Restaurant Review: El Chalan Restaurant in Miami, Florida

In the mood for Peruvian food? El Chalan Restaurant located at 7941 S.W 40th Street in Miami, Florida features classic Peruvian dishes. El Chalan is located on a mini mall strip, parking is first come serve, handicap parking located near the restaurant and space found easily before 7 p.m.

The diners: Florida Four(includes myself and 3 siblings), Chester and guest Big Al.

The atmosphere is down to earth and cozy. This is not a place to take a first date to if you want to impress her, there are no white linen table clothes but instead colorful peruvian blankets under plexi glass that decor the tables. If you want to impress her with good Peruvian food then this is the place. On the wooden panel walls there are pictures of Machu Picchu and the Lineas de Nazca. Price range from $7.00-$15.00 for the main course and side orders, drinks,and desserts all under $2.50.

We ordered an arange of dishes starting with Choros a la Chalaca for an appetizer. Choros a la Chalaca are steamed mussels topped with a corn, tomato, onion and red pepper in lemon juice sauce served on a mussel shell and over a bed of lettuce. This dish is light and delicious and a hit for any seafood with six servings you might just want to eat them all by yourself.

For our entrees we ordered the Jalea Mixto, Aji de Gallina, Seco de Res, Mondogito and Lomo Saltado. Let's start with the Jalea Mixto, it is an array of fried seafood consisting of fried calamari, shrimp, mussels, fish and yuca served with El Chalan tarter sauce and limes on the side. The seafood is piled high and is enough to feed two people. Big Al is no friend to seafood, born and raised in Boston he cannot stand fish but he was pleasantly surprised by the flavor and tenderness of the fish in the Jalea Mixto.