El Chullo Peruvian Restaurant & Bar has officially opened its second location in Phoenix! The Melrose District location is the second restaurant in the Valley for the Ramírez Luzcando family.
The Melrose location was originally set to open in summer 2022, but after delays and much wait- the family was finally able to open its doors and is hosting a grand opening celebration on Friday, July 7.
The video above features a one-on-one interview with Esperanza Luzcando- owner of 'El Chullo Peruvian Restaurant & Bar’- prior to the opening.
True to its core, the restaurant’s locations prides itself in using ingredients from Peru to create its dishes.
“One of the main ingredients for a lot of our dishes is the Aji Amarillo, it’s a yellow Peruvian chili pepper that we use for all of our dishes,” said Ramírez Luzcando.
“We also [use] the Rocoto Pepper, that’s another traditional Peruvian pepper- we use that for our sauces, we use that for our ceviche.”
The family opened their first location in the Valley in 2014, sharing the culture and dishes ever since, and the new location adds modern flair to its traditional dishes.
TRADITIONAL AND MODERN
“Peruvian food is very mixed type of cuisine. We have great influence from China, Japan, Italian, African [in addition] to our ingredients,” said Esperanza Ramírez Luzcando, who is the manager of the new location, and daughter of the restaurant owners.
According to Ramírez Luzcando, the essence of the first location of El Chullo restaurant will be carried on with the vibrant decorations and staple menu items – like the Ceviche and Lomo Saltado. All in the family’s mission to share the culture of Peru.
That being said, this Melrose location will offer distinct and ‘modern’ takes on the classic dishes that the family is known for.
Some of the new dishes include:
- Tallarines a la huancaina: “The huancaina is a sauce that Peruvians love, it’s one of our favorites. We mix the huancaina sauce with spaghetti, and on top of that we put the Lomo Saltado,” explained Ramírez Luzcando. “We do the beef mixed with the onions, tomatoes, and cilantro in soy sauce and vinegar sauce.”
![[Image features the Tallarines a la huancaina] What is Nikkei? According to the manager here, Nikkei is a type of cuisine that’s a fusion between Japan and Peru- sharing ingredients and techniques to create the dishes.](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4edb868/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1376x768+0+0/resize/1280x714!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F38%2F48%2F33adb0f94f67be28fdbf8e1a843c%2Fscreen-shot-2022-06-02-at-12-57-43-pm-5.jpg)
- Poseidon Platter: “It’s a ‘piqueo,’ when you can try four different styles. One of those are the Nikkei, the other one is going to be the Chalaquita, then we have the mozzarella one, and then we also have the Aji Amarillo,” said Ramírez Luzcando, who adds that it’s been a hit at the new location because you can taste variety of different scallops cooked and seasoned differently.
- Piqueo on 7th Avenue: This platter pays homage to the first location as it serves its three most popular dishes, which include Anticuchos, the Papa Rellena, and the Papa a la Huancaina.
IF YOU GO
- Melrose location: 4414 N 7th Ave.
- Hours of operation: Sunday- Thursday [3p.m.-10 p.m.], Friday and Saturday [3 p.m.- midnight]. The restaurant is currently in a soft opening phase and could update their hours.
- First location: 2605 N 7th St. in Phoenix.
- Hours of operation: Monday-Friday [11 a.m.-9 p.m.], Saturday [9 a.m.- 9 p.m.] and Sunday [9 a.m.- 8 p.m.].
