Mario’s Peruvian and Seafood Restaurant:

Tuesday, I met my friend Alex and his fiance Ariel for dinner at Mario’s Peruvian and Seafood. I love Peruvian food because of the Aji sauce you get to pour on everything.

Mario’s is in a non descript strip mall off of Melrose. You walk in and seat yourself, though I can imagine the wait can get long most nights. After we sat down they brought over a basket of warm bread and a bottle of aji sauce. I noticed one customer split the bread open like a hot dog bun and dump aji sauce inside. I followed suit.

The first dish we ordered was pescado ceviche. It came soaked in a yellow vinegar flavored sauce with loads of red onion, a piece of steamed corn, and half a boiled potato. The flavor was great but the pieces of fish were too big for my liking. Some of the best bites were just onion and potatoes dipped in the sauce.

For dinner Alex ordered a classic, Lomo Saltado. The steak was cooked perfectly and fries doused in the sauce got better as time passed. After finishing my plate I started picking at his.

I ordered the Pescado A La Chorrillina, which came with half a fried potato, rice, and a piece of special fried bread. The fish was three breaded, deep fried, filets of red snapper topped with tomatoes, red onions, and cilantro. The sauce from the tomatoes and onions was great but I wished the fish had been cooked with the sauce. This would have made it similar to a lomo saltado but with fish. The potato was ok if you covered it in aji sauce. The special fried bread was wild. They just took a piece of the bread and fried it like a donut. This was one of most unhealthy things I have ever tasted. Alex commented that he, “liked biting into the bread and feeling the oil”. I could only stand about three bites before I had to put it down for good.

Ariel had the Pescado Macho, which was the same as my dish but they sauteed calamari, octopus, and shrimp with the tomatoes and onions. She didn’t get a piece of the special fried bread but I didn’t hear her complain about that.

Mario’s was a great experience. The food was wonderful and it felt like a locals spot. I would definitely go back to Mario’s, but first I might try out what other Peruvian restaurants Los Angeles has to offer. Always good to compare.