Culantro

The experience here was phenomenal. I had a nice conversation with someone I assume is the business owner. This restaurant deserves any attention it can get, as it's one of the only genuine Latin American food spots in the area.The ambience was nice and modern. A good layout, for ordering your food and sitting down. The staff was very friendly.Most importantly, the food is absolutely delicious. Having eaten Peruvian cuisine multiple times, I can say that this is one of the best that I've tasted. We tried multiple things, and I can't say that they have anything bad on their menu.If you are in Ann Arbor, even if it's like me, where I come for a yearly retreat here, you need to make a stop in this place. You can thank me later

My old classmate, Fiorella, still lives in AA and has been teaching us about true Peruvian cuisine. She's cooked for us several times now and I'm starting to understand the true power and flavour of authentic Peruvian fare.Our original exposure to Culantro was not very long ago in Ferndale. As it turns out, all of our takes were inaccurate. Something that was confirmed on today's visit. The empanadas were like biting into a pastry filled with only mild meat. No Black olives, egg or raisins. Disappointing. The ceviche (tilapia) had little flavour and zero spice. A boring waste of money. Is it possible to dilute fish? We've learned this is a dish that requires fresh fish. Today definitely was not. The atmosphere is pleasant and comforting and the only thing netting this place 1 star.It's bittersweet. We assumed on our earlier visit to the other location and sampling this food, bland as it was, was authentic. Having several sensational meals since, Culantro pales in comparison to actual Peruvian food. 11/24

This is NOT authentic Peruvian Food. I could end there but let me explain. I am Peruvian and have eaten our food all over US and abroad. First, I've read all the reviews here and feel sad for those who wrote it was their first time trying Peruvian food and enjoyed this fast food place. Glad to see that those who have eaten here and are Peruvian came away as we did - disappointed. Please recognize that when you do find and try a Peruvian restaurant, your taste buds will be blown away. You will come away from every bite with insufficient words to describe the confluence of flavors, heat and spices. We were so looking forward to trying this new place, finally in Ann Arbor. Peruvian food has been awarded by many as having the most flavorful food in the world. "Central" just won top restaurant. Of course -- Peruvian food is influenced by Spanish, Italian, Japanese cultures on a bed of indigenous ingredients (seafood, meats, root vegetables and unique spices). Culantro. What a disaster! Should have expected this the moment food was brought out within minutes of ordering.We ordered many dishes to try and taste all. (1) Yuca Fries - not hot, not fried or crunchy, We didn't even finish them. (2) Ceviche - tilapia with no flavor, not fresh, no spices. Peruvians invented this dish and this was a shameful attempt. No visible ricoto (red spice) or anything. Watery.(3) Empanadas - Nope. Took a bite hoping for all the flavors of a baked Peruvian one (juicy chicken or meat with, hard boiled eggs, raisins and olives). Nope. Unflavorful with none of those ingredients.(4) Aji de Gallina - a glop of some thick sauce, flavorless with also flavorless tough chicken. Not at all what it should be. Not even the rice was flavored (should be white but correctly made it's grainy and garlicky)(5) Seco Norteño - Dry meat with no infused flavors. Should be soaked through and through (cooked slow through time) with full cilantro flavors (Wait! Isn't that the name of the place????) served with beans that tasted as if from a can (cause none of the beans were fully cooked, just plump)(6) Arroz con pollo - this was their best attempt but still the rice lacked the robust flavors one expects and it came with only one drumstick (crazy price for this)(7) Alfajores - sometimes we save the day with at least something sweet (usually made elsewhere) but, nope, mostly starch, not typical consistency and little dulce de leche inside. (8) Maracuya Mousse - And here's why they will earn one star. Delicious. If I am majorly withdrawing and can't fly to LAX, JFK, MIA for actual dishes, I will stop in for this Maracuya (it's Passion Fruit).In summary, do not be fooled or misguided that this place serves Peruvian food. I wish that place in Toledo was still open (Chosica!). It was worth the one hour drive. This is a 10 minute walk from my son's home but he voiced wishing to forget it's even there.

At the heart of Ann Arbor, this place stands out in one of its corners.My Lomo Salteado was super delicious and tender with a side of ceviche great combo.The three milks dessert was superb as well.Service is fast and cordial.Recommended A++

We sat down. And sat. And waited. My GF is visually impaired, and they expected us to both walk to the counter to order. They couldn't walk the 8 feet to the table to take our order. Very disappointed....we drove from Lansing to try their food.

I can only speak to getting take out, specifically the Culantro bowl & empanadas. The food may or may not be "authentic" Peruvian, I have no idea but I really don't care - it was really good. There are too many more highly rated places in Ann Arbor that don't even compare when it comes to flavor.

Everything is great. Food superb, atmosphere calm, staff very accommodating. Portions more than adequate. My go to for food while in A2.

Meh. I visited a friend in Ann Arbor, and we wanted to try the new Peruvian restaurant that opened up. I've had a good amount of Peruvian food in the DMV (definitely no expert) and this was my friend's first time. You can order up front at the register and they'll give you a number to take to an empty table and bring you your food when it's ready.AJI DE GALLINA - 13This is my third time having aji de gallina, so I definitely don't know what is authentic and what isn't. I personally didn't like this one as much as the two I've had before. I found this one to have way too much sauce, which had the consistency of clotted cream (dense and thick). The creamy yellow sauce had a strong onion taste, but I felt like it was lacking in the pepper and nutty flavors. It didn't really elevate the chicken, which were shredded in big pieces. Overall, I didn't like this and neither did my friend. The bed of rice on the side was lightly seasoned, which I enjoyed more.YUCA FRITAS - 6My friend got an order of these for us to share. Their shape and coloring were pretty sad, like they've been left out for more than half a day and forgotten. The flavors were fine, but the yuca fries were a bit stale. The aji rocoto sauce was OK.My friend got a POLLO A LA BRASA for himself and was pretty unimpressed. He thought this wasn't too much better than the rotisserie chicken from Costco. The chicken was pretty dry even though it was dark meat. He did say the skin was crispy and well-seasoned.Overall, pretty mediocre experience. I would give it 2.5/5 if possible, but since Culantro is a pretty new establishment, I'm sure it will continue to improve.

It is legitamately a crime that this place is rated at 3.5 at the time of writing this. We got the lomo saltado, the Pollo a la brasa, and patacones picantes. Everything was awesome, and it came out in 5 minutes. The food quality is in the top 10% of restaurants in ann arbor, on par with savas and mani. I see some are upset with the authenticity, but I don't care :)Ill be back

Awesome Peruvian food. Glad we have some place to go that's not very far from home. Service is great - you order at the counter and they bring the food to the table. It's a cozy little space. Passion fruit juice is so amazing!!