Overall score 3.5 I was really excited about this place I grew up in South Florida with Latin restaurants all over the place. To a sense to me this is considered comfort food. We found this place by accident while looking for Latin but most places were closed during Labor Day. We decided to give it a shot since the reviews and pictures looked great. I love the decor and the size of the restaurant. The cashier/waitress was super nice, the owner/cook was great. The food smelled and looked awesome! Now for me...since I grew up on Latin food, I'm used to how it's supposed to taste. The food here was okay, could use a little more flavor but I think the chef is trying to let the natural flavors of the dish come out. I would have rather have it a bit more flavorful. The sweet plantains though were ON POINT! The size of the dishes were big and so was the empanada. Would I come back? Maybe but it wouldn't be on top of my list until I tried the rest of the Latin places around here. Don't get me wrong, try it, I would say definitely try it. Food score -lomo saltado -3/5 - carne al a plancha - 3/5 - empanada - 3/5 (outside was sweet with powdered sugar) - sweet plantain - 5/5 (great crust) read more

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Have been wanting to try Culantro for awhile and finally did as an outing with my International Dining Club. Culantro serves delicious Peruvian food from ceviche to lomo saltado to tres leches. We ordered a variety of items. My two favorite items were the yucas fritas, and maduros frito. The yucas fritas were thick cut yuca fries that were very tasty, fresh, and not greasy like traditional fries. I loved loved loved the Aji Rocoto dip that came with the fries. It was super flavorful and spicy. The maduros frito are sweet and sticky fried banana plantains and were served piping hot and I really liked the sweetness and cinnamon. I ordered the patacones picante, which was their weekly special. The patacones picante are fried plantains topped with pico de gallo salsa, and hot aji verde sauce. The spicy topping was tasty but I preferred the sweet plantains to these savory ones. For my entree, I ordered the lomo saltado, a Peruvian classic. The lomo saltado is marinated strips of steak stir fried with onions and tomatoes in a soy and Aji Amarillo sauce, which topped thick cut fries and served with a side of rice. The sauce was very flavorful and the meat was very tender and juicy. I just wish that there was more sauce and tomatoes and onions. The onions were super tender but the tomatoes could be cooked a bit longer too. I had the lomo saltado at Garrido's and it seemed to be loaded with more meat, sauce and tomatoes. The sauce at Culantro was probably more flavorful than Garrido's though. I just wish there was more sauce and juices in their lomo saltado. One of my friends ordered the Aji de Galina, a shredded chicken dish with a bright yellow sauce topped with a hard boiled egg and served with rice. He liked it, and said it was tasty but wished it was spicier like the dipping sauce that came with the fries. Another friend ordered the pollo a la brasa, a marinated chicken cooked in a Peruvian charcoal rotisserie. It came with your choice of two sides - fries, rice, salad, or black beans and choice of dipping sauce. You can order a quarter chicken $7.50, half $13, or whole $20. She ordered the quarter chicken with black beans and rice. The chicken was very tender and juicy with a crispy skin but she said it was difficult to eat since it had a lot of bones in it. For dessert I had the tres leches cake, a sponge cake soaked in three types of milk. The alfajores cookies looked really good too, powdered sugar cookies sandwiching dulce de leche sauce, yum! I will definitely have to get this next time. They also have flan and a passion fruit mousse available too. Everything was relatively inexpensive. Most desserts and sides were around $3-$4, while most entrees were around $10-$13. They also had some interesting drink options like a Peruvian soda, passion fruit juice and chicha morada, a Sangria-like mocktail made with Peruvian purple corn, pineapple, cinnamon, and cloves. It was very tasty and tasted like a cinnamony Ethiopian tea meets fruit juice. Culantro doesn't take reservations or call ahead seating unless your group exceeds eight people. They are a fast casual restaurant where you order and pay at the register and then have the food brought out to your table. We came on a Wednesday night so it wasn't very busy at all. However, I imagine it could get quite busy on the weekend as it's a medium/smallish space. There are a few larger tables in the front and lots of booths. The largest table only seats six, so the rest of our party had to sit at a separate table. All of the dishes are also pictured in photos by the register if you're not sure what to order. There's parking behind the building. Service was just ok. The server forgot to bring out a couple of our desserts and was slow to bring boxes. He didn't really check back on us and our table never received waters until we asked. Food was very tasty though and I'd love to come back to further explore the menu and try some other dishes. Great addition to Ferndale. read more

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We adore Culantro! Our first trip was at an odd time and the server was kind to take care of us since we had our little one in tow.... the even gave him complimentary fries. We just went again during the dinner time rush. Food was absolutely delicious (as it was the first time). I had the Vegan Tacu Lomo which is flavorful and filling along with the plantains and bolitas. My partner had this amazingly spicy chicken sandwich and the empanadas. Our little enjoyed the black beans, plantains, and fries. Everything we ordered was very delicious. This is very quickly becoming our new favorite local restaurant!!! read more

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Great authentic food with excellent prices and value. Can't wait to go back again. Easy on phone ordering.

The food was delicious. My husband had the creamy chicken dish (can't remember the name) and I had the La Luncha (beef with plantains). They were both super good. I would highly recommend the homemade Peruvian juices. One has a pineapple base and the other has a passion fruit base. They were both very refreshing. We will definitely return. read more

Culantro has been on my Ferndale list for awhile, so I made a point to get there over the holidays when my boyfriend and I were staying in the area. We don't have a lot of Peruvian food in our city, so I was excited to try something new. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the friendly guy at the counter who asked if it was our first time in. He helped us with some suggestions and then told us about the daily features, including a passionfruit dessert of some kind. (I actually didn't hear that it was a dessert, but I love passionfruit so I just said yes please.) After ordering at the counter, we sat in one of the many booths, all of which have a USB port for charging, which was nice. Our food came out quickly and everything was hot. I got the pollo a la brasca (1/4 chicken) with rice and beans (you get a choice of two sides), and my boyfriend got the beef empanadas and a side of white beans. The chicken was AMAZING. The meat was falling off the bone tender, and it was liberally seasoned with some delicious spices. Not spicy, but super flavorful. I inhaled it. The rice was a wonderful surprise as it was also actually very flavorful with lots of garlic and just enough salt. The black beans were smoky and comforting with a big chunk of pork in there. I would absolutely eat this meal again and again! I loved it. The empanadas were interesting - they have chopped hard boiled eggs in them as well as beef, and they are topped with sugar! Sounds kind of weird but they were delicious. The green sauce that came with our meals was like the best chimichurri I've ever had and slightly creamy. I poured it all over the rice, yum! Finally the passionfruit dessert came out - I still am not sure what it is but it was richly creamy and chilled - like a custard full of passionfruit flavor! It was sweet but not overpowering and refreshing even with all the creaminess. I loved it. Seriously I can't stop thinking about the food we had at Culantro and I can't wait to go back! read more

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I always place my orders here through Uber Eats because they have a seemingly permanent BOGO promotion on Culantro bowls (great deal, highly recommend). This week, there was some kind of glitch in the app where it didn't checkout with two when I selected the promotion. I came to pick up my order and immediately realized it was missing a meal. I showed the guy behind the counter the app and how it isn't possible to NOT add two to your cart, so it must have been an error on Uber's end. Surprisingly, he was just kind of like... too bad? Buy another one if you want your correct order. I don't really get it. Trying to make an extra $12 off of someone's misfortune is a shortsighted business move. Why not honor the promotion and help out a clearly frustrated customer? It was going to be free... what do you lose by honoring it? By choosing not to, you definitely lost a regular customer. I ordered here about once a week and would've continued to do so for the foreseeable future. Now, I don't want to come back on principle. I will say that the food is good and prior to this I was obviously fan. The ding in stars is just a result of this incident rubbing me the wrong way. read more

No matter what any of these reviews say, I think Culantro should be visited by anyone in the area. It doesn't matter what kind of food you're interested in, since there are options for carnivores, vegans and gluten frees. I'm not saying this is amazing food, but on my experience it was good and everyone at my table enjoyed it. The Aji de Gallina is a Peruvian classic, but I think Lomo Saltado maybe had a little more of the local flavor. The Chicharron sandwich also looks fantastic, towering over with pork. The flavors aren't too crazy, but they are different enough to try over some of the other typical spots in Ferndale. I think it'd also help to look at pictures of the food before going. It's not a major deal, but you likely won't know what most of the food is, even if it's fairly basic with a protein and rice in some form on every entree. read more

Culantro - Aji de Gallina - Peruvian Near Me - Ferndale, Michigan

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Food was very tasty and fresh, plantain chips with veggies are amazing and the cashier is really friendly. We even had dessert and it was great as well! Highly recommend read more

AMAZING FOOD!! (and spicy!) I had the Culantro Bowl and it was delicious and light but SPICY. Wish I had known. I think it was the Aji Verde sauce so next time I'll stick with garlic sauce. The passionfruit juice drink was wonderful as was the weird red cinnamon spice juice (I forgot the name of it.) GET THE DESSERTS! Tres Leches cake and Alfajores cookies are to DIE for! Going to practically live at this place from now on! read more

It's really hit or miss. I had their beef dish twice and it tasted completely different each time. Second time had a heavy dose of something that tasted like vinegar. But i really appreciate a place that sells fried sweet plantains soo I'll keep coming back over long lengths of time. read more

Amazing food... And I mean, absolutely mouth watering. If you want new flavors, awesome vibes, and great service... Come here! I had a garlic chicken sandwhich and it was so good I teared up. The Chicha Morada drink is like heaven in a cup. Side note: If you're an ice cream lover like I am... Treat Dreams is right around the corner. Two great small business's in one trip. read more

Only two Peruvian restaurants around here.I love all of their food .The number one most ordered..just happens to be my favorite also,and their not skimpy with the portions. read more

Culantro was great! I got the bowl with everything in it and my favorite part was how green garlic saucy it was. They brought us a free dish of fried plantains which were - not sure if thats standard or lucky or a mistake but we liked it. I would definitely recommend getting a chicha morada! It's fruity and sweet and spiced and it was fun guessing what it was made of before we looked it up. read more

Delicious, fast, healthy, fresh. I'm sensitive to soy and gluten and can eat here. Vegetarian and carnivore friends I have brought here have been equally happy read more

I've ordered take out from here twice. The culantro bowl is incredibly delicious. I love the garlic sauce that they out on top of the bowl - it ties the meal together. Additionally, they sometimes have deals where they offer but one get one free for certain bowls. If you are dining in, I would know ahead of time that there is somewhat of limited space to sit, so plan ahead for busy hours. Also, there's some parking in the back of the restaurant, but you may have to walk over. read more

We ordered the chicken empanadas which were delicious but the sugar on top was strange (but tasty). I ordered the ceviche too. We spent 2 weeks in Peru a couple of years ago and this is as unlike the ceviche I had in Peru. It needed some red peppers and tomatoes or something. It was a lot of fish!... but a good value :-) We ordered fries with the 3 sauces and plantains (which were called something different on the menu) and they were lovely. The service was friendly and the place is cute. They were VERY busy at 6pm on a Friday. I almost forgot our favorite parts! The beverages. I had a chicha morada and it was really delicious, just like in Peru. We also ordered a Maracuya juice - Passion fruit and it's amazing. Also an Inca cola and it brought back memories! read more

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We ordered carryout last night. Since we had never been here, we decided to try a variety of entrees, sides, appetizers, and desserts to get a good sampling of what Culantro offers. Let's start with the appetizers: we ordered 4 empanadas, 2 Chicken and 2 Beef. Bothe the chicken and the beef were chunky and "real" unlike the mushy, ground up stuff you sometimes get in an empanada. The crust was flaky and crispy. A+! For entrees, we had to have the famous Peruvian rotisserie chicken. We got a half, and it was incredible. The skin was grilled with the Aji sauce that offered just the right kick. Inside, the meat was very juicy. We devoured it. We also had the Aji de Gallina, chicken is a yellow cream sauce. While not bad, it didn't have quite the same kick as the "La Brasa" so I don't think we'll get that next time. (Besides, there are so many other interesting dishes on the menu, we want to try some others anyway...) For sides, we had Papas Fritas, Black Beans, and Fried Plantains. The fries were big steak fries done to crispy perfection. The black beans were a tad soupy, but the blend of spices in them were so tasty. And if you've have never had the joy of a fried plantain, you are in for a treat! These were ripe to perfection, crispy on the outside and so gooey and sweet on the inside. Our Cuban relatives would be jealous...this will be on every order when we come back! On to dessert. We were really excited to try the Flan, and even ordered extra to drop off at my brother's house, as he always was raving about my mother-in-laws Flan. Right before I left to pick up the food, the restaurant texted me to say they were out of Flan and were removing it from my order. Devastating! When I arrived to pick up the order, they apologized and offered me some of the Mousse de Maracuya - Passion Fruit Gelatin and the Dulce de Leche cake. Wow is all I can say. The cake was so delicious...I think the cheesecake layer was the secret. And the mousse was a flavor explosion. I've never had a passion fruit dessert, but I want more now. And yet, there's at least one or two other desserts we'd like to try, no to mention we still need to try that Flan! In summary, the food was great, the service was super kind, the online ordering was a breeze. We'll be back! And maybe someday we'll even be able to eat inside. read more

We went at 7pm on Friday and got one of the last tables. I learned from Yelp that I needed to order at the counter, then find a seat. We ordered: Pollo a la Brasa: Great! Rotisserie chicken with two sauces. The green sauce was good and spicy. The yellow sauce was okay but not too special. The chicken was tender and flavorful and the skin was crispy and good. We got black beans and a salad as sides and both were fine and unremarkable. The chicken was super messy to eat and we didn't get a chance to ask for an extra napkin, so it was not good date night food! Aji de Gallina: Awesome!! It's shredded chicken and chunky potatoes in a yellow cream sauce with rice. It reminds me of creamy, slightly sweet, delicious Peruvian chicken paprikash. Comfort food. Yucas Fritas: Crispy, hot and good yucca fries. Needed salt. The orange dipping sauce was spicy and good. Maduros Frito: LOVED. Sticky, sweet, hot fried plantains. Perfect. Chicha Morada: Surprising and delightful. Very cinnamon/clove flavored purple juice. Try it. Flan: Not special, low flavor, refrigerated slice, would not order again. Tres Leches: Refrigerated slice, but it was sweet and tasty and I liked it a lot! Overall it was a great casual meal, and I would definitely recommend it. The decor is cute and the staff are friendly. Good food! read more

Culantro - Maduros Frito and Yucas Fritas. Both were fresh and tasty! - Peruvian Near Me - Ferndale, Michigan

Authentic Peruvian cuisine. Food was fresh and delicious. Ceviche was really good. Highly recommend if you happen to be in Ferndale, Michigan. read more

Great service but the food is overall good and good quality but it's never the same twice. We traveled from out of town and love trying new Peruvian cuisine on our trips. We ate here twice and the 2nd was not as good. But please do not get me wrong please try this place. read more

Ordered carry out due to COVID and so happy we decided to change it up! The food is dynamite. Incredibly delicious flavor. My husband ordered the Carapulcra and I had the Aji de gallina both were incredibly tasty. Appetizer that was a plantain fritter with pico was great and dessert Tres Leches cake you can't go wrong. Ordering from here again real soon! read more

My food was on time, friendly atmosphere and food was great, I will definitely be coming back when I am in town again. Parking was a bit of a challenge, I had to drive around a few times to find parking. read more

Very nice experience. Staff was very knowledgeable and helpful in picking foods, in telling us about the specials. We tried a couple dishes and we're pleased with both.not knowing Peruvian food and only seen it on television we didn't really know what to expect. Portions were large enough, and the price was low enough. I will definitely go back and try several more dishes. The Arroz con Pollo was our favorite. read more

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Something different. Food was good . Service was not at the top. Positive impressions. Will return read more

Revising because I hate leaving poor reviews because I'm bothered with service. I ordered the Lomo Saltado, the beef is a bit overcooked for me, but the flavor is pretty good. I really wanted to put the chimichurri on top of it, but I'll save that dream for another day. I also have the plantains and I like them. There's something missing, any order of plantains I've had has usually had a sauce side, again, even the chimi is so good on them. There's a great balance with good chimi and a sweet plantain. I'd go again, but only for dine in. Carrying out wasn't a success for me. I haven't even been able to take a bite yet but my disappointment level is high. Half of the sauce in my takeout pooled in the bottom of the bag prior to leaving the counter. The container was placed in another container and handed to me. I then double checked to notice the chimichurri I was really excited about was missing... Blah blah blah, I was mad, the food tasted good-- we'll give this another business try, promise. read more

Came here with my boyfriend on a weekday around 8:30 pm. You have to order at the register before you sit down and they will deliver it to your table. We were excited to try Peruvian! And we were not disappointed. We got the quarter house chicken with rice and beans which came with a side salad with their house sauce and a side of plaintains. Omg were the plaintains melting in our mouths we also ordered the seafood paella which was delicious. We left so happy and want to go back for those delicious plaintains and to try other dishes! read more

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Delicious! This was my first time trying Peruvian food. I got the dish with the stir fried steak and fried rice with beans. I also tasted my husband's chicken dish which had a yellow sauce made of walnuts. Both were delicious. Can't wait to go back to try more things. read more

This place was delicious and brought back memories of Peru. So glad we stopped in ans definitely be back

The chicken dish I had was very good but I did get food poisoning from it. I know because it was the only thing I had eaten that day.

Good food. Incomplete carry out due lack of food. Was advised the order was incomplete, after the order had been paid for, and in-hand . No offer to make good, no substitute/refund. Not again, no thanks. Food still gets four stars! And a tipping for carry-out was my pleasure. Left hungry and salty. read more

The food was amazing! Service was quick and staff were accommodating. It would be hard to leave this place unsatisfied. read more

I ordered Cerviche and Arruz Chaure through DoodDash but it's difficult to review because I'm not sure what I was given. The rice dish was correct but not enough to feed a child and the other had chicken so chewy that it could not be eaten. Each dish over $15 and I'm very disappointed. read more

Culantro - Arroy Chauto and something I didn't order - Peruvian Near Me - Ferndale, Michigan

This place never disappoints. I usually order on door dash, but the food is amazing. The flavor profile and spices aren't too spicy for me, and the chimmichuri is fire. I always add it to my rice, and it brightens it up a bit, with the garlic sauce too, because why not. Flavortown for sure read more

I've been going to Culantro since they opened and have not been disappointed once. I owed it to them to write a review considering the food and the staff have been on point for every experience I've had there. Friendly, accommodating and awesome. It's definitely my spot. I've referred many. Thank you to the owners and staff! read more

I was so excited to try this place so I ordered through a meal delivery service. The first meal that I received was tasty - the Culantro bowl and a side of black beans. So, I ordered the same meal to be delivered using the same delivery service. Unfortunately, this time there was a hair in the rice in the Culantro Bowl. I called the restaurant to let them know, even though they aren't responsible for any refunds once you use a delivery service. Well, there wasn't a manager or owner at the restaurant. The employee was polite enough, but said that he would have to call his manager or owner. When the employee returned my call he said there was nothing they could do. They didn't even apologize. Not one word of response other than that it wasn't their problem. Hair in your food is not just a gross experience, it makes the cleanliness and sanitary habits of the restaurant come into question. And even worse when they don't acknowledge it. Don't worry, I took a pic. read more

Culantro - Hair that was in my rice, shown with the Culantro bowl where a hair was found. - Peruvian Near Me - Ferndale, Michigan

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Ive been to Peru a number of times and the food here took me right back. Delicious! Great service and good value for good food

Went there a month ago. The Lomo saltado was on point, first Peruvian restaurant I been to in Michigan n the only one from what I understand. Great food and service, next I will be trying the Aji De Gallina and the Cau Cau. read more

Culantro - Lomo Saltado. - Peruvian Near Me - Ferndale, Michigan

This instantly became my go-to carry out after my first visit. I'm gradually working my way through the menu and haven't found an item that isn't delicious. If you're a fan of Mexican food, dive deeper into the Southern Hemisphere... Peruvian! Ferndale has a new culinary gem. read more

Todays was the first time I visited the restaurant. The place had an amazing vibe . Service was excellent and the food delicious. Ordered an appetizer made of plantain... it was so yummy. The veggie entrée was really nice. A gem indeed ... read more