do it, she said) and it was great. I would stop in for the ceviche itself.
then i got the Peruvian paella. O M G. amazingly good.
The service rocked. She was so sweet and was so excited that we were enjoying our food.
But let me tell you this: Onions. Every onion I ate during the meal I commented on how much I loved it. For real. In the ceviche… the onions were so good. And the onion on the breaded fish entrée that my friend got… i couldn’t stop eating. Seriously… something about how they prepared all the onions was great. As you can see, I still haven’t stopped talking about the onions!
So I’m excited to go back. The waitress told me what she wanted me to try next time, and she promised i would love it.

UPGRADE!
Despite the original 3-​star rating, I have wanted to go back to La Parihuela since I first ate there, and I’m glad I did!
The food was just as scrumptious as the first time, though this time I liked my boyfriend’s chicken entrée better than my own taku taku. It tasted like a creamy, curried, chickeny (yes I meant to add that «y», spell-​check!) feast, and I kept stealing bites (and the leftovers!) from his plate. My dish did include some fantastic fried plantains — sweet, tasty, fried banana-​cousins.
The reason for my 3-​stars last time was solely based on service, and this time around it was much improved. Our waitress was pretty prompt, explained all of my menu questions, and was friendly — which always improves a dining experience. Plus, they had more business as I think a bunch of people were there with groupons, so to have improved service with a higher number of customers is a great step in the right direction!
I am so happy to be able to improve this rating! Give La Parihuela a shot — I’m definitely going back again… maybe someday, we’ll get to 5…

I regret that I never got a chance to visit El Tondero while they were open. Let that be a lesson to you… don’t wait to visit a restaurant, or any other local business. Now there are two new Peruvian restaurants, La Parihuela and Mr. Sebass. First I visited La Parihuela with a couple of friends. The restaurant has a diner counter and a few tables in the center with booths along the wall. I thought it was odd that instead of Peruvian music playing, they were showing a movie on a large flatscreen TV with no volume. Maybe this is a common trait in Peruvian restaurants.
We started out with the Fish Ceviche and Potatoes Huancaina (slowly steamed potatoes covered in huancaina cream Peruvian Chili pepper mixed with milk and white cheese, garnished with boiled egg and botija olive). There were no chips or anything to scoop the ceviche up with, so we just ate it with our forks, which felt weird, but again, maybe that’s how it’s done in Peru. The potatoes were served warm and made for good starter to share.
The entrees we shared were the Peruvian seafood paella, served with shrimp, mussels, fish and imitation crab meat, and Lomo Inka, which is their «tacu tacu» rice and canary beans with tenderloin and fried sweet plantains and creolle sauce. Both entrees were of large portions and full of flavors.
La Parihuela serves drinks including the Peruvian Pisco Sour. They also have a Peruvian beer and a Peruvian Golden Cola.
I think this place is off to a good start and I plan to visit again.

I cannot wait to go back.
I have to say that the service was unlike the others had experienced in previous reviews. The server was very kind and helpful. She made some great recommendations and was overall attentive to our needs.
We tried the Mixed Seafood Ceviche. It was phenomenal. We had eaten all the complimentary corn nuts brought out to the table and the server brought us more recommending we add them to the ceviche. We were glad she did. They added a really nice crunch. The squid was done to perfection — not chewy. The flavors were spot on.
I got the Breaded Fish entrée. It came with a generous helping of pickled onions, a side potato and rice. The flavors again were spot on. The breading was perfect. Very thin — slightly crispy. The fish was moist and just oh so good.
We noticed that they have a very cheap lunch special — $ 6.99 I believe. AND they also serve breakfast!
Looking for that unassuming place and in the mood to try something different? This is your place.

Absolutely fabulous food and wonderful service. My wife is a native Peruvian and we have tried all of the area Peruvian restaurants. This is by far the best food we’ve had. We both said the food reminded us distinctly of being in Peru and it felt like home. They have a great selection of choices that you would expect as traditional. You don’t have to understand Peruvian food to recognize what tastes great. We’ll definitely be back with friends and family.

So surprised by how delicious the food was. In an old George Webb, with not the best lighting for a romantic affair, but the meals and dessert made up for that. The authenticity was and clear and simple, not to mention the flan was perfectly cooked– a rare find at times.

We too used a groupon and would not go back. The place said non-​smoking but I am allergic to smoke and began wheezing as soon as our waitress came to the table. Turns out it was her we smelled — she just reeked. When we told her we had the groupon she said it was good for $ 13 appetizers which they didn’t have, and $ 17 entrees which they didn’t have… We had to ask for silverware. It took forever to get the food, many other people who came in after us were served before us. the only thing edible was the sweet plantain and the flan which was the heaviest custard I’ve ever had. We went directly to another restaurant to eat something (anything) to replace the taste in our mouths. This was such a bad experience and waste of money, we will not get another groupon for a new to me restaurant.

Atmosphere is basic and kind of like an aged diner. Service is not very sophisticated and could be improved. The young lady could use some lessons. The food is solid. Shrimp soup is special.
No Bisco Sour to drink as I don’t believe they have liquor. Only beer and wine.
I’ll go back again, especially for the soup.

I was excited to stumble across this place while I was driving around stallis. My girlfriend and I had dinner while the place was empty. Thinking back I’d have to agree with what others have written about the service.
They got her meal and our appetizer, did not write down my entrée order.
The food itself was very tasty. THe green dipping sauce for our empinadas was spicy and we saved it for our entire meal. The meats were tender and nicely seasoned.
Overall, I think the food may be a 4 star with 2 stars for service. I’d go back for the food, I can live with the service for now.

My wife and I also visited La Parihuela on 9÷23÷2011.
We were seating behind another couple who did walk out. The owner did what he could to make it right. Their beer was free and they walked out of the joint with basically a six-​pack of imported beer (4 at the table and two unopened bottles the owner gave them — no charge).
There must have been a special since every patron we observed paying for their bill had a coupon. The staff was woefully unprepared for the crowd.
When you arrive, it is unclear if you should seat yourself or wait to be seated. We seated ourselves. There was a single, terribly unorganized waitress running around like a maniac who also tossed menus at us while she appeared to be counting tables? We did manage to get a cold beer while we waited about 40 – 45 minutes to place our order. The second beer was warm. Yuk. While we waited, here is what we observed:
The place is clean, and that is always worth at least two stars from me. Even though the service was lacking, there were a couple of Spanish-​only speaking ladies who seemed to be tasked with bringing out orders and bussing tables. Gazing around I did not see crusty stuff in corners or on seats, tables, etc. No glasses came with the bottled beer but silver-​ware and plates were nice and clean. It seemed to be more than just the «surface-​clean» like you see at some places.
We did see people getting frustrated with the service. One large table had all their entrees before their appetizers, there appeared to be much confusion over who was getting what and who already had that. We saw one couple where the man had already finished his meal before the woman’s meal came out. The staff was so far into the weeds that they began turning away customers and shut the «open» sign off at around 8:00 (they were also running out of food).
After we finally placed our order (45 minutes or so after seating), things were beginning to relax. Our food came out relatively quickly although we did have our entrée a few minutes before our Ceviche appetizer. Both items were very fresh and well presented. Portions were good. The Ceviche was perfect, tender, and tasty. Ceviche is fresh raw fish marinated, or «cooked» in fresh lime juice and should taste sour. It could have been a little spicier for us but it was very good and a perfect companion to our order of Jalea de Mariscos (deep fried mixed seafood). The Jalea was hot, crisp, lightly salted, and perfectly cooked.
Overall, it was a fun experience for my wife and I, much depends on your attitude. Clean, fresh, well presented, delicious. Service was a comedy so minus one star. Prices were fair.
If you are going to a place for pampering service, this is not the place for you. If your going for good, clean food and can watch the show with a bit of humor, please give this place a chance. With some adjustments in management, this place could be a big hit. We will definitely be back — and hopefully on a day where there is NOT a Groupon special.

My Peruvian friend found out about the grand opening of this restaurant, so we jumped on our motorcycles and rode the 100+ miles to check it out during lunch. We were not disappointed.
This is a small diner-​type of layout with a patio out front if you want to eat outside. The inside is crowded, and for the grand opening, they had all of their food in buffet-​style at the counter in the middle of the restaurant. There were probably 25 different entrees and a half dozen desserts available. Nobody on the staff was wearing a uniform and they were instead wearing street clothes. This place is not run by master restauranteurs, but the restaurant was clearly run by people who were passionate about the food and people.
The food was incredibly good (verified by my Peruvian friend) and the folks who ran the place were very friendly. I’ve been to a few Peruvian restaurants and cookouts with my friend, but I’m definitely no Peruvian food expert. What I can tell you is that everything that I had was very good, tasted home made, and was solidly put together.
I would not hesitate to go here again and would recommend that if you want to try some Peruvian food and if you’re in Milwaukee, you should check this little family-​type of place out. Don’t expect a 5-​star dining experience, but expect outstanding food and nice people. That’s good enough for me.