Mario’s Peruvian & Seafood

I’ve been coming to this place for years.
Their lomo saltado is THE BEST… and their green hot sauce… SO GOOD. Their ceviche is pretty bomb too. I do want to try some of their other dishes, but once I’m sat down I just immediately order the lomo saltado asap.
There is a wait almost always so keep that in mind! And parking might be a pain too.

I LOVE LOMO SALTADO!
Mario’s is where they mix potato, meat, and rice to make a delicious dish called _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​Saltado (the blank is for you to put what meat you want. I personally always get beef and I never regret it!!).
If you come here, prepare to wait in a line. I usually wait for 45 minutes to an hour on average, so bring a friend and don’t starve before heading there or else, you will be HANGRY!
Once you finally walk inside, you get to look at the menu and thankfully there are English descriptions, but all you gotta look for is that Lomo Saltado is #14.
Lomo Saltado is beef strips, onion slices, chopped tomatoes and potatoes with a side of rice. If this does not make you drool, I don’t know what will!
They also have the GREEN SAUCE! But be warned, it does have a kick to it! They serve fluffy rolls at the beginning, and each additional roll is $.25 more!
I also heard that when you get togo orders, you will not receive any bread or green sauce unless you pay, booooooo. So, might as well wait in line and get the full experience of waiting and dining in with a fire in your mouth.

I love this place! I been coming here ever since I was a child and let me tell you the favors haven’t change one bit. The lines are super long depending on what day you chose to go but it’s worth it! I love love their food, it’s one of my favorite places to eat.

We have been going to Marios forever! They are amazing! If you like ceviche, get ceviche mixto or ceviche de pescado– awesome!
Lomo Saltado is our fav, lomo de pollo is good as well. Awesome, awesome!
Do not expect great service, it’s an order-​eat-​leave type of restaurant; but they are friendly enough.

Marios always does it for me!
Always so good! And a go-​to all time favorite.
Always seem to order the saltado (favorite dish) in chicken, beef, shrimp/​seafood
LOOVVEE
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!

Lomo Saltado! delicious! I forget what the fish smothered in sauce with all of the fried calamari and shrimp on top is, but it is divine, too. I live near San Francisco, and I dream of this place all of the time. I have been to Mario’s twice now. Nothing in SF compares!

Staff is really friendly– but I think I went on an off night–
Mussels ceviche: Great! Juicy, firm and clean taste. (Wanted more than just 5 pieces)
Peacado Macho: rice and veggies were tasty, but the breading coating the fish was pretty salty.
I went early in the week– probably better on the weekend. Def worth another go.

I was so excited to try this place. I looked it up on Unilocal and read some decent reviews.
I asked the waitress if the soup was good and she said it’s the best. So how could I not try it. Upon receiving the soup I couldn’t help but to think they gave me last weeks soup. It’s not fresh and all the lemon couldn’t mask the frozen seafood flavor.
The price of the food DOES not match the standard for quality.
I’ll PASS on this place next time.

This is by far the BEST!!! Peruvian food. I’ve been going to this restaurant for over 20 years. It’s a whole in the wall kinda place, so don’t expect fancy. Their Lomo Saltado is to die for. But just FYI there Is always a long wait during dinner times. When you get there walk over to the counter and write your name on a clip board. You will have to wait outside, since there not much room and Parking sucks, but totally worth it!!!

My family has been coming here all my life. It’s the only place we go to eat comida peruana! Haha THE BEST PERUVIAN PLACE EVER! My aunt is Peruvian so I grew up eating Peruvian food and this IS the best! My Favorite is the saltado de camaron y los choros a la criolla! HIGHLY Recommend

This place is a true gem! The food is mouthwatering starting with that bread! It’s the most moist and fluffy piece of bread you could ever get.
But on to the real food. The lomo saltado is to die for. It’s literally perfect in every way, so ordering a lomo saltado is standard for me every time. It’s a pretty big portion. With that said, I always either take my left overs home, or I get another dish to share between two people. I’ve gotten the fried calamari which is delicious! I’d definitely recommend that. I’ve also ordered the ceviche de camarones before, which was okay. I was expecting a different type of ceviche. It was just very acidic and I’m also not a big fan of celery. But nonetheless, my stomach is always happy when I leave this place.
Parking is a disaster, you’re lucky if you can find a good spot in the lot. AND I know the wait time can be a bit much, but it’s totally worth it. The last few times I’ve come here, there was no wait, but maybe that’s because it was during the day.

Line can get long… but the wait time is less than what they tell you! When they say 30 minutes, it’s actually 15 – 20 min, or at least from my past experiences.
Don’t want to wait in line? Call in beforehand to order to-​go! Tastes just as good and you don’t have to wait at all. Make sure to call ~25 minutes in advance since it takes long to prepare for it.
Of course, you must try the Lomo Saltado. I’m no Peruvian food expert, but it actually really suits my taste, and I think I’m pretty picky with food. Generous amount of beef provided. They also recommended the Saltado de Mariscos to us, which is basically the same but instead of beef, it’s with squid, shrimp, etc. Don’t forget the green sauce, my bf said it completed his meal!
Parking: You can either park in the tiny lot or find street parking (fairly doable).
P. S. Felt really bloated after my meal and sleepy, so I’d only recommend coming here once in a long while…

After seeing the mouthwatering pictures on Unilocal,my husband and I decided to have lunch at Mario’s and it was the best decision we made!
Pros — The food was absolutely amazing! We ordered the seafood for an appetizer and although the price initially threw us for a loop (17.00) Once it was on the table we were so happy we ordered it! It was huge! And it was served on a bed of the onion salsa. Absolutely delicious!!! The warm bread and green sauce were unbelievable! I see why they call it «crack» sauce! We were full before our entrees arrived! I ordered the lomo saltado, absolutely delicious! Great flavor and definitely enough for two! My husband ordered the chicken milanesa. HUGE portion!!! It was moist and tender yet lacked flavor which was a disappointment after the lomo. Bit a little crack sauce and it came alive! The ice tea was refreshing!
Cons — parking sucks BIG TIME! Find street parking to avoid frustration. The service is super slow. But after reading the reviews I expected that. Don’t expect refills at anything more than a snails pace. Otherwise, everything else is great!

Legit Peruvian food. The lomo saltado here gives other restaurants a run for their money. And their Ceviche is delectable, tastes fresh and citrusy as it’s supposed to. One of the eat spicy green sauces I’ve had at a Peruvian restaurant (sorry don’t recall what it’s called, only just how delicious it is)
It’s usually very busy both dine in and takeout so plan for a wait.
Parking is quite difficult, so beware.

2 things to be said: Lomo Saltado and green sauce!
That’s it

This is HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE BEST PERUVIAN food place in LA. It’s authentic and the serving size is huge.
WARNING: Just expect to wait a bit to get seated because this place can get packed and there is limited seating since the restaurant itself is kind of small. Probably not the best idea to go during peak hours like lunch or dinner. Try your luck in between. Also, parking is a challenge. This place is super popular so good luck in finding parking in the small lot. Your best bet is to park on the street.
FOOD: OMG perfection! We usually order the Loma saltado. It’s steak, onions, and fries all mixed together. It is packed with flavor. Oh and don’t forget to smother that incredible green sauce they have. It’s spicy so beware but OH SO GOOD!
Overall, definitely worth the wait. Enjoy!

Peruvian food is the food to eat when you have s craving and you just don’t know what you want to eat. It will hit the spot no matter what.
A little background about Peruvian food. It is highly influenced by Chinese food due to a mass immigration of Chinese into their country many years ago. As you can see, their star dish, Loma Saltado is a stir fry of chopped up meet and vegetables just like Chinese and the main flavor? Soy Sauce. So this is basically Chinese food, but at the same time it’s not at all. The flavor is just unique and no one can say no to meat and potatoes. The Aji sauce, aka green crack is amazing and you’d never guess what it’s made of. I’ll let you guys guess that ok on your own. The only issue with it is its consistency. It’s sometimes too spicy to handle, but that’s what happens when you are having real homemade sauce.
As for the restaurant, parking is IMPOSSIBLE. When you walk in your not really greeted so kindly and they make you stand outside to wait for a table sometimes even when it’s not full. I never understood this.
I get the Loma Saltado which is a high quality beef and potato and onions and tomato stir fry with rice. It’s THE DISH and if you don’t eat meat they have seafood and chicken as well. I highly recommend everyone try this place because it’s one of the best.

Strip mall hole-​in-​a-​wall eatery that gets packed fast. Come before 6pm if you want a table right away; plus parking in the tight parking lot & the surrounding streets is a lot easier to find. The interior is basic, spartan, & almost ascetic so this may not be a good place for a first date unless you & your date are not the type to impress each other. Service is friendly, quick, fast since so many customers flow in & out that there is little time for interaction.
One drawback is that the restaurant has mostly tables that seat 4 & a scattering of tables for two. So when Mario’s starts cranking & people are waiting, many times a party of two will take up a table for 4 lessening the capacity for seating. They should have all the tables seat only two & place two tables or more together when a larger party arrives for more flexibility in seating & increase capacity. This indicates a rather lackadaisial, laissez-​faire management practices at Mario’s which may indicate a «Hay siempre mañana» philosophy.
Peruvian cuisine is an interesting amalgam of non-​native & native foods which until recently was mostly preserved in rural areas not as influenced by Spanish & other non-​natives. In the mid 1800’s Chinese cheap labor was imported which infused elements of Chinese cuisine using Peruvian grown food which came to be called Chifa.
Likewise, Japanese labor entering in the late 1800’s & on introduced the finer elements of Japanese cuisine especially in the use of more refined fish dishes such as Tiradito which looks like Japanese Sashimi/​sliced premium raw fish w/​lime juice & Peruvian sauces & chiles which were already present in a chopped up raw fish dish called Cebiche found throughout the Latin culinary realm. Matsuhisa restaurant on La Cienega, LA is a good example of Nikkei/​Overseas Japanese cuisine from Peru.
I ordered the Saltado de Mariscos/​seafood that included squid which was the least tasty in that the flavours of the sautee did not infuse into the white, rubbery, smooth, taste neutral meat. The octopus was chewy w/​a meaty chaw, & the fibrous meat absorbed the cooking juices well. The shrimp may have been over cooked so it shrank a little & toughened the shrimp, but was tasty w/​a sweet, lightly seaweed scented Umami which complemented the spicy sautee juices. Tomato slices are lightly cooked adding a mild gastrique, & the purple onions added that soupçon of sulfur scented funk.
The sautee mix seemed to be a bit of soy sauce, red chile pepper infused oil, garlic, black pepper, & bits of fresh cilantro added a green herbal, soapy undertone that melded well w/​the seafood. French fries which are de riqueur in Saltados also absorbed the seafood Umami juices to good effect. There is a side of steamed white rice to act as a bland foil to all the strong flavours of the Saltado. Of course, use the Aji Verde salsa which seems like watered down mayonnaise infused w/​the pureed Aji chile which adds a green pepper herbal heat.
Saltado de Mariscos is a good one dish meal which includes meat (seafood), carbs (french fries, steamed rice), & a bit of veggies (tomato & red onions). Unless you are a big eater, there is not room for an appetizer unless you share it w/​the table. However, be forewarned that this dish drips heavily w/​oil so those on a low cholesterol diet may not want to eat Saltados here too often.
Also accompanying the rather bland, doughy, heavy, possibly microwaved rolls are individual servings of margarine which reads «hydrogenated, liquified soy bean oil» which is proven to increase bad blood cholesterol. Also, there aren’t alcohlic drinks, but there are the typical Inca cola, ice tea, etc.
I ate about ²⁄₃ of my Saltado de Marisco, & put the rest into a take home container so I would have one less meal to cook the next day as well as not wasting good food. I asked for the menu for dessert. «Sorry, Papa, but there’s no dessert.» What about flan? «No, nothing, for dessert.» Strange that on a Friday night at the start of a busy weekend, they had run out of dessert. Es la Vida. 3+ Unilocal stars for a good meal.

The best Peruvian place in Los Angeles!
Actually, it was my first place where I experienced Peruvian for the first time, but it also is my favorite! It gets really busy during peak hours. They have some parking available on the plaza, but it gets filled up very fast. However, there are some street parking available around.
I normally get Jalea (fried seafood dish) and Fried rice since usually it is just me and husband. We have tried their lomo saltado (beef and french fries) and ceviche. They were all delicious! I like their green sauce. It is a bit spicy but it is really good when you eat with their dishes.
Service is pretty good. I wish I could try different foods, but we always end up ordering the same foods. If you love Peruvian foods or if you would like to try, definitely come to this place!
Foods: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Overall Experience: 4 stars

First experience with Peruvian food (that wasn’t Peruvian chicken)! Ordered the Camaron Al Ajo– shrimp in a butter and garlic sauce, and the Lomo Saltado which seems like the most popular dish here. Originally thought about getting the saltado with seafood, but the number of Unilocal reviews for the Lomo was too hard to ignore. We talked about having leftovers the next day but the food was so good that we ate it all on site.
They don’t take reservations or names over the phone… just walk in when you arrive (there’s really no host or hostess) and write your name down on the list at the counter. We waited about 30 minutes, during which we took a stroll to Paramount studios which made the time pass faster.

What an awesome hole in the wall for Peruvian food!
Had a major craving for Lomo Saltado (beef strips sauted with tomatoes, onion and French fries served with rice) & my roommate mentioned Mario’s in the West side. We made plans to go after work asap and I’m SO happy we did.
Food is ON POINT and service is absolutely wonderful. The restaurant isn’t the chicest and parking is kind of annoying with a small lot in front, but I feel like that adds to the authentic feel of it all.
Give it a try if you’re ever in the area. It’ll be a flavor explosion in your mouth!

I started standing in line 10 minutes before opening. There was one group of 8 ahead of me but when the doors opened, people just bum rushed in. Next thing I knew, 20 people had gone inside ahead of me.
So word to the wise, don’t be polite. There’s no orderly seating process. You just all sit down at once and somehow the servers amazingly remember that order and start serving you. There was some redemption. Service was so friendly, prompt and error free.
I got the Lomo Saltado which was mostly as good as it looked except it would’ve been better if the meat wasn’t cooked all the way through. Soggy fries were on point though. You can’t look at them as soggy fries but more like flavorful potato sticks. Thank god for the rice cause everything is pretty sodium-​laced.
I got also the Seafood Soup which looks and tastes like the Korean version, jampong, minus the noodles. The bowl has so much seafood in it; it practically multiples as you keep eating. I loved how fresh it tasted.
Aji sauce is spicy but bearable for me. It offsets the saltiness of the meats so I feel it is quite the essential condiment.
All in all, I liked it but it was a one time thing for me.

3.5 stars.
It’s definitely decent peruvian. I had the Lomo Saltado, but I think it’s a little over hyped. The dish I had was good but not a drawback setter. I definitely enjoyed their salsa verde though. It was very fresh and had just enough bite to enjoy.
The Lomo cuts are great, the potato fries come hot and well fried, and the onions are well mixed, but it’s at par with other places I’ve tried.
I also tried their Inca cola and their Chicada morada, but that one is very unique. I think it really requires an acquired taste to truly appreciate.

I’ve came to this restaurant with my brother and my compadre craving Peruvian food. I’ve read the good reviews so I had to give it a try.
Well… the reviews were not exagerating. This is one of the best Peruvian restaurants I’ve been in USA. The Lomo Saltado, Jalea and the Seafood Fried Rice were really good, the taste of cooking the food in a wok and high fire was there.
The 4 stars instead of 5… is because the fish in the cebiche did not taste fresh, the «sazon» in the lime mix was good but the texture of the fish was like frozen fish.
If you want to eat good Peruvian… come here. Just be patient and wait if you go.
I’ll be going back anytime I can. :)

I am sad that my all time favorite Peruvian restaurant is closed… soooo this is the 2^nd most favorite place I like the most so far.
My favorite is the fish ceviche!!! It is the best I’ve ever had! It’s raw so if you’re not a fan of raw fish I don’t recommend it but you should definitely try it! The lomo saltado is another one of my favorites!
There’s always a wait regardless of the time of day because the restaurant is very small. In any case the wait is not terrible, typically about a 20 – 30 minute wait.

Found this place on Unilocal…
Having had Peruvian food i was excited to go try this place out. The drive was okay since i was already in LA. The parking situation however is disaster!!! Thankfully i know how to park and had to reverse my car into a tight hole between cars (scary but with luck and experience it was done)
If you don’t know how to drive or maneuver is tight spaces! This place is not for you. Look for parking elsewhere. A couple shops in the same plaza share the small parking lot which has cars entering/​leaving both ways.
My order was quick and easy. Went in on a slow lunch hour with no lines and paid up front. The wait was literally 10 minutes and i was out with my order.
I ordered chicken saltado *
Considering it a fattening cheat meal i was excited to munch. Uhhhhh being im picky with food i got turned off when i saw the huge chunks of chicken in my container. I had to cut the pieces down and couldn’t finish my meal. I was also shocked at how little salt i tasted! With all the fatty oils of the french fries. The meal would have tasted great drenched in soy sauce (ive had it like that before and its delish)
Green crack sauce is good! Spread that over the white bread or on top of ur meal.
Sorry this place is not for me :)

I ordered the lomo saltado here (I mean… what else would I order?!). Alone, it is a little better than average. With the green sauce, it is amazing! Their salsa verde is better than any I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried it at many places. Theirs has a nice spicy kick to it that most others don’t have. I should have stolen a bottle, hahah. As for the dish itself, I wish some of the fries would have been crispy, and the meat was cooked medium-​rare rather than well done.
Service was excellent. Our server checked on us often, filled our waters often, and was very friendly. I like how people have to wait outside while waiting for seating. Keeps from crowding the restaurant and ruining the ambiance. The music could have been turned up a bit though… all the jams were coming on, but it wasn’t loud enough for me to really enjoy, lol.

Me encanta el lomo saltado de camarones, aun que hoy domingo tuve que esperar mucho rato por una mesa, pienso que vale la pena la espera, preparan una salsa verde riquísima y los platos están servidos abundantemente, aparte la chicha morada es lo máximo.

Best Lomo saltado!

I’ve been comin here for years! I must say marios sets the bar or is the bar for Peruvian food. i love: the green sauce, sopa sustancia, saltado de vegetales, chorros a la criolla, cevixhe de pescado, tallarin de mariscos, arroz chaufa dr mariscos, and love the chicha morada.
I’ve tried many other places and still haven’t found one as good as marios. I dont care that I live super far away, marios is worth the travel!

Good lomo saltado… Dont like the seafood saltado tho… Hard parking