The Hummingbird

The Hummingbird is an absolute gem! From the moment you step in, you're welcomed by a vibrant atmosphere filled with energy, live music, and an excellent vibe. The food is nothing short of amazing--bursting with rich, authentic Peruvian flavors that make every bite unforgettable.What truly sets this place apart is the hospitality. I had the pleasure of meeting Mark, the owner, who went out of his way to make everyone feel included and at home. Whether you're a local or a visitor, this spot is a must-visit. A perfect 10 out of 10 experience--I can't recommend it enough!

The food was spectacular. You definitely pay for a sense of artistry and flavor that is super worth it. The hand rolls were all good, but my personal favorite was the shrimp dumpling ceviche. I would legit fight my husband over who gets the last one. Food comes out pretty quick too! If you sit at the bar, chefs will tell you about their in house ingredients from the salt to the tostadas to their soy sauce even. Nothing is mass produced for sure. SO GOOD.

If you're looking for Ricardo Zarate, you can find him at this little corner restaurant in Echo Park, where Alvarado turns into a narrow, hilly trickle. The Hummingbird is the Peruvian chef's latest venture, a ceviche house well worth the terrible parking (though it is truly bad: unusable lot, no valet, tons of restrictions in the surrounding neighborhood).It took me about 15 minutes to find street parking (after a lot of frustrating exploration, I found an area with several open spots a ways up on Alvarado), but once I got to The Hummingbird, I was welcomed into a cozy, bustling dining room, perfect for a Tuesday night out with a few girlfriends. There was an open kitchen and lively music, a disco ball and dancing silhouettes projected on the wall. Salted corn nuts on every table. Unfortunately no liquor license, not even for beer and wine.No corkage makes the restaurant affordable, though, even if you do the tasting dinner for $60 a person. Our server recommended this, and it was the right choice for our group, an easy way to sample a broad cross-section of the menu. The food came out at a good pace, and service was generally attentive and hospitable.The first course had us a little worried about the family style format. This was a plate of four different Nikkei hand rolls, which we were expected to split four ways. They were hard to cut, too, with less than crisp nori, and we ended up splitting them in two before biting them and trading halves. They were all tasty, though, especially the scallop roll with wasabi jalapeño paste and mentaiko. There was also salmon with lemongrass aioli and negi onion; tuna with spicy rocoto pepper, truffle, and avocado; and crab with avocado, cucumber, and arare crispy rice.Everything else was quite easy to share, appropriately portioned for our party of four. I liked all of the ceviche and ceviche-adjacent dishes, which came with some nice loose tostadas. The salmon tiradito was light and flavorful, served with cucumber, aji limo paste, orange dressing, and bright bursts of trout roe. I loved the scallop once again, this time in aguachile form: silky slices of Hokkaido scallop with cucumber, aji amarillo, and pepper ash. The crispy ceviche was pleasantly substantial, a big bowl of yellowtail with fried calamari, choclo cancha corn, and rocoto tiger's milk. The shrimp dumpling ceviche was one of the highlights of our meal, a unique fried dumpling filled with delicious shrimp , served on a fragrant sesame leaf with tiger's milk aioli. The Hummingbird may be a Peruvian joint, but that kkaennip wrap felt like a Korean-inflected touch of L.A.There were several hot dishes on the menu, including a couple of my personal favorites. The risotto de mariscos was outstanding: creamy, nutty rice with New Caledonian blue prawns, Hokkaido scallops, and aji limo, finished with crunchy tobiko and tiny greens. I was also impressed with the hearty ragú de costilla, a 24-hour braised short rib ragú served with delicate housemade pasta and aji verde. The one thing we might have skipped was the 8 oz. ribeye steak with arugula, fennel, honey mustard, and ahi hummus flatbread. Honestly, I don't know what "ahi hummus flatbread" means, but the steak did come sliced and distributed over thick slabs of bread. The steak wasn't the most tender, but it tasted good. The dish just didn't come together, and we left about a third of it uneaten.We got two of each dessert, the picarones and the sorbet. The picarones were lovely fresh beignets made with kabocha squash, sweet potato, and anise, served with pistachios, homemade fig syrup, and whipped cream. The strawberry sorbet was juicy and refreshing, with strawberry and arare crispy rice on top.This was a wonderful dinner, fun and affordable with good vibes and top notch food. I'd love to go back to The Hummingbird and would recommend it for your next night out.

NOTE: Dined in on 10/31/24 and 11/2/24. Parking can be tough around that area. There's a tiny lot, but you'll likely have to park a little ways up the hill on the street.It always saddens me to see restaurants close - especially those I enjoyed. We're lucky to live in an area where there are so many exciting, new, and delicious restaurants to eat at, which is great! BUT... for me, it means that I don't return to restaurants very often. So when Chef Ricardo Zarate closed Causita after only nine months, I was devastated. I only got to eat there twice before they had shuttered, and it had some of the best Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian fusion) food this city had to offer.Thankfully, Chef Ricardo eventually opened The Hummingbird, which advertises itself as a Ceviche House. But don't be fooled - this is no mere ceviche house. While the ceviche is excellent and you'll find plenty of the expected leche de tigre (a mix of lime, onions, chilies, salt, pepper, and little bits of dish for extra umami goodness), I would argue that the restaurant's tastiest dishes are elsewhere on the menu. Scallop handroll - My favorite rendition of a scallop handroll. It has wasabi jalapeno paste, and mentaiko (cod roe) in it, creating an addicting blend of spicy and savory. The kick is pretty subtle, but what I'm most amazed by is how each individual ingredient manages to differentiate itself from one another. Might be my favorite thing to get at The Hummingbird. Yes - it's THAT good.Shrimp dumpling ceviche - This is creative, and has all the elements that you would want in a good ceviche dish. The crunch from the dumpling exterior, the tiger's milk aioli brought a citrusy, rich, and creamy element to the dish, which complemented the generous chunks of shrimp inside. And yet, I'm not entirely sure if I would order it again. The sesame leaf that comes with the dish is quite overpowering, and you might enjoy it more without it. Crispy ceviche - crunchy fried calamari, generous portions of raw yellowtail with a tasteful chew/bite, a unique addition via choclo cancha corn (Peruvian version of corn nuts, which were also served to us as an amuse bouche at the start of the meal). The leche de tigre was infused with rocoto, a special kind of pepper which is native to Peru and Bolivia. I can't say I noticed too much of a change in flavor from the rocoto, but this was a very satisfying ceviche to eat. We finished every last drop of it!Miso Cod Tostada - The cod was cooked very well, and the honey jalapeno glaze/sauce was quite tasty, but this is essentially another variation of any other sweetly-glazed miso Cod dish. I probably wouldn't order this one again, but I have no complaints about how the dish was prepared or presented. It just wasn't good enough to convince me to order it again. Salmon Tiradito - One of my favorites, for sure. The orange dressing is one of the most addicting sauces I've ever had. I could probably drink a glass of it, to be honest! The salmon tasted clean, had a satisfying amount of chew to the initial bite, and soaked up both the orange dressing and the aji limo (a pepper that is known to taste cirtrus-y like a lemon) paste. Refreshing, sweet, and tangy. The salmon had the right amount of fat to enhance the flavor as well, and the cucumbers provided a nice crunchy texture to the dish. The trout roe on top were also bursting with flavor the moment they popped in my mouth. Definitely order this!The service was super friendly, and the space has limited seating so make a reservation! There's counter seating at the bar, and a handful of other tables. I think there's only one table for larger parties of 5+. I'm excited to come back to try the grilled octopus dish, as I recall a similar dish being my favorite one over at Causita. I'll update my review once I give that a shot!

Really stellar service and intimate and cozy dining area! Dined in on 10/31/24 ago and would like to come back for the steak and salmon tiradito soon :) Fav dish was definitely the crispy ceviche.

What a truly incredible experience! Impeccable vibes with intimate green/pink lighting, cute and trendy Christmas decor, European lounge music, super friendly service, and great food. I've described this to my friends as "Extremely LA." The Hummingbird serves Peruvian/Japanese food, so you have anything from ceviche to hand rolls. They start you with a little plate of Peruvian corn nuts for free, which is awesome. We ended up choosing the tasting menu, which I would recommend if you're confused about what items to order! We received a tuna handroll, scallop handroll, the crispy ceviche, scallop aguachile, ribeye, seafood risotto, and the 2 desserts (strawberry sorbet and picarones). Really loved all the dishes but our favorites were the crispy ceviche and the seafood risotto. Alcohol is not served currently but you can BYOB - there's a liquor store across the street. The purple corn iced tea is splendid though (not tooooo sweet) and the fruits added to the top really make it even tastier! We also ordered a canned cannabis seltzer- the watermelon cucumber flavor was yummy. I'd definitely come back another time. Thanks Hummingbird for the fantastic Christmas Eve dinner experience!

Pretty new Peruvian restaurant located in a modest building in the Silverlake/ Echo Park area. Although this restaurant is new as of mid to late 2024, the chef is decorated and has been around for a while. They specialize in ceviche and other mariscos/ seafood/ Nikkei inspired Peruvian food. The space feels chic and minimalist and it is not very big inside. We made a reservation for table, but because it wasn't too busy. We actually wanted to sit at the chefs counter instead. We also ended up ordering kind of a chef tasting menu at a pre-fixed cost per person.Just want to say everything was beautifully presented and just a delight to eat. Some of the items that came our way:- they left some chocio cancha corn - highly addictive - I seriously couldn't stop snacking on these fresh corn nuts- steak/ asada tostada- Nikkei hand rolls (assorted)- Salmon tiradito- Papa no rellena stuffed potato with crab- Risotto de mariscos- desserts: Strawberry sorbet & Picarones (beignets) - kabocha squash , sweet potatoMy friends and I went here on a whim because they kept driving by it and was curious, but we didn't realize who was running it until we looked into it more after our meal.Parking could get pretty tight in this area, but there's a small lot behind the restaurant and lots of street/ metered parking (just hopefully you are able to grab a spot)

Kismet. That's what this was.I found myself waiting at an intersection in Echo Park after my monthly drive to Atwater and I saw the name "Hummingbird." A little known fact about me is that in my family, hummingbirds are very significant. They represent the matriarchs of our family. We consider them very lucky.So seeing the building with this word painted across it was, to me, a sign (no pun intended). I went into my Yelp app and saw that it was a ceviche spot - one of my favorite dishes - so I bookmarked it. Lo and behold, just a few weeks later, not one, not two, but three of the various foodie accounts on social media I follow decided to feature The Hummingbird and rave about the food.Well shit, I guess it's meant to be. I had a random Thursday night where I was going to a show, so I decided The Hummingbird would be our spot to eat before the we got to experience the amazing musical experience. Turns out the amazing experience started right then and there.We walked in to what is a converted fast casual spot. They did a good job of changing what was likely a fast food station to an open kitchen for diners to be dazzled with the creation of these beautiful plates. Turns out, this is a Peruvian Japanese menu, which is, in my humble opinion, the best cuisine when it comes to fresh fish.We didn't have a reservation, so were sat at the sunken part of the bar (no issue with that). We were helped by who I assume is the manager or the owner and went a bit wild - four types of handrolls, four types of ceviches/tiraditos, one small bite, and two beverages.Our beverages were great. I had the purple corn iced tea and my date had a canned cannibis beverage. Both tasty. I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed the iced tea. We first received the handrolls - they were the non-vegan choices. All stellar.Next were the shrimp dumpling ceviche. I was not expecting a light crispy dumpling, but was pleasantly surprised with the flavor, texture and the sauce.The asada tiradito was so interesting. Rare bits of meat served like a ceviche on a tostada. Delicate and interesting.The sea bass ceviche was what I have come to expect from Peruvian style ceviche. So fresh, flavorful, and filling.The yellow tail was good, but I found the flavor of the fish slightly over powered by the avocado and dressing.We ended with thesalm tiradito which was really very special. The combination of flavor and textures were so amazing. I would have ordered another round of this if we didn't have a schedule to keep.The service had a small hiccup but I think that was more because the owner/manager was helping us and not the trained waitstaff, so I'm gonna let that go. Also it's a newer spot so there will always be kinks to work out.All in all, I really loved what I tried and hope to sample more delicicous plates on my next visit - but this time I'll make a reservation and sit at the high top bar!

Overall we loved our Peruvian ceviche experience here! The vibes inside were really cool, bar and table seating - definitely make a reservation. Staff is friendly and gives you recommendations. It's pretty pricey for the portion size, but well crafted and flavorful so we appreciated it. Our order: - Tuna handroll - super good - Salmon handroll - even better than the tuna - Sea bass ceviche 10/10 sooo limony - Crispy ceviche 9/10 comes with calamari & spicier than the sea bass - Yellowtail ceviche 7/10 just ok - Risotto de mariscos 10/10 bomb so flavorful, end with this! - Blue corn drink - so yummy and refreshingStreet parking can be tough so be prepared!

Date night visit with my boyfriend. We're fans of Chef Zarate's previous restaurants so I was excited to try this new one. We got the: Salmon handroll - the lemongrass aioli was a really nice, subtle touchPapa no rellena - a towering creation with a lovely creamy and crunchy textureyellowtail ceviche tostada - nicely spiced and a great balance of texturesscallop aguachile - a beautiful presentation and delicious light compositionrisotto de mariscos - comforting and surprisingly filling for a seemingly-small dish grilled octopus - a nice balance of texturesThe space is welcoming with a very relaxed ambiance. Unfortunately, the staff seemed frantic. That was surprising since there weren't many diners early on a Tuesday evening. But our service was smooth and the dishes came out quickly.