Los Balcones Del Perú

I came here for a business lunch with a Peruviana I met during the holidays. Yes, our business lives have been so busy it took us this long to meet up.

They have the traditional lomo saltado and picante mariscos you see on the menu of every Peruvian place. However, we were not interested in traditional. La Peruviana ordered the Ceviche Classico ($15 - Sea bass, ceviche sauce and Peruvian spices). The ceviche also came w/ corn and camote (Latin sweet potato) on the side. I ordered the Pescado Chorillano ($16 - Sea bass, onions, tomatoes, aji amarillo wine sauce & quinoa risotto).

The meal started off w/ a soup of carrots, celery and tallarin (spaghetti noodles) in a light broth. Unfortunately, the soup was lukewarm and the taste was nothing special: 2 Stars.

On the other hand, the dishes did not disappoint. La Peruviana really liked her ceviche. She said it was just like back home. I had a bite and there was a definite difference (in a good way), compared to Mexican ceviche. Peruvian ceviche puts the fresh fish in the centerpiece. It does not have tomatoes, onions and peppers like Mexican ceviche. We started talking about food, and I told her
Consistent w/ the ceviche, my dish was effin bomb!!! The fish was good sized, it had a nice crisp to it and the aji amarillo sauce was delicious w/ a little heat. This that ceviche is very similar to Filipino shrimp kilawin (a dish made w/ raw shrimp, vinegar and a touch of evaporated milk) and Hawaiian poke w/ limu. She was familiar w/ poke (having been to Hawaii), but not kilawin: 5 Stars.
is the first time I have had this dish (recommended by the waiter), but it won't be the last: 5 Stars.

The ambiance is very basic. There is a bar on your left and several tables of two and four. There is also one booth. The service was OK. However, my dish came out several minutes after la Peruviana's: 3 Stars :X.

It is nice that there are authentic Peruvian places like this with reasonable prices. I definitely want to come back when I am in the area. Funny story: During lunch we discussed what we were doing later that evening. I told her I was going to a Latino Biz Event. She smirked and said, "That org is not a Biz Org! It's more like a Social Club!" I told her a little white lie and said, "I have obtained biz from the org". She looked at me skeptically and said, "I am sure you have". Hahaha! BTW, the Peruviana's last name means summer. Hmmm, a little sunshine in your day does a body good. Maybe I need a little more Peruviana - Oh, I meant Peruvian in my life - LOL!

If you want excellent, fresh tasting Peruvian food, I recommend Los Balcones. This restaurant is nowhere near my neighborhood, but I am glad we made the drive down because the food was memorable. Best new find of the summer!
I highly recommend:

QUINOA SALAD
A salad with asparagus, poached egg, crispy bacon and a sesame seed dressing. It had a very good mix of flavors and of course the bacon was the star of the plate - it rounded out the dressing with a hint of salt. I def got my veggies and protein in with this salad.

TIRADITO
I had never tried this before but it reminded me of ahi tuna or sahimi. This plate was thin slices of sea bass with soy sauce a a yellow sauce made of peppers (according to the chef - I asked!) This was a wonderful appetizer and it tasted so fresh and perfect. This was prob my fav. dish of the night.

CEVICHE CLASICO
They have different types of ceviche and this one was made with lots of sea bass. Again the flavors are perfectly balanced. I hate when ceviche is made with too much lemon//lime and not enough fish. This was not like that. I also love the super huge Peruvian corn and potato!

AJI DE GALLINA
This ain't no El Pollo Inka plate at all. LOL! Their shredded chicken was tender and juicy. Also, the sauce was not salty or overpowering. Again, balanced flavors.

The service was polite and not overdone. They were busy that night, so the server didn't check on us every 5 mins, but unlike other reviews, we never felt like they were so busy that we were forgotten about. It is a small intimate setting and we liked that. Also, the place was clean and the staff, chef, food runners, bartender were all kind and attentive.

Lastly, the sangria I got there was excellent. It had a hint of cinnamon and spice that I really enjoyed and it wasn't watered down with juice like other places. I could drink it all summer long and i am not even into red wine.

A GREAT FIND IN L.A!

TIP: Park in the garage across esp. if you plan to go to Arclight after. Or you can get validation for the Kinko's lot.

I made reservations via OpenTable while looking at new places to go and tryout with my foodie buddies. I searched out a couple of places and decided on Peruvian.

The outside of the place at first I didn't even see the sign. I guess I was looking for some flashing neon lights. Oh Well the decor inside is modern with wood floors and ample seating for parties of 7. We arrived at 7 and it wasn't too crowded but within 20 minutes it filled up real quick.

I was going by previous Yelper reviews to figure out what I wanted to try. I went with Ciara G's review and ordered the Lomo Saltado and the Quinoa salad. Those two combinations plus being able to try everyone else's dish was quite good.

It's good to go in a larger party so sharing is caring. I had the ability to try a little of the following dishes:

CHICHARRON: choice of pork, chicken or calamari, salsa criolla
Chicharron da pescado

POLLO SALTADO :
sauteed chicken, onion, tomatoes, French fries, rice

BISTEK PATRON :
grilled rib eye, beans, banana, fried egg, Chorrillana sauce

SECO DE CARNE :
braised short ribs in beer and cilantro sauce, Peruvian beans

ARROZ CON MARISCO:
Peruvian paella, shrimp, mussels, calamari & clams

All very tasty. Oh by the way they had these plantain chips and they were quite good with this green sauce. Too bad they didn't offer refills.

Pretty good Peruvian restaurant without the grime and the ridiculous wait. You know which place I'm taking about.

Decided to try this place while we were waiting for our movie at Arclight. It's in a rather unassuming part of Hollywood so I would've never found it without the help of Yelp. It's located on the corner of De Longpre and Vine, just slightly southeast of Arclight.

We got here little before 6 p.m. and the place was pretty empty, which was good since we had a movie to catch in an hour. We ordered the shrimp saltado and quinoa salad. Both were quite delicious. I've only had lomo saltado and pollo saltado in the past so shrimp saltado was a nice little change. And they were quite generous with the shrimp. There were 10 decent sized shrimps in the saltado. I even liked the rice it came with. It was somewhat firm and not too starchy. The quinoa salad was refreshing and had choclo, asparagus, poached egg, bacon, and some sort of sesame seed dressing. We really liked the complimentary sweet potato fries. It came with green dipping sauce which tasted different from other green sauce I had in the past. Little too salty but still good.

They validate your parking if you park at Arclight or FedEx/Kinkos parking structure. It's two free hours with validation.

I'm taking one star away because it took almost 25 minutes for us to get our food after we ordered.

I miss the old "Los Balcones Del Peru" when it first opened. It is now named Los Balcones. I came back for the re-opening and I was not impressed. The interior design is nice. They have a full liquor license now. As you walk in, you'll see the bar facing the doors. They feature the bar very well. It seems like they have increased the prices, I don't keep record of every dish but $19 for seafood paella? I don't think so, review below.

Heads up, the waiters are still learning the new menu, so be patient with them. But how can they forget to serve the complimentary sweet potato chips?! Is it even complimentary still?

The Arroz Con Mariscos (seafood Peruvian "paella") was presented well, but was very bland, no flavor, lacked seasoning. It was just plain. For $19? I don't think so. I've had better arroz con mariscos for ~$12.

The anticuchos (beef hearts) remained good. I recommend it highly.

Papa A La Huancaina was okay... I'm not a big fan of those small potatoes. Just keep it as it is with the big, normal potatoes. The spicy sauce was good, perhaps too spicy this time.

The Ceviche Mixto was good, but nothing great. Again, I've had better ceviche mixto for cheaper.

I built my own Pisco Sour, but it was very weak... barely any pisco. In Build-Your-Own-Pisco, you pick your pisco and bitters... yet there was no bitters list to choose from and the waiter didn't know about it. There was a premium pisco + list you can choose from as well but the list did not exist. The bartender tried to draw something on top of the foam of the pisco sour using the bitters, but I couldn't tell what it was.

With the new bar, renovated space, maybe kitchen, too, etc... the food and beverage prices have the potential to increase and it seems that way. For example, their Peruvian beer was $4, it is now $5.

I think they are now too trendy and "hollywood"... targeting the Hollywood tourist crowd or people who haven't tried Peruvian food yet. I used to like this place years ago, but I don't think I'll be coming back here, except for their bar.

I love this place! We have been going here since they opened as an alternative to Marios which is always overcrowded. The service is always great and the food is fantastico. The Chicharron de pollo is a great appetizer, always tastes great especially with the marinated onions.
The Lomo Saltado is consitently good, as is everything that I've tried on their menu. Since they have remodeled, it looks much nicer and some new things have been added to the menu. I try the daily special quite often and it has always been very good. Los Balcones is one of our favorite spots to eat in Hollywood.

Came here with a date this week when he found out I never had Peruvian food!

We shared sangria and mmm... I haven't had sangria in a while and this was deliciously fruity and not watered down.

The sweet potato chips and spicy green aji sauce was delicious! Just the rick kick!

I had the pescado chorillano, which was pan-fried sea bass, onions and tomatoes in an aji sauce with risotto around it. It was a bit salty for me (and I usually can handle and sometimes, dareisay, like salty foods) in both the sauce and the fish. The sea bass was overcooked with a tougher exterior and I'm used to it being cooked tenderly. Perhaps I'm a noob, but maybe it would have better to use another fish if it were cooked like this. Sea bass just loses its texture this way...

My date had the picante de mariscos and it was delicious! The sauce was just right and the mussel was delicious!

I really like the intimate setting and when it gets dark, they light up candles, so it's quite romantic. I think I'd love to come here and order something else because I bookmarked this place long ago and didn't even know until I checked my yelp!

Quality and presentation were nice and I'm hoping my dish was a fluke or something that I should have avoided ordering. I would love to come back to try other dishes, even if the menu is smaller than I'd like. Since there's no 3.5 stars option and I'm feeling generous and maybe hoping for more sangria, it's a 4 for now.

First time trying Peruvian food..
here..
and I loved it :]

Lomo saltado (?) was yumzers..
the beef was cut into thick juicy chunks.. *chews*
their calamari was good (oh how I loved their onion & cilantro w/ lemon (?) juice)
Inca Kola was good too :]

so far so good :P
I might come back to try their seafood.

Another rare review where I attempt to minimize my senseless rants and share some pics with my lovely fellow yelpers

QUINOA SALAD

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4XmiaynfwmORDwH4w_N53A?select=X21fE80dhKo-lXglzrS0wQ#X21fE80dhKo-lXglzrS0wQ

Without the fried egg....this thing woulda been a fu*king disaster.

PORK CHICHARRON

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4XmiaynfwmORDwH4w_N53A?select=ve2OqWP6kSG3opiwUJdwwA#ve2OqWP6kSG3opiwUJdwwA

PORK! onions and a little puddle of baby poop. it was delicious.

CEVICHE MIXTO

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4XmiaynfwmORDwH4w_N53A?select=ve2OqWP6kSG3opiwUJdwwA#7I-IgwS2nb8c3LH2wgUIqQ

More raw Peruvian seafood goodness. I slopped it up.

ANTICUCHO DE CORAZON

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4XmiaynfwmORDwH4w_N53A?select=ve2OqWP6kSG3opiwUJdwwA#1Gq5SOGmRoPqMFcViK1X3Q

Beef Heart. Spicy dipping sauce and veggies. tasty.

Here's your beef heart closeup for all you offal food porn fans

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4XmiaynfwmORDwH4w_N53A?select=ve2OqWP6kSG3opiwUJdwwA#l26QC1ZGve__vQFI-sSAEA

I enjoyed it...but not nearly as much as Picca's version.

OH!

And for absolutely NO good reason...here's a closeup of the pork closeup!

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/4XmiaynfwmORDwH4w_N53A?select=Z3F5vBaNBVfjmYHngOJMgQ#Z3F5vBaNBVfjmYHngOJMgQ

You're fu*king welcome.

Carry on dear yelpers, carry on.

It's unfortunate that I have to write an update review that brings down a restaurant from 4 stars to 1 star.

Los Balcones, the name they choose to go by since their grand re-opening last week was a complete disaster. They did a remodel of the interior which looks 10 times better but this place failed to impress me or my 6 guests.

Some comments made at my table:
-food isn't great
-too expensive
-service is slow
-drinks are weak
-green sauce isn't spicy

These comments were agreed upon by every single person at my table.

I was impressed that Los Balcones got a liquor license and have an actual bar (in the past it was beer and wine only). However, they took their famous sangria off their menu!!!! The server said they were in the midst of making a sangria bar next door so they no longer offer it. What the heck?!?! We ended up ordering cocktails off their menu. I first got the Pisco sour which came with the smelliest egg whites...it was so gross I sent back my drink. I've had many drinks with egg whites in it and never have I been so grossed out. I ended up getting the Tamarind & Smoke which was just ok - very smoky indeed but I wasn't super happy with it either. $12 a cocktail, no happy hour. Boo!!! My colleague stated that his drink had too much ice. He said 75% ice and 25% liquid with a splash of liquor. He ordered the Pisco Punch which was tasty but lacked alcohol. He didn't want to spend another $12 on a weak drink...not fun.

Service was slower than the pony express. The drinks took forever. Every request took so long that we literally aged a few years. We were all so unhappy in general. We placed our food order and 15 minutes later, our server comes to tell us they ran out of one of the dishes we ordered. Really? 15 minutes later? Same colleague who I mentioned above said that his new dish tasted like they defrosted it, like one of those trader joes frozen food (which is good but there is a certain taste to it). Each dish was about $17 and for Peruvian food, especially in LA, its much too expensive. Normally you can pay $10 and have tons of leftover. None of us had to request to-go boxes.

When the bill came, they added 18% gratuity because our group had 7 people. Our server was sweet and tried her best but I think she is working in a very disorganized setting which doesn't make things any better for her or the customers. Though I didn't feel 18% was deserved because of all the issues I had with the overall dinner experience, I didn't argue it because I was too tired (but ironically I have enough energy to write this review!).

My suggestion is to wait it out a few months until they get their act together...I mean, they just reopened so maybe they are trying to work out all the kinks.