Ceviche

I was really looking forward to dining at Ceviche having frequented since they opened for Pisco Friday Fun. I wasn't left wanting from a food point of view. The Pisco Sours are seriously delicious, with quite a boozy kick…and I'm just going to put it out there and say they are the best in London!

We shared seven dishes between two and overall the food was well executed and rather gorgeous. Aptly, the dish of the day was the ceviche – it was fresh, flavoursome and wonderfully balanced. Sadly however the service wasn't great – I found it all quite bizarre and intrusive. Our waitress was there when she wasn't needed (reaching across and over us as we ate) and absent when we needed her. Timing was really off and even getting water was a chore. A bit more focus on the customer experience would go a long way. We were disinclined to order another round of drinks (and were not asked) or dessert.

For two of us to eat and have a Pisco Sour each (and we probably over-ordered a touch too much) it was £68 so not super cheap, but the food is fantastic.

I'm half Peruvian, so I feel like I'm definitely allowed to comment on this one.
Peruvian food is fantastic, so I am more than happy that it's finally coming to London. And I have to say that the guys at Ceviche do it justice.

I've been twice already and would definitely go again.
It's a cool place and they have really put some thought into the design. There's good (Peruvian / latin) music and you can hear telenovelas on the loos. But the dining room in the back is not the nicest of spaces, so I'm always happy to just grab a seat by the bar. It's lively and fun and the pisco sours come quick!

The Pisco Sours are pretty good. Not quite like the ones my dad used to make, but definitely very drinkable.

Then it's nice to just order a few small plates to share.

The Causa is good.
Some of the ceviches are very nice.
The anticuchos (go for the one made of heart) are excellent.
Some of the other small dishes are OK.
Last time I also tried the Lomo Saltado. This one was less authentic, almost a bit deconstructed, but the beef was of excellent quality.

Peruvian food is meant to be quite spicy – aji is one of the main ingredients. The first time I went everything was lacking a bit of a kick, but they seem to raised the level of spice. So, well done boys!

Service is good and friendly, but at times struggling a bit with the huge crowds that are coming in every evening.

Value for money is OK. The dishes could be a little bit bigger. You end up ordering 2 more, but that's also because everything tastes pretty good.

Great addition to the London scene! I have been to Peru a few times and tried many peruvian restaurants in other countries. Ceviche did not disappoint. Initially I was put off by some of the reviews I read but I am glad we went nonetheless. We were 6 people and tried pretty much everything on the menu. Peruvian food is delicate and requires certain expertise.. in light of that, prices are reasonable. Nobu is also Peruvian and they charge at least double for some of the same dishes.
We kicked off with corn & fried yuca; perfect to have the first pisco and/or cusquena beer. The ceviches / tiraditos (seabass, octopus) were spot on and delicious. So refreshing we ordered them again. We also loved the anticuchos (octopus and beef, no corazon for us) and the arroz con pato. I thought that the lomo saltado could be improved and also the quinoa salad (both good but I've tried much better). Desserts: Lucuma ice cream was amazing and the chirimoya was also yummy.
The atmosphere was great, very lively (saturday night) and we had a very nice waitress who provided some good comments about what to order.
Something to improve: I will add more dishes, particularly different ceviches/tiraditos. Salmon is too safe (and boring).
My only negative comment will be the booking system… it took a few calls, when I phoned on the day they claimed not to have my booking (made more than 10 days in advance) and then, they phoned me later to confirm a table for half an hour before of the time agreed. I was confused so I called them again & they blamed it on the system.
We shall be back!

We weren't too successful the first time we attempted Ceviche. A 60 minute wait for our reservation went seemingly unacknowledged in the tiny, packed galley bar at the front of the restaurant and we ate elsewhere, grumpily and late.

I've got to say though, upon being told of the extent of the delay and the effect it'd had on a long anticipated night out with friends, über amiable host Martin rolled out the red carpet, inviting us back for a return visit on him. True to his word, from welcome to the goodbye we were thoroughly wined, dined and damn near 69'ed. I do love the VIP touch, though it's a shame to only get it when you kick up a stink. The food thankfully, after the hype and the wait, broadly lived up to our heightened expectations..

3 to 4 dishes per person, tapas style, is the recommendation. On that basis you could just get out on about £30 a head without booze. Not bad value for the quality and quantity, but it's not a cheap night out either. The food arrives as it's cooked, in fits, spurts and starts. Such wanton disregard to timing is expected when you're sharing, but it's definitely an experience that's best enjoyed with close friends. You'll need to be close to hear over the din too, it's dark, close and shouty in here.

We took advice on the menu, pulling a selection from each section. Ceviche, the house hit, is a bit of a one note wonder to me. Slivers of seabass swim in a feisty lime and chilli marinade, silken in texture and fresh as hell. As well as this, we go for a mixed seafood plate, sadly this one is a little too similar and I think we'd had our fill by the time it turned up. It was certainly slower than the first to disappear.

The other major food group here is the selection of anticuchos or grilled skewers of varying sorts. Not recognising most of the things they've been marinaded or basted with, we chanced a selection. Beef rump and heart came doused in aji panca chilli sauce, which turned out to be a mild tingling piquancy rather than anything too robust. The best of these served big chunks of salmon in rocoto sauce. For those uninitiated into the world of the chilli, the rocoto goes by the amusing name of Capsicum Pubescens, a hairy leaved little heatbomb from the west coast of South America. Botany lesson aside, it gave the blackened fish a wonderful smoothly smokey flavour. The killer dish for me was a Lomo Saltado, wokfried striploin of beef served with onion and pepper. Sweet and moreishly powerful, you could have told me halfway through that I was eating slow cooked child and I'd have still carried on.

Unlike last time, half the group were steering clear of the booze for reasons transportational and so only Dr Vole and I were able to enjoy Pisco Sours so moreish they had more than a touch of the Columbian about them. In an ideal world, Ceviche would be a perfect spot for a post work cocktail, washing down a plate of cold fresh seabass and a skewer or two at the bar. Sadly, and subjectively, it's way too busy for that to feel like an option yet, but it delivers further compelling evidence that the independent start up restaurant scene in London continues to thrive.

I arrived for my 8pm booking to be greeted by a rather cheery fellow who showed us to our table right in the thick of the action. We got the night kicked off with a round of Pisco sours which were so good we continued to order them throughout the meal. We did try other cocktails off their all Pisco list which went down equally well, maybe a little too moreish.

When it came to the ordering we let the waiter take the helm his selection covered most dishes on the menu, this was not a problem as the group I was with are a greedy bunch me included. When the food started to arrive I knew we were going to be in for a treat. The Sea Bass (Don Cerviche) was melt in the mouth gorgeous so fresh and clean. The Salmon (Sakura Maru) was the same, delicious with a fruity Asian sauce. A few sides came along which were all great I particularly enjoyed the squid on potato cakes, yum. The larger dishes which consisted of various meats cooked with veg or noodles in chilli and a really tasty Saltado sauce. The Skewers that got squeezed in amongst the feast fantastic with the Heart being the best in my eyes just so well cooked tender and juicy, in fact so good I felt the need to have a second plate although when they arrived no one could keep their hands off.

Ceviche is a brilliant restaurant bustling with fun and people doing nothing other than really enjoying themselves. The food delicious and matches it’s surrounding perfectly. I can’t wait to go back.

I was lucky to have dinner at Ceviche last night. The food was superb. It is something new and so refreshing. I Highly recommend the lomo, and beef hearts with the Don Ceviche. The Piscos alone are a real treat!! So many to choose from, I enjoyed sampling a few, forgive me for being unable to remember their names, my head is a bit fuzzy today. Go there for dinner, snacks or a few Piscos… You will be so happy you did, the atmosphere was so buzzy and fun without the Snobby trendiness that you get everywhere. I cannot wait to go back.

Fantastic venue and a great place to go with friends, for a fun atmospheric evening and something different to do in London. The food is excellent and a real taste of Peru and the Pisco Sour is one of the best I have ever tasted.
I would recommend this to everyone, and is well worth a visit.

Went to Ceviche last week for dinner and had an amazing experience. The food was sublime and the staff were very helpful and attentive. I would recommend the Alianza Lima and the Lomo Saltado.
I'll be definitely be coming back for more.