El Chalán Restaurant

We ordered from the Peruvian side of the menu. I was delighted with my aguadito de mariscos! The delectable seafood tidbits (shrimp, scallops, mussels, fish) just kept coming! There was hominy the size of scallops, (or scallops the size of hominy?) and mostly what I thought was hominy turned out to be scallops! Hubby enjoyed his seco de cordero (lamb) and the Son ordered pescado a la chorrillana from the specials board and loved it. He gave me a bite of the fish which was so well seasoned, I almost wanted to swap dishes. We'll definitely come back when we're back in town! Muchas gracias!

One of my absolute favorites for many years. You can't go wrong but the Papa Rellena and the Lomo Saltado are outstanding. And the half a chicken dinner for 2 is an amazing deal.

A buddy of mine had been raving about a tiny Peruvian restaurant near his home in El Sobrante called El Chalan. Last night we stopped in to get a quick dinner. Located on San Pablo Dam road the restaurant is a "hole in the wall". No decorations, basic table and chairs, and chalk board. But don't go for the ambiance, go for the food. We ordered the following items:(2) Lomo Saltado 4 stars lots of tomatoes and onions, good flavor, small portions of beefLomo with green beans instead of friesChicken empanada 4 stars tiny portions of chicken. Mixto Ceviche 4 stars good portions of fish, shrimp and squid. The squid however was pre blanched Extra bread $1.50Service was good. parking lot on the side of the restaurant. The food is good. $82 before tip.

Omg! Haven't been here in years and it still is just as delicious as last time.The aji chile and chicha morada are top tier! Absolutely delicious.. I lived in Cusco, Pero for a summer and let me tell you.. it is authentic here! Plates:Butternut squash ravioli- yummy homemade tomato sauce, sweet butternut squash filled ravioli, and I think even the pasta itself was squash flavored.Vainita salata- fresh vegetables, delicious, woulda liked more fries in it haha but that's just cause I love carbs Also ordered a pork tamale- great portion and very different from Mexican tamales.. super delicious and will def come back for the chicken!Caprese salad- basic, used cilantro instead of basil and small fresh mozzarella balls instead of thick slices that I'm used to.. wouldn't order again.Over all everything is delicious and worth a visit! This mom & pops place has been around for over a decade and deserves more recognition!

Friday evening dinner with boo thang. It was my first time having Peruvian food. Raised Mexican we love our seafood & I've always loved ceviche so I needed to try home made Peruvian ceviche. It did not disappoint. The fish was perfectly sauté in lime juice with red onions, fried corn seeds and side of sweet potato. My partner got well done fried trout with rice and side of salad and it was delicious, I helped with with some. Our waiter was welcoming since we arrived and service was 10/10. Very calming ambience for a late evening dinner & not crowded at all. Partner choice wisely! We got our food within 20 minutes and it was lovely looking out their wide windows on a Friday evening. Cute for date nights or simply hanging out with friends for brunch. Did I mention they also have tasty lagers from Peru! Definitely coming back!

I come to this place off and on when I'm in town. I recommend the lomo saltado. Súper good. I also recommend their alfajores. They are the best. The service is good. The ambiance is welcoming.

Decent spot. I usually shy away from places that try to do more than one type of cuisine, but my friend had a Peruvian dish and I had an Italian and they were both good. There was a guy singing to karaoke track on Friday night which made it harder to have convo. Prices are fair, large portions. The alfajores were delicious.

This was my go to spot but the other week we ordered a few items. Mix seafood ceviche - was not like it used to be not as flavorful and less seafood more onions.Lomo Saltado - it was dry like no sauce and a few strips of beef and mostly fries. Jalea - generic seafood like it was frozen and they just deep fried it AND found a long hair. And no more bread with your order it's now extra even spending $67-

We noticed the dishes have changed significantly. The beef in my dish was so chewy that it was like chewing gum, so it was tiring to eat in addition to not having any flavor except for abundant salt. The spicy pasta dish was super bland, the mussels were also bland with the exception of a quarter cup of chopped raw onions to top each mussel off. What used to be some of the best alfajores is now a crumbly liquidy mess of a thing in your mouth missing the stellar texture that was there before. We're sad for the loss of this restaurant in our go-to list.

I ordered 2 trays of Tallarines Verdes and it was amazing!!! The potato slices are a great touch and the meat was very flavorful. The staff is very nice and friendly as well as made sure the food was exactly how i wanted it! Definitely one of the best places I have tried and will be returning as their lomo saltado is also very juicy and packs a punch with very good flavors! Small location and a little hidden however a Definite hidden gem in the bay area!