Chifa Restaurant

So a co-​worker of mine is Peruvian and I asked him for a recommendation for a Peruvian restaurant. I expected him to tell me PIO PIO in Queens, but he threw me a loop and offered a few places that he and his family enjoy. So I said why not and went to Chifa for lunch on a Friday. It was quite busy at about 1:30pm which is a good sign right?
To my surprise, this was a Peruvian/​Chinese joint. The guy in the front desk was Asian while the waiters were of Latin decent. Well enough yapping and here is what I thought:
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere was kind of nostalgic. It almost reminded me of the Miami Beach scene with its pink walls and blacked out ceiling. It was dimly lit but luckily the daylight is shining through the front window. Not to mention, hey were playing quite a number of 1950’s hits too. so I almost got the feeling we were in that era too. it was cozy and a little noisy, but not too much that you couldn’t hear someone talking at your table.
Wait Staff:
Our waiter was took quite a while to come over to us. Although I did see other parties that were attended to fairly quickly. So i am going to chalk it up as they probably saw were were «foreigners» and thought we might needed more time browsing the menu selections. =) All the waiters were very nice and courteous from our brief interactions throughout our lunch.
Food:
Appetizer:
We had Salchipapas! Oh man. i love this appetizer. Its a fast food dish commonly eaten throughout Latin America. Its origins are from Lima, Peru but im not here to give you a food history lesson. Go see Google for more info. =) Basically its thinly sliced beef sausages (hot Dogs) pan fried over French Fries with a dipping sauce.
Its a must try or get.
Entrée:
I ordered Combinado de Pollo with Fried Rice — When this thing arrived, I was blown away at the portion. This could have feed 2 adults and I’m a big eater too. This dish also consisted of stir fried chicken meat and mixed Chinese vegetables over pan fried noodles. Its very similar to Chicken Chow Mein from Flushing/Chinatown.The down side was it was slightly bland. But I believe i know what they did that. Not everyone has the same taste buds and likes different amounts of seasoning. So they ingeniously bring over a bottle of soy sauce to each table when you order food. Then you can put as little or as much as you like! What a concept! =)
The also came with a Soup (wonton) or a Soda.
My lunch mate ordered Fried Chicken wings with a side salad and Fries. I didn’t realize she told him Fries till her dish arrived since Salchipapas already had fries.
I tasted the wings and they were really juicy and tender on the inside and the outside had a nice light crunch to it. I dont know if they had some kind of coating on the outside, but it was absolutely delicious to say the least.
Drink: n/​a
Price:
Well, the Combinado de Pollo was 5.75+1.00 for Fried Rice!!! What an amazing deal!
The Fried Wings meal was 5.75 also. Salchipapas was 3.50. Total for the meal was less than $ 16. You just cant beat that price for the amount of food you are getting.
Overall:
Chifa was a really nice gem to find. Decent food, awesome price and huge portions. its a winning combination that is keeping the customers lined up! I definitely recommend at least trying it if you are on a budget and need lots of food. LOL
This reminds me of typical Chinese Fast food joints as far as price for per portion except its better in every way.
Good Luck and Bön Appetite!

My Family and I had the family combo b1. The wantan was so good. All the food was delicious and the portions were huge. We all were so stuffed when we got up. The restaurant’s décor needs an upgrade, but the food was great and very well priced.

Omg best Peruvian Chinese food! First time I went I remember all the tables are full and large line waiting for the tables. So we decided to take out. Food was amazing and large portions. I love the sopa pato (duck soup).

The size of their food is large, and the price is OK. But the food itself is not impressive. I ordered chicken with tamarind, but it was literally sweet and sour chicken with pickled daikon, no trace of tamarind. And the combination of chicken and pickled daikon works really bad. The sauce is neither better than what you can get from any American Chinese fast food restaurants. The sopa fuchifu is tasteless as well.

A friend from Peru recommended this place. I haven’t tried to Chinese dishes yet but I did get the Polla a la Brasa for lunch. One whole chicken, plus rice and salad, for $ 11 (plus tax). Great price. Great taste. My 2.5 year old devoured it. It probably isn’t as good as Pio Pio but it’s very good. This restaurant is much closer to my house so we’ll be going frequently.

Came here for a date night with hubby and was pleasantly surprised. We were served family style and the food is very flavorful. The service is really on point too. Would definitely come back again soon.

The Lomo Saltado in this place is absolutely delicious (if you like hot sauce, make sure to ask them for their spicy green sauce)
[[After finding out of this place through a friend, I have made multiple orders from this place for the last two months (mostly pick ups) and i am never disappointed with their lunch specials/​food quality and the prices. ]]
Also, you should definitely try their chirimoya icecream
I reccomend this place

Authentic peruvian chifa food at a bargain! I havent been to a chifa restaurant in years and when I found this spot I was beyond excited to come in and try the food. After going over the menu I was shocked at how affordable their food is. The only catch is that it is cash only. I ordered the tallarin saltado sam si, and sopa wonton. The dishes came out quick and I was given a very generous portion. I can’t emphasize enough just how delicious it was. The food exceeded my expectations and I was more than satisfied. If you’re in the neighborhood and are in the mood for some peruvian chifa, give them a try. You won’t leave disappointed!

The food is pretty average but for its price, it’s definitely worth!
I ordered the L14 from the lunch special and although I wasn’t too fond of the abundance of lettuce («salad») that came on the side, I was very pleasantly suprised by the green sauce that also came with the food in a mini container.
The wonton soup was alright but didn’t meet my expectations. But that can be as my expectations were set high based on previous reviews!

As a Peruvian, I will say I am very picky on my Peruvian food.
The lunch specials here are amazingly cheap. Went with the family and had a jalea, 2 orders of salchipapas, an aeropuerto, a lomo saltado, and a chifa combinado de pollo.
So my nephews loved their salchipapa but lets be honest, you can’t mess up hot dogs and fries. The jalea was ok, not the best and not the worst I’ve ever had. Chifa combinado was pretty bad and the aeropuerto was so dry. My nephews did not like it at all, and they will eat anything. I had the lomo and it was delicious. Definitely one of the best things there.
All that food and we couldn’t even finish it. We took so much home with us! Their portions for lunch special are huge and the wonton soup that comes with it was quite good too.
Will be going back, but just for the lomo and the helado de lucuma.
**And be warned cash only!!!

Best spot for Peruvian Chinese ! Def try the lomo saltado with fried rice. Huge portions for lunch specials. One of the best Peruvian green sauces around. I’ve had the chicken n the fried wontons. Can’t go wrong with either. Gets very crowded on weekends. My one complain is that if a restaurant decides to only take cash they should have a few signs stating so and/​or have an ATM in their establishment. That’s not the case here so bring cash.

I’ve come here many times, although it’s not fine dining it NEVER disappoints… I love the food, the friendly waiters the only issue is they don’t take credit cards… Other than that I always have a great time and leave very satisfied. Neighborhood gem, nice hole in the wall. Love love love

Great prices! Good food! Good service! Excellent Sauces for all the food!
Very good with portion size!!!

The flavors were were only okay, kinda bland. Not somewhere I plan to go back to for another meal. The noodles (Tallarin Saltado) were super soggy. It’s my preference to have the noodles crunchy like Cantonese style chow mein. The food wasn’t hot enough for me. Most of our dishes came out lukewarm except the soup which was nice and hot. The fries in my Lomo Saltado were not as hot as I would like it and not crispy as if the fries were fried up a while ago. I definitely had better. I was quite disappointed.
It was not an empty restaurant. The prices are cheap, portions are okay. Which is a good start but maybe the way they cook is just not for my taste. Would I come back, no. Once was enough for me.

When saw this place I immediately knew I had to bring my mother. She always talks about how she misses Peruvian chifa. So I took her here with my the pickiest eater you will ever meet, my father. It’s a small place but you can still comfortably fit a large group. A nice really casual spot. We were first surprised at the prices. Dirt cheap for large portions. Then, the food itself was really good. My mom had her tallerin saltado, I had of course arroz chaufa de camaron, my dad had this rice dish that was a mixture and rice but I can’t remember the name right now. My mom’s dish and mine were on point. My dad (who I’m not surprised) didn’t like his. I tried it I was too fond of his either. I mean if I have a craving I’ll come back but my mom goes every week so that should say something.

I heard a lot about this place so I finally gave it a try and let me tell you all the hype is true I loved it the Lomo saltado is great and tallarin saltado is also very good portions are large so come hungry the aeropuerto chicken and rice wasn’t That great but the other two dishes compensated also is dirt chip I was surprised when I saw my bill.
Over all a great place.

Had dinner there spent about $ 60 tips included. Never had Peruvian before… well we’ve tried it. Order the chicken, steaks, and the shrimp appetizer with drinks. Very ordinary dishes, nothing out of the ordinary.
I can get this in any Latino restaurant. I see people having fried rice and Chinese foods. But you can get that in any chop suey joints better and cheaper. Maybe it’s the Peruvian thing. Anyway, what do I know?

***ALERT THIS PLACE ONLY TAKES CASH!!****
While i was waiting for my new car to be finished and ready by nissan i decided to check this place out. the Unilocal reviews were very high and i love when people give recommendations. it makes choosing something for lunch by yourself a little more independence!
I was intrigued that it offered both chinese and peruvian food.
last i checked both China and Peru or in different areas. But we live in this great city called NYC and they offer all sorts of food pairing.
The food pairing was definitely a success i ordered the pollo chicken lunch special, it came with white rice and some lettuce already dressed in a light oil and vinegar dressing and ¼ chicken breast they also brought this wasabi/​cream im going to guess mayo based dressing to the table and i added it to my rice and it was pretty good not too wasabi spicy. the portions they gave were huge definitely will fill you up. and for $ 6 bucks perfect spending.
the inside décor is very cute, their back bar looked really cute had some Peruvian and Chinese culture mixed. although the cat with the moving hands was a little weird, it kept catching my eye to its attention.
the staff was very friendly. when it came time for my check i told the guy bring it when you can no rush. so he brought it and i said when you have a chance i will need change. he never brought it back. so i just hung out a little while longer because i knew i would have to be waiting at Nissan still. but he never brought it back i didn’t even see the waiter come back out. so i had to go up to the hostess station and ask the gentlemen do you still have my check? I said the guy never brought me back the change.
that was my only disclaimer for this place i think he took the bring it back when you can a little too literal. but i would definately come back to try other things.

While most people venture out to Pio Pio, I always find my way Chifa. It’s more affordable, less of a hassle, and multi-​cultural. The best Asian and Spanish fusion cuisine I’ve ever encountered. I recommend it to all my friends.
Favorite Dish: lomo saltado
You can’t leave without the trying the lukuma (Peruvian ice cream)! Sometimes I drive her just to order a bucket of ice cream to take home.
LUNCH SPECIALS RANGE FROM $ 5 – 10. I can never finish it on my own. So delicious and so worth it.
Cash only!
Never come here on the weekends. It’s packed, especially at night. If you have to, you can skip the wait by eating at the bar.
Good luck finding parking 4−7pm. NO STANDING 4−7pm.
The owners, who are always seated at the front are less than friendly, but the servers are super nice. Service is never slow thanks to them.

It’s really amazing to have a chifa restaurant in New York — there are at most one or two others around the area. Now I don’t have to go all the way to Lima to experience Peruvian Chinese cuisine.
Anyways, chifa is a very interesting blend of cultures, and one of the few legitimate fusion cuisines. (By legitimate, I mean that it developed naturally as opposed to restaurateurs concocting up something just for the sake of novelty, such as the sushirrito or cronut.) I started off with the ceviche mixto and then had beef lomo saltado. The portions are super generous, and although I’m a big eater I could barely finish half of the lomo saltado. I also took home an order of aeropuerto (chow mein and fried rice mixed together), which I enjoyed the next day for lunch. I’ve never actually been to Peru so I can’t comment on its authenticity, but it certainly does seem like it would be authentic chifa.
They also have a good selection of Peruvian drinks. I had the Kola Inglesa and Inca Kola. Both of them tasted fruity but had a certain quality not present in American sodas. I think it’s their relatively delicate taste; American fruit-​flavored sodas just taste artificial and nasty.
The décor is fairly simple, but they have cool pictures of Peru hanging on the walls.