Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant

Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant
5759 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-463-8340

Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant has been on my list of places to try for a few years.  I'm not usually in the area, but when a friend wanted to try Peruvian for her birthday, I remembered Natalie.  Located in a small shopping center with a 7-11, a Thai restaurant, and another California Donut, Natalie is a a small restaurant with about 8-10 tables.  It wasn't that crowded when we were there.

SALTADO DE CAMARONES-shrimp sauteed with onions, tomatoes, french fries and served with steamed rice $14.25.

I've reviewed a few Peruvian restaurants, and I usually order the Tallarin Saltado which is noodles with usually, shrimp.  So, I decided to change it up and order the saltado de camarones.  This was an interesting combo with carbs and more carbs.  There were about 8-10 small sized shrimp, decent flavor, but nothing great.  The fries became soggy in all the juice.  The rice was well cooked.

Service was ok.  Our server wasn't the friendliest, she just went through the motions.  Drinks weren't refilled.  And she asked how things were right after she dropped off the food!  I mean give us a few minutes before asking.

As with most Peruvian restaurants, I think this is overpriced for what you get.  I won't return.

Aji Limon

Aji Limon
7035 Lincoln Ave
Buena Park, CA 90620
714-229-1500

Aji Limon is a Peruvian restaurant in Buena Park.  Across Lincoln Ave. is China King, a fast Chinese restaurant I reviewed back in 2008, that is in the city of Anaheim!  Weird how city boundaries are set up!

I assume Ali Limon once housed a fast food restaurant.  Now, it is a very nice sit down restaurant that was pretty busy on a Saturday night.

Tallarin Saltado de Camaron, $15.95, Spaghetti sauteed with shrimp, onions and tomatoes.  While this dish was very good, the spaghetti was cooked perfectly, there were a lot of shrimp that were a bit overcooked, and had a very nice flavor.  I just don't think it is worth the price.  You can get shrimp chow mein from a Chinese restaurant from anywhere from $9-$12.  Ok, most shrimp chow mein doesn't have tomatoes, but come on, this is overpriced!

Service, I got this dish to go, was good.  The guy who took my order was nice and helpful.  My order came quickly.

While there is nothing wrong with Aji Limon, you will get a very good meal, I just don't think it is worth the price!

JP Latin Deli-Closed

JP Latin Deli
9047 Arrow Rte Ste 190
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-806-0061

I like Peruvian food!   The first Peruvian restaurant I went to was Choza Mama in Pasadena, which I really enjoyed.  My other trips to Peruvian restaurants were disappointing- Intiraymi Restaurant, Mario's Peruvian Seafood Restaurant, and Pollos Kikiryki.  So, I'm on the look out for a good Peruvian restaurant.  So, when a friend told me about JP Latin Deli, I had to make a trip!

JP Latin Deli has an interesting history!  This Rancho Cucamonga location is their third location and have been here for about seven years.  Their first location opened in Montclair on Holt Ave. and then moved to Upland, before settling in this business complex.  The exterior blends into the other buildings and without a sign on the marquee, it can be a little tough to find.  It's a fairly big restaurant with simple tables and chairs.  The set up is a bit confusing, is this counter service or table service.  It is table service, though you go to counter to get seated.

Calamara frito $12-fried calamari with red onions, cilantro, and tomatoes.  The calamari was chewy, pretty sure it was frozen, and wasn't crispy.  Small portion too.  Not worth the $12 price tag.

Saltado de mariscos, $14, seafood sauteed in peruvian spices- mussels, shrimp, octopus, with onions tomatoes, green peppers, with with rice.  This may look like a lot of food, but when you cut the tomatoes and onions into big pieces it is deceiving.  This was pretty flavorful, you got about three of each seafood but this is mostly vegetables and little amount of seafood.

Service is friendly but off.  As I mentioned before, you're not sure if this is table or counter service.  The soda machine is out on the counter and another table was refilling their drinks at the soda machine, so when in Rome or should I say Lima?  Anyways, the owner/chef would actually come out and sit at the table with people he knew.  His wife was working the register and being the server.  Again friendly but you're not sure if you're eating with friends or at a restaurant.

I think JP is overpriced and with the saltado de mariscos was flavorful, the calamari wasn't good. My quest continues for a good Peruvian restaurant!

Intiraymi Restaurant-Closed

Intiraymi Restaurant
23545 Palomino Dr
Diamond Bar
909-861-1200

So Diamond Bar gets a Peruvian restaurant and I finally get a chance to try it.  Located in a strip mall behind a gas station and an overpriced Chinese restaurant-that I won't go to, Intiraymi Restaurant has been in Diamond Bar for about a year.  It is a good sized restaurant with seating for about 20-25 people, though the decor is very basic.  

Pescado Frito-fried fish-sea bass with steamed rice and salad, $11.95.  The fish was lightly battered and well fried but very bland.  The fish itself was moist and flavorful.  I would guess they use fresh, not frozen fish, but I could be mistaken.  The rice was fine.  The salad was standard.

Service was good.  The man who took my order, who I believe is the owner, was nice, friendly and helpful.  I got the order quickly, considering they had to fry the fish.

I was disappointed with the fried fish.  Some of their other dishes look great and I may give them a try the next time I go to Intiraymi Restaurant.

Mario's Peruvian Seafood Restaurant

Mario's Peruvian Seafood Restaurant
15720 Imperial Hwy
La Mirada
562-902-8299

I enjoyed my first and only Peruvain dining experience at Choza Mama, so I've been on the look out for other Peruvian restaurants. I found Mario's and many friends told me it's a must try.

The Mario's I found was in Hollywood, but I soon found that they have a location in La Mirada, so I went there. Well, I tried to go there for lunch, but on a Tuesday afternoon they were closed for the day, due to renovations. I called about 10am and nobody answered and there was no answering machine, so I just figured they weren't opened until 11am. I head down there to find a sign that said closed for the day. I really wish they had an answering machine and they left a message about the closure.

Anyways, I'm not one to hold grudges, so I went there for dinner. But, this time I called, somebody answered, so this wasn't a wasted trip!!

Jalea De Mariscos $15, fried red snapper, shrimp, and squid with onion salsa and tartar sauce. The batter for the fish and shrimp was light, yet crunchy and well cooked. The red snapper was fresh and tasty. The shrimp still had the shell, which isn't what I expected, but the shrimp was fresh.

But the batter for the squid was too thick and heavy. The squid itself was good, pretty fresh, not too chewy. But, the batter ruined it for me.

Overall I liked this dish. But, only three medium sized shrimp? Come on, either decrease the size of the shrimp and increase the portion or tell us that there is only three pieces of shrimp.


Tallarin de mariscos-$12.25, shrimp, squid, octopus and pasta, onions and tomatoes. This was a very good dish. The pasta-spaghetti was cooked perfectly, the seasoning and spices were right on. The seafood was fresh. If I had one complaint, maybe the small portion.


Arroz Chaufa De Camarones-$13, shrimp fried rice, Peruvian style. I know that Peruvain food has a lot of Asian influences and I don't know what made this shrimp fried rice Peruvian style, because it tasted like any other shrimp fried rice I've had at Chinese restaurants. It was good, fresh seafood, rice cooked perfectly, well seasoned, but again the portion size was small.

Service was pretty good. It's a big restaurant, I'm betting it used to be a Coco's, and there were about ten tables filled with hungry diners. But, I had to ask for refills on water and our server wasn't around that often.

I did like the food at Mario's but I wasn't blown away. I thought that the prices were a bit high for the portion size and even the quality of the food. I won't rush back to this Mario's or their Hollywood location.

Pollos Kikiryki

Pollos Kikiryki
344 S Indian Hill Blvd
Claremont
909-624-1114

My exposure to Peruvian food is limited to a visit to Choza Mama in Pasadena. I really enjoyed the food, though not the slow service, and wanted to try more Peruvian restaurants. Well, I haven't been to another Peruvian restaurant until I went to Pollos Kikiryki today.

While Choza Mama was a sit down restaurant, Pollos Kikiryki is more a counter service, casual restaurant in an old shopping center in Claremont. It's hard to see from either of the two busy streets, Indian Hill and Arrow Highway, that border the shopping center. But during a late lunch, almost everyone of the eight booths was filled with hungry customers.


I got the tallarin saltado with chicken, $9.99, which is really chow mein with red onions and tomatoes. When I first had Peruvian food, I was very surprised at the Asian influence on the Peruvian cuisine. I understand the owners of Pollos Kikiryki are Asian.

The noodles in the tallarin saltado were undercooked and chewy, they needed about another 3-4 minutes in the boiling water. The small amount of chicken, was overcooked, tough pieces of white meat chicken, that was well seasoned. The onions and tomatoes were fresh. The dish could be good since it was well seasoned, but since the noodles were undercooked and chicken overcooked, it made for a bad dish.

Service was good. The lady who took my order was nice and friendly.

I would not go back to Pollos Kikiryki, again. The prices are a bit high and the food just wasn't good.