French Fries and Steak, You Say?
Mario’s is a small little restaurant in the Hancock Park area that will satisfy all your Peruvian food cravings. But be warned, prepare to wait for at least 30-45 minutes for a weekend meal. Though the wait can be long, it makes that first bite of lomo saltado that much more scrumptious.
To tide you over after your hour long wait outside, Mario’s serves a basket of warm bread and butter. The bread is soft and fluffy on the inside and tastes great with a little bit of butter or some of that dank AF green sauce. It’s a yummy combo and now you don’t have to be hangry. Yay!
This time around we ordered their ceviche mixto, or assorted ceviche. It was served with octopus, shrimp, and squid and topped with sliced red onion. The sauce was nice and sour with a lime base mixed with some orange juice. Pretty good, and surprisingly spicy, but I think we’ll be trying something new next time around. The seafood was definitely fresh, but it was just lacking that special wow factor. Good ceviche, but nothing special. Ya feel?
For entrees, you definitely have to try their lomo saltado. It’s one of their most popular dishes, and a popular Peruvian dish in general. There is so much flavor packed into that plate of stir fried beef, tomatoes, onions, and french fries. The french fries are like sponges that just soak up all the flavor from the stir fry. The beef is cut into small bite-size strips that are also so dank and flavorful. The lomo saltado is served with a side of white rice that is so flavorful and yummy. We think the rice might be cooked in chicken broth and garlic maybe.
In addition to the lomo saltado, we also got the pollo saltado which is the exact same dish but with chicken instead. Also super tasty if you’re not in the mood for red meat. The chicken is cooked really nicely and definitely packs in a lot of flavor.
Mario’s Peruvian & Seafood
5786 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
