Called the restaurant during advertised open hours, no one picked up the phone... prompted me to leave a message then went to there restaurant itself, and the door was locked even though there were people inside. So disappointed. Was looking forward to surprising my other half with Peruvian food. Will be going to Burlington for my Peruvian food orders. read more

Put simply, I can't rate this place high enough. Good quality, very good food at reasonable prices and an engaging owner and chef. If this place was in Toronto it would enjoy celebrity status. DeliHighly recommended. Returned after far too long. Still great. If you have yet to sample Culantro you really must. read more

I drove from Buffalo, ny (1 hr), the food is disappointing. The place is small and loud, we ordered "Lomo Saltado" and they served without rice, which is not customary. We order a salad and they never brought it and their excuse was, they run out of veggies. The vegetarian empanada was extremely grease and start dripping as soon as you bite on it, and the sauce that came with the yuca gave upset stomach to my wife and I. The order of one of my friends, never came due not enough food in the kitchen, the waiter said "I won't charge for it" like he is doing me a favor. It was an awful experience; this place should be closed, and $9.00 per glass of wine, what a waist. Worse Peruvian restaurant or any restaurant that I know. I think the good reviews are fake, don't trust those reviews. read more

Had a fantastic date night with my Peruvian Girlfriend. It's hard to find a good place that serves food that tastes like home for her. We both really enjoyed the night. Food was very good and the atmosphere was romantic and casual at the same time. We'll certainly be back. read more

We came here at 7pm on a Wednesday and they told us they were closing and we had to leave. Another table had just finished dinner so they were definitely open for dinner that night... no explanation, nothing read more

This place gets two stars only because the empanadas were BOMB. Otherwise, Good Lord, the service was horrific. My girlfriend and I arrived at 9pm on the dot and were told the kitchen was already closed (they're allegedly open until 10pm, mind you). I was pretty annoyed because I was in town visiting my grandma in the hospital and after a grueling day at her bedside I really just wanted some good Peruvian food, so I politely inquired if, since the kitchen closed literally 30 seconds prior, we could sit down and place an order for some quick apps and an entree. She snappily responded "No, the kitchen is CLOSED." I was pretty taken aback at her tone and grumpily quipped that closing the kitchen an HOUR early was pretty lousy business practice and that her snapping at me is going to earn them a not-so-great review. To this she responded by storming into the kitchen to speak with one of the cooks back there, and then stomped back and snappily said "We can make you empanadas but that is IT." Ok, angry lady. I'll order empanadas, that's all I really wanted anyway. So we order three empanadas and a side of yuca fries and stand around waiting for these items for twenty minutes. Also fine. But then one of the cooks, who carried himself like the owner or manager - which he very well may have been - comes out and lectures me about my attitude? Says that I should have come earlier if I wanted to sit and have a meal, and then proceeds to say, "You should sit and have a drink at the bar, it may calm you down so you can be kinder to the waitress." WHAT. I'm seething at this point so I very pointedly told him that I did not have any sort of attitude and that the waitress was the one who was rude to me, and then I about-faced and stomped out of there. I've attached a photo to this review of the time in which you can also see the terrible waitress. AND to top it all off, the yuca fries were sparse, over fried, and just all around disappointing. Rest assured I'll never be walking through Culantro's doors again. read more

Culantro Peruvian Cookery - We'd been waiting twenty minutes for three empanadas and awful yuca fries. Also, the snappy waitress is in the back of the photo. - Peruvian Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

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The food and service were great. We had the pisco passion, ceviche, half chicken + yucca fries and quinoa, and the lamb shank. They have a small menu but everything is really good. The chicken and lamb are HIGHLY recommended. The portions are also quite generous. A solid date night pick. read more

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Disappointing. A group of us rented Culantro out for a private event that had a mix of vegan and omnivore attendants. We spoke to the restaurant ahead of time and were guaranteed that there would be vegan options as well. Just as a disclaimer, every person who attended paid the same amount of money for their food as the restaurant wanted to charge per head, which is fine. The issue was that Culantro's idea of a vegan option was feeding us a small green salad and lots of quinoa. That was it. The omnivores had multiple meats, empanadas, croquettes etc plus what the vegans received. Had we all been there before I'm sure we would have realized that they were limited in their vegan options but this was never mentioned when we spoke to them on the phone and booked for the event. The fact that the restaurant charged the same amount for both the vegan and omnivore plates is astounding to me. They regularly charge $3.75 for their quinoa and the vegans were charged $25 a piece. Nuts to me. Staff was nice and friendly but it was a disappointing evening. read more

Authentic Peruvian cuisine! I do love the pomegranate juicy! The roast meat also tastes good!!n! read more

Culantro Peruvian Cookery - Peruvian Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

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Been wanting to try out this place for a while. We were unsure if we should make reservations but clearly this was not needed - only one person came in the whole time we dined to pick up take out. We ordered empanadas to start with yucca fries -the Carne Empanada being the fav. The two sauces on the side that accompanied them were very nice additions - although seemed rationed and could have been more. We had the Passion fruit juice - made on site which was tasty and tart. The waitress was kind and brought a sample of the purple corn juice which was enough for me! For entrees we each ordered the same meal - quarter chicken veggies and quinoa. This was good - one thought that crossed during this part of the meal was...Swiss chalet...but chicken char cooked a little more. In search of the "Peruvian taste' in this meal it was once again found in the side dip sauce which was a very modest amount but when requested, received more. A small scoop of home made ice cream finished off the meal - it was ok - we debated if this was fresh or not- a bit icy but maybe this was how it was supposed to be. A couple of items requested on the small menu were not available which was too bad. The waitress was chipper and helpful and we had her undivided attention so no complaints there. Overall the food was good - the experience ok. My friends and I meet to try 'new to us' restaurants in search of culturally diverse food, spices, experiences and tastes. "Underwhelmed" but ok seems to sum up this experience. read more

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Very Authentic, Very delicious. I tried 3 of their tropical juices. All were amazing and unique. They change quite often as does the menu. so every visit is a new experience. Try the Yucca fries a roast meat dish or a yummy vegetarian option. Everything is made with exotic spices not many of us have tried before. The service was good. I did not feel rushed. 5 stars. read more

This place is cute and the food is delicious. I had empanadas for lunch - which were perfect from the inside out. Love the flavours. I tried yucca fries and they were great too! Friday nights they have live music. I have to go back for dinner! read more

Consistently great food and service! I've been here 3 times now and highly recommend it. The chicken is very tender with a unique taste. Yucca fries are delicious and a nice change from the standard potato and sweet potato fries. Empanadas are large. Definitely try the chicha morada and tropical juices. They make them in house and they taste incredible. The quality of these juices are hard to find outside of the tropics. Overall great food and very good prices. read more

Amazing! A wonderful little hole in the wall with shockingly delicious food, friendly and personable waitress, and awesome desserts. Get the chicken and yucca, literally the single best meal I've had in downtown Hamilton in years! Great price too, I can't wait to see this place blossom and expand. I've moved away since I last went here, but my boyfriend and I come back every time we're in town. Great prices, and literally mouth wateringly good chicken. read more

*****HONEST REVIEW**** Went here on a Saturday evening with my father and husband for Father's Day. We made a reservation for 6pm. Wanted to come for 6:30pm but they said they could only do 6 or 7. I read all the reviews on here and was hoping for a really good meal. We drove all the way from Mississauga and were really disappointed. We parked at the front and they told us there was parking in the back through the alleyway. It is a really small restaurant that gets really loud really quickly if there is a big party of people. There isn't a big menu, so just check the menu before you come and make sure there is something you would like. Basically 3 mains to choose. We ordered drinks to start I ordered the last drink on the cocktails menu. It was brown, slushy consistency in a Margarita glass (supposed to have a molases consistency), wasn't that good, mild flavour. It was hard to drink my drink-it didn't come with a straw. My husband ordered a stella and my dad, a Caesar. My husband's drink didn't come. Once the waiter was ready to take our order, (40 minutes after we arrived) my husband asked for a straw for my drink and the waiter gave it to us and left before taking our order. A few minutes later he came back and we could see the Stella on the counter. Waiters passed it and didn't realize it was there. Later on he gave my husband a new Stella and got rid of the one sitting on the counter-which was nice.. We finally made our orders. To start I had the ceviche, my dad and husband ordered the veggie empanada. I did enjoy the ceviche. I did think it was slightly too acidic and the sweet potato kind of balanced it out. At the same time I did not think the sweet potato belonged on the plate. I would order it again it had a bit of spice that I enjoyed. They liked their empanadas. The waiter recommended my dad to order the quarter chicken, yucca fries, and quinoa salad for his main. I ordered the same regretfully, and ordered veggies instead of quinoa. Reading all the reviews on Yelp I thought the chicken would be really good. I don't know what all the rave was about because the chicken was not that good. I really wanted my dad to be happy for his Father's day meal but he said, "Swiss Chalet has better chicken." I was so embarrassed. There was nothing significantly good about the chicken. The yucca fries were good, nice and crispy, and the sauce on the side (I would give the sauce 5 stars). The vegetables on the side of my plate were cold. Not sure if they were supposed to be warmer. On a positive note my husband loved his lomo saltado and cleaned his plate. And for dessert we ordered a pineapple-banana empanada which was very good in my opinion yet my dad said his piece was raw :(. They didn't charge us for dessert because he said it was a special occasion. Overall, I felt like it was such a waste to drive here because the food was not as good as the reviews made it seem. Over-rated compared to the reviews. It's a very small, cozy, restaurant. Nice servers, slow service. I wouldn't recommend people to order the chicken. I gave 3 stars because my husband liked his meals and the servers were nice but honestly would not come back. Other notes: *Washroom lock stall was backwards so I didn't even lock it when I went in. *the lamb was sold out apparently read more

Order the shrimp cevechi but I guess they don't have it anymore. That's too bad bc i heard it was really good. Ended up getting the roasted chicken and empanandas beef and chicken. The chicken was bland.. The beef was better. I didn't enjoy what I had bc they didn't have any aji sauce. The waitress told me the chef didn't make any. How can you not have it if it's on the menu as being part of the dish? Don't know if I'll come back for a while. read more

Culantro Peruvian Cookery - Chicken & beef empanandas.. Get the Beef! Make sure they have the aji.. - Peruvian Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

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Absolutely amazing food at great prices. We tried the empanadas, ceviche & the chicken dinner with the yucca fries. Every bite was a dream. This is now located on Main close to Sanford. read more

Went here on a Saturday evening the staff was friendly and the décor engaging. We ordered a steak dish, a lamb dish and a fish dish. Everything looked great. Unfortunately we all agreed all of our dinners were too salty. I would hope that the chief will ease up on the salt. Over-salting spoiled a great meal. read more

We came here for dinner during our last night in Hamilton but unfortunately, the kitchen closed early as there was no more chicken. Determined to try this place, we came back for lunch to do some takeout before leaving town. The empanadas, the chicken , the sauces and the salad were very good. Highly recommend if you're looking for something tasty and authentic. Make sure to make a reservation so the chef can reserve some food to cook for you. read more

Truly great inspirations! The owner is very friendly and the food meets our expectations of great South American style! Will def go again! Only downside is the place is kinda small so not good for a big group read more

Wow! I felt like I was back in Kensington Market. The food is great. Spot on Peruvian cuisine. The service was incredible and their drinks compliment the menu perfectly. Their empanadas are worth the trip. read more

The chicken here is like no other. Its so delicious, same with the Yucca fries. Success was great, and all the food on the menu is so, so tasty. read more

Had dinner here tonight with a group of people. The ambiance was quite lively and fun. They were short staffed but made every effort to tend to the diners. The menu was pre planned and consisted of a first course with a couple shrimp, red onion and yam. The second course was lightly battered white fish with quinoa. The third course was bbq chicken with potatoes. The food was all fairly well cooked and edible. Nothing stood out as amazing. If you're looking for an honestly prepared meal you'll find it here. read more

Great food and great price! It takes a little longer for the food to come out but it's because everything is made fresh right when you order. It is definitely worth it. Nice staff and very accommodating. Would definitely go again! read more

Amazing lunch at Culantro. I've been wanting to try this place for awhile and I was so excited to have an authentic Peruvian meal! It was everything that I hoped it would be. The chef/owner looked after us and was so welcoming. We had the roasted chicken with yucca fries. The chicken was charred perfectly and full of flavour . After our main course, he surprised us with a refreshing mango and passion fruit sorbet that I could have devoured in seconds (if not for brain-freeze!). The prices were reasonable and the chef/owner made this an unforgettable experience. read more