Bodegón No.69

Such a solid option for Peruvian food in Pasadena! My one other experience with Peruvian food in SoCal is "Costa Contemporary Kitchen", right by the South Coast Plaza, and I think this restaurant is in that same league. The Lomo Saltado is amazing. The Arroz Con Mariscos is a Peruvian take on Paella, and it's also highly recommended, and the Empanadas are as good as any Argentinian ones. Even the tamales are amazing. The dough has that pork-like infused flavor that gives it a nice touch. Highly recommended place! Plus, despite being super crowded on a Saturday night, they were still able to get us a comfortable table at the end of the restaurant without having to make us wait. I'll definitely be back for sure. 100% recommended.

I usually don't leave out reviews but this place was so great I felt I had to write a review. The owner greets you himself in when you enter. The food is on point,cooked to perfection and it's a burst of flavor in your mouth. The environment is casual and a nice music. Loved the place I'm going to be back.

Peruvian is one of my favorite cuisines owing to its unique mix of many cultures and influences. To start, we tried the empanadas (beef and chicken) and the ceviche mixto. Note that these empanadas are traditional and contain olives! Really enjoyed the flavors but I preferred a different sauce (aji verde) to accompany these. The ceviche was okay compared to other Peruvian ceviches I’ve tried. The leche de tigre marinade needed more lime and spice for the dish to be more flavorful.

As for the mains, I highly recommend the lomo saltado! The beef was incredibly tender. The cau cau, which is a honeycomb tripe stew, lacked the depth I expected out of a stewed dish. The predominant flavor was from cumin seeds (I think).

Overall, this was a satisfying meal. Don’t skip on the purple corn (chichi morada) drink! Service was a bit slow - the restaurant did seem a bit short of staff, but our waiter was very nice.

We loved everything we ordered. The chupe de camarones was light but savory. The arroz de mariscos, bistec con tallarin verde and ceviche are all delicious. And the fried plantanos are so sweet. The servings are huge! There was a big buffet party in the back so service was a tad slow but Sandra took care of us!

The staff was extremely friendly, and the food was great. Something I was surprised by was the pacing of the dishes. Each one came out fresh and hot just as my party had finished the last, so we weren't rushed, but never kept waiting - excellent touch. The place was surprisingly empty during peak lunch hours, but maybe that's because people order delivery from this place instead? My party sat outside, but we went inside to check-in for our reservation, and it had a good atmosphere. I will return again in the future.