El Rocoto

Came here for 2 Birthdays. We loved it so much the first time we came again. We really enjoy the Peruvian food here. The staff is always welcoming and accommodating. It's not a big place. Very intimate. You can never go wrong with their most popular dishes, their Saltados. You can choose steak, chicken, or seafood. Comes with French fries and white rice. Food is delicious.

I stopped in, as I was walking towards Kabuki for dinner... was intrigued by the fact I'd not noticed this Peruvian restaurant here before and walked in. I was initially excited...Jonny was my waiter and initially I was greeted with a welcoming smile. As I was seated and looked at the drink menu, I chose a red sangria and Jonny was happy to take my order. After my drink arrives, on the second request for any questions or an order, I advise I will continue to look through, that I'm a non-meat eater and new here. Jonny comes back for the 3rd time to take any questions or an order, and he kindly reviews a few options with me.... I finally decided on "Papas Fritas", on the menu for $6. To make a seemingly simple story short, I get my food and eat. As im finishing, Jonny asks if I'll have any other items and I politely declined. The 2 starts comes from the last 5 minute of my experience... so a simple order from the menu turns into an item I was charged for that was not on the menu - I was told it was a "special request", yet I'd never been here!?? Jonny didn't come back ....so the Second Gentleman / waiter that went to ask Jonny about my order, they were only 10-16 feet away and I kindly reminded them - that "item was not on the menu", because Jonny seemed confused and to refute my original request for Papas Fritas, as I looked on to the conversation with him and the other man, about my incorrect bill. This was a strange and uncomfortable experience and from what I gathered, I was "inconveniencing" Jonny for my small order, when the menu is quite highly priced. And perhaps he attempted to get over on me for "inconveniencing" him. I will not be back, sadly, as I love Peruvian food, and I was simply testing the waters for a future dining experience with the family. Nope!

Glad I went to try this place out. For context, I took my grandma out to lunch on a Sunday afternoon. The place wasn't very big and located in a strip mall with lots of other eateries so the parking wasn't super easy. Nonetheless, our wait was minimal (8 minutes max), and we were eager to try Peruvian food. I had been years ago to Don Felix, I think it was called, near Silverlake many years ago. That was my only comparison for Peruvian food. The server was great with helping us choose and explaining the various dishes. Warm bread and butter are brought to the table. We ordered lomo saltado and carne a la pobre (I think) plus an anticucho de pollo. To drink, we got the sangria and the agua de maracuya. The flavors were all very tasty. Prices are up everywhere. For an appetizer, two beverages and two plates it came up to close to $100. I wouldn't come here on a date per se, but it's a nice place to go to with a friend or your family. Seating is a little tight seemingly to try to get more people in.

Solid Peruvian restaurant in Cerritos! They have a wide range of interesting and delicious Peruvian dishes to choose from. I ordered their Lomo Saltado which is a stir fried beef dish with onions and tomatoes on a bed of thick cut potato fries. I was extremely impressed with the flavors of this dish, however, the beef was really dry. It was not really tender and overcooked. I loved the free bread appetizer with the two sauces. The sauces complemented all the dishes very well. The restaurant is quite small but has a fair amount of seating. Service was not the quickest but they were all extremely friendly and accommodating.

The service was attentive and the food was yummy! Portions are big, so come hungry or bring a friend.

This place was only okay overall. Went on a weekday and the restaurant was nearly empty and service was pretty slow. The flavor in the pasta dish was a little bland and the potatoes in the lomo saltado were not the best and pretty soggy. The meat was good, but I have had lomo saltado many times and other places just do it better imo. Again nothing was bad necessarily just average.

Still my go-to Peruvian restaurant.Ok this is my birthday dinner spot. Over many years my family has come here because NO ONE COMPLAINS! My husband, son, friends & family all enjoy the food here.Over the years I've tried most of their dishes. The fried fish, lomo saltado, ceviche, papa huaccaina, fried chicken, seafood,etc. It's all very good.The free appetizer rolls with red & green sauce is killer. I usually order an 16oz of the green to take home. I've tried 10-15 recipes, and it's just not the same. Yes I purchased the aji huacate,etc. The sauce is GREAT. But don't fill up one this!The papas huacaina is really good. Very slight spice. Creamy cheesy sauce with boiled potatoes. Yummy.Had an off menu item, Tallarin mariscos. Seafood pasta. Shrimp, scallop, fish filet, squid sautéed with onion, tomato, onion & soy sauce(?). It's the "chica" Peruvian style. This is SO good. They deleted it from their menu years ago but will still make it upon request.Hubby had Lomo Saltado. Another standard yummy Peruvian dish. Kind of the Japanese "teriyaki chicken" of Peru. All Peruvian restaurants will have this. It's done really well here. Plus he likes the idea of added French fries.MIL had the rib eye. Another stellar dish.If you'd like to try something different, give El Roccoto a try. They never disappoint.The only draw back is parking. Located adjacent to Target in South & Gridley. LOTS of restaurants in the area east of Target within the same parking block. They're just always busy. But I gotta tell you,cruise around a couple times & a space will be available.

After two decades of being a loyal customer, my apologies for the delayed review - blame it on my love for their food!Without fail, I always order the pescado macho; its delightful flavor is thanks to the savory aji Amarillo cream sauce. A seafood extravaganza with shrimp, calamari, octopus, mussels, all crowned with a crispy fish filet - definitely a must-try!The Lomo Saltado is a Peruvian classic that never disappoints.To kick things off, they serve warm bread with two fantastic sauces. My personal favorite is the red, while my mom swears by the green - we love them both equally.The recent remodel is stunning, and the staff matches the beauty. A heartfelt thank you - I'll keep coming back for the delicious food and quality service!

Our dinner here was a hot mess and nothing but one strike after the other. After spending over $100 on dinner for two, this place left nothing to be desired. Strike 1 - We found hair in the ceviche! See picture. The server had the kitchen remake another one but we had already lost our appetitestrike 2 - We were given someone else's bill, and it was not a busy night Strike 3 - When the server finally brought our bill, Happy Hour discount was missed and we had to point it out to get the bill correctedLesson learned - either never come back again or if must dine here, check everything: check the entree for "non-food" ingredients, and check the bill to make sure it's your bill and the prices charged are correct. Will not return.

Few months ago I wasn't happy with quality of the food here, I've been visiting the place for many years already.I thought I will give it another try today and I'm speechless.1st the service we received by Jorge was amazing .The food was super tasty, delicious. Definitely I will come back here again and I'm already talking to my friends and Family about the Great service and the Great food from El Rocoto. Keep up the good work Jorge and thank you very much for the great service.