I will say that I was initially a bit turned off by my experience here. We were visiting family in eastern LI and on the way back home, stopped to visit my parents in East Meadow. I wanted to bring my parents some food, but not "fast food". We love Peruvian as it's the closest comfort food we've ever had that is just like home cooking and I know my parents would love it. I found this restaurant online, and the reviews were promising. I ordered on their website and set the pick up time. The payment went through on my end because I received a notification immediately upon paying. When we arrived to the restaurant, I was unsure where to enter. I accidentally entered the dine in restaurant section. They seem to have multiple spaces; a nicer restaurant with dim lighting, neon lights and a lively ambience, a more casual dining area that was empty this particular night, and then a bar section for drinks and takeout. One of the employees walked me over to the pick up area near the bar, and I let them know I placed my order. The woman looks confused and fetched the owner/manager. They claimed my payment never went through. I told them that 100% it did go through as I received a message saying such. They asked for proof of payment. I showed them my online bank account, showing the payment pending. The transaction was made through *their* specific payment set up on the restaurant's website. At this point I began to get irritated. I asked them if my food was ready because I ordered ahead for the main purpose of having the food ready by the time I arrived. They seem to still believe that maybe the payment did not go through and reluctantly began preparing my order. They could definitely sense that I was getting upset and my patients was running thin. They also obviously did not have my food ready so I ended up having to wait longer than anticipated. I had my husband come in with our kid, ordered some shots and a couple drinks. They were nice enough to comp us a couple drinks to make up for the inconvenience. Their natural juices do taste very good. I tried their passion fruit. I got my parents a rotisserie chicken and chaufa. I also tried both and they were great. I ordered myself a tamale but left it out all night and had to throw it away. I'm still pissed about that. They get 3 stars because the food and drinks were good, and they made up for their mistake, but I'm still a bit annoyed at their janky payment system. They're conveniently close to my parents' house so I'll probably try them again but maybe stop by in person and order take out while enjoying a drink at the bar. read more

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I stopped by here for lunch after shopping at nearby newly opened Ross, one of my favorite stores! The interior was elegant and spacious, as well as decorated for the holidays. There was a classy and welcoming feel to the place. Upon being seated, there were complimentary corn nuts with a savory green sauce. These were tasty and addicting, with a satisfying crunch. For my drink, I wanted to try the Purple Corn beverage. The waiter brought me Purple Corn and Passionfruit juices, recommending that I mix them together. I sampled them separately at first, and loved the taste of both. The Purple Corn was delicate and sweet, while the Passionfruit was citrusy and refreshing. I wasn't sure I would them as much together, but it turned out to be a delightful blend. I ordered the Steak with Sausage, along with sides of Tostones, Salad, Rice, and Moro. The Steak had lovely grill marks, was wonderfully tender and well seasoned. The Sausage was juicy and also bursting with flavor. Tostones were perfectly crispy, thin, and oh so flavorful. Some of the best I have tasted! Salad was a nice and colorful mix of corn, purple onion, tomatoes, avocados, bringing a fresh element to the dish. White rice was fluffy and cooked well. The Moro I did not care for, because I found it to be bland. Service was excellent. The waiter was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. I enjoyed my meal here and would return if in the area to try one of the Seafood dishes. read more

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I usually order from this place cuz it's much cheaper than most Peruvian restaurants closer to my house. The food isn't always consistent but it was so cheap... Most of the time I have no issues but the last time I ordered, it was for my in-laws and they told us a few days later that the food tasted spoiled and had to throw it out. It must've been really bad.. they get Peruvian food almost once a month so they're very familiar with the food. They're not very picky.. It was my father-in-law's birthday the day I ordered. They wanted a whole chicken and a fried rice with shrimp. They said both items tasted spoiled/old. Luckily my sister-n-law bought more Peruvian food from a different restaurant. Quite disappointed at the quality but I already knew their fried rice wasn't very good and although I order the chicken sometimes .. I don't eat it myself... it's just for L. I never liked the chicken at Ajicito. I usually order on the weekends but this was a weekday...maybe it was just a bad day... who knows.. My father-in-law did get sick even from just a taste but he didn't have to go to hospital at least. He's really old. They told us we shouldn't order from them again and I haven't .. I've found another place closer but more expensive ...oh well. read more

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I only had the chicken, fries and green sauce, but everything was overwhelmingly garlicky. To-go process was simple, the order was accurate. The restaurant itself is very presentable. But too much garlic. read more

El Ajicito Peruvian Restaurant - Peruvian Near Me - Hempstead, New York

Good food. Beautiful inside. Service are very professional everybody are so nice. A must try read more

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My friend is Peruvian and she had been raving about this restaurant. From the outside, it doesn't look like it would be that nice but definitely don't judge a book by its cover. Inside it is very cozy and clean. We were seat quickly and taken our order quickly as well. I don't exactly remember what we ordered since it was so much but we definitely ordered a jar of chicha morada was was absolutely divine. We also ordered 2 different combos that came with ceviche, arroz chaufa, rice with shrimp and papa a la huancaina. Everything was seasoned so well and full of flavor. I also loved our waiter and how friendly he was. I will be coming back with my family whenever I'm in the mood for good Peruvian. read more

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The Peruvian food here is delicious! This place has grown since they first opened but the their recipes remain the same. We tried the Tallerine verde, el pollo a la Milanese and the Tallerine chino con pollo. The service was first class, attentive and knowledgeable. I feel this is a hidden gem in Nassau county. read more

We usually order this food as delivery and it is delicious! Never disappoints. One day however we went to pick it up and I was pleasantly surprised by the decor. It's a large restaurant with a lot of seating, beautiful decorations and large screens and a projector playing a concert (at the time I visited). The service was quick and presented with friendly faces. I will definitely return. read more

I'm a little disappointed today, I have been to this place on numerous occasions and the food has always been great, today was my first visit in probably over a year, the place is great, clean and well lit, the service was excellent, we had Eduardo as our server, but every person helps and is attentive to your needs, Eduardo was excellent, we started with drinks and a causa limeña to start, followed by tallarines verdes w/chicken, tallarin chino con carne and half a chicken a la brasa. The tallarines verdes were very good, but the tallarin chino and the pollo a la brasa were a disappointment, overcooked and locked seasoning. Eduardo was excellent and comped those plates. This is the reason why I will return, I hope to be able to taste the food that I was used to tasting, I understand that anyone can have a bad day. read more

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My all time favorite Peruvian spots in Long Island! The ceviche here was so good. The Lono Saltado is always on point when I get it here. So delicious, so yummy, so much flavor. You can't go wrong with this dish which is steak with French fries, onions and tomatoes with rice. My boyfriend tried one of the combo meals that done with shrimp, chicken and I believe potatoes. The service was great, our waitress was very nice and welcoming and detail oriented. read more

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We found this gem for dinner on a Sunday night with a group of 5. It's not necessarily in the most desirable part of town but the restaurant and food itself was amazing. Every dish we had was delicious - we ordered the mixed ceviche, Peruvian rotisserie chicken, 2 orders of skirt steak, mixed chaufa, fried fish and calamari with a side of tostones and sweet plantains. Our group also got drinks from guava margaritas to fresh juices, they even let us sample the juice before we ordered it to make sure we liked it. The food is very authentic as most of the customers were native Spanish speaking, service was good as well. Highly recommend if you are looking for solid Peruvian food in the area, it looks like they are expanding as well. read more

Demasiado pequeño para el precio . Peor la ensalada verde fue la mejor opción . Las papas en cantidad demasiado poco . Prefiero cocinar en casa read more

This was my family's first time trying Peruvian food, and we were not disappointed! We saw a lot of locals visit, and knew it had to be good. We came on a Saturday night, and there was a live DJ and then a live singer! The music was a little loud, but the singer came by to each table and sang to us; it was a very personalized, homey/welcoming experience. The waitress was very nice and explained/recommended many dishes for us to try, and the food came out relatively quickly! They gave us a bowl of popped corn kernels with a cilantro jalapeno green sauce that was super interesting and fun to eat as well. Our favorite was the Jalea Portion for Two. We ordered: 1. Papa a la Huancaina: this was a bit pricey for the size of the dish, but appetizing nonetheless. I feel like Papa a la Huancaina is a must when it comes to eating at a Peruvian restaurant! 2. Arroz Chaufa de Pollo: The rice was a little too salty and the chicken was dry, but the dish was overall gingery and appetizing. 3. Jalea Portion for Two: I mentioned this was our favorite: everything was breaded with a curry seasoning/breading, but it wasn't too overwhelming or overpowering! The portion was large enough for my family of 4, and every piece of seafood was delicious. The fish was flaky, the octopus tender, and it also came with crab, shrimp, and mussels, covered in a lemon sauce that was very palatable. It was a bit oily, but super fresh. I also really liked the fresh Incan corn that came with the dish!! 4. Lomo Saltado: This was a beef dish served with white rice and vegetables - the beef was perfectly salty, but I think it could've used more seasonings other than salt. However, the French fries were well marinated in the sauce! 5. Picarones (dessert): These are a cinnamon apple-esque fried dough that was light and chewy that had a mochi-like texture inside and crunchy fried breading outside. It wasn't too sweet or filling, and served with a lightly sweet syrup, and was the perfect way to end the meal! We will definitely be coming back, as we saw many people order ceviche and it looked amazing read more

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Tried the rotisserie chicken combo (rice, beans, fries) and maduros. Everything was good but it didn't quite rise to the level of 5 stars so I'll settle on 4. The salad was a bit old looking and only had 1 small piece of avocado. read more

Went to this place for a last minute dinner. Luckily they had a table available for my party. Place is nice and good music. They also have a small bar area and the main dining area. Our waiter was nice and helpful. What I liked is that out food did not take too long to come out. And we learned that the owners of the place are the chefs as well. We ordered a small jalea with ceviche and a chicha morada pitcher for the table. We ordered also papa rellena, chicken soup, fried wontons, arroz chaufa with chicken and shrimp, and pollo a la brasa (was so juicy). All the food was really good, fresh and tasted like home made cooking. Would come back to try more dishes. Definitely recommend making a reservation before going. read more

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This restaurant is an okay version of what Peruvian is food is supposed to be, the place is run by what seems an all Salvadorian crew. The service in the other hand is mediocre at best, I had the misfortune of having to deal with a a very rude and full of herself waitress who looked annoyed by the mere thought of coming to ask us for drinks. the place is no 5 star restaurant but if I'm the owner or manager I would be concern that people like that are representing my business. read more

El aji de gallina delicious, like my mother used to make it. El rachi came out in a iron cast grilled, spicy, I don't eat spicy, but it was so good that I ate it slowly :) Los Picarones.....yeah like I remembered in Peru.....with that amazing syrup....wow read more

Place was packed when we got there , around 6pm. We were four, and had to wait about 30 minutes for a table ... they are not organized and all the servers looked stressed and all over the place . They sat 4 other people who got there after us (very unfair!) . There was no host , all the 4 servers were playing host , each one coming to the front to ask who got here first after I complained about the order . The place is small with about 20 tables max and a bar by one side of the restaurant which was empty and could seat while we waited . From the bar we could hear the noise and chaos in the kitchen , a lot of yelling ! After we got sat , we had to wait about 20 minutes to order our food . Servers kept walking fast back and forth , they looked busy and tired . Thankfully our server was calm and professional. Appetizers came fast ! Tried the papa huacaina, ceviche de pescado, and tostones . All these were delicious and a must try again soon ! Main courses were okay . Not the best steak , but green spaghetti was great . Decent Rices and Beens . Bathroom were okay , not that clean since the restaurant was busy with low staff . There is a parking lot but not enough to accommodate everyone, thus we had to park in the street , 3 blocks away . Will comeback for the appetizers . read more

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This place was amazing. Truly authentic. Good portions, good prices. Absolutely delicious! If you have a group of 6 and above just aware they charge a service fee/tip. Totally fine but we didn't realize and ended up double tipping. read more

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Ordered the lomo saltado and it was pretty good! Everything seemed pretty fresh and they send a decent portion. Hot sauce was the perfect amount of spicy to compliment the dish. I would definitely get it again! read more

El Ajicito Peruvian Restaurant - Lomo Saltado - Regular - Peruvian Near Me - Hempstead, New York

Food is delicious, my fave is the Ruleta. Yes, location may not be the best, they do not have a dedicated parking lot that I know of but I've been there many many times and I've never seen anything out of the ordinary (I never go alone). Their Karaoke night could be fun, some people should sign up for the voice, (not everyone ), most sing in Spanish. Every time I go, always see a lot of orders to go. That's another option if you don't want to dine in. read more

The food there is amazing!!! The service is great! The ambiance is wonderful. I wish I could go eat and drink there every single day delicious! read more

Food is always excellent. But last time I was there with my family the waiter didn't inform me about the inclusion of tips on the bill when is more than two people after placing my credit card to pay for the bill I also left money for the tip I realized at home I did it twice and the waiter wasn't nice to advise me that the tip was included it. I don't want to mention her name she knows who she is. I mentioned it to the person in charge the following time I was there. I hope she mentioned it to the waitress to be honest and more informative about the service charges. read more

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Visited El Ajicito from Miami, FL Wow ! This place is amazing. They have a great menu variety from their appetizers to their main dishes. Great flavors ! Drinks were also well made. Definitely recommended, service was at its best. Can't wait to come back ! read more

El Ajicito Peruvian Restaurant - A combination of ceviches , seafood rice , papa a la huancaina. This was amazing , great flavors overall. Definitely recommended. - Peruvian Near Me - Hempstead, New York

I came in around 5. Sat at bar. Ordered drinks - got the passion fruit margarita. It was happy hour so the waitress said it was 2 for 1 or something. She brought them both to me at the same time-weird (the second one melted by the time I got to it ). I told her what I was considering getting (Loma Saltado) but I wanted to get at least one drink down first and continue looking at the menu. ... I didn't like my drinks (didn't say that to anyone) do I just ordered another one. They brought me the wrong drink. I was ignored the entire evening. Took forever to get someone's attention to order. I was there for about 3.5 hrs. When it was time to pay it took foreverrrrr to get someone to even look in my direction-so much so tht I literally thought about walking out, cuz no one seemed to notice me . I literally felt invisible. It was my first time here. The food was good. But im never going back to this place again. I was so excited to visit this place based on these reviews. Uber eats maybe. Or call for pickup. But if you want customer service , maybe speak Spanish or be Hispanic , or prepare to be invisible. I left 0 tip because of the reason and I preparing to tip big prior to my experience (I love tipping well and tipping big btw) . Thank you so much for this experience. I want a refund on the $ 56 I spent. read more

The food was authentic and delicious! We will certainly be returning. Not much parking but the music and ambiance was great.

Do Not order online from this place. Order was incomplete. Drove all the way to restaurant to find out that they could not complete my order. No phone call? No message? Fine. Give me a refund for what you could not give me. They claim since the 'system' they use is complicated, that they cannot issue a refunds. Really? So I'm stuck having to contact Chow Now for a refund. Never again. read more

This place is really solid! Service is great , the food is delicious, and the prices are awesome. The restaurant was packed and now I know why. Walked in on a Saturday night and sat down at a table . Ordered the pork chops and was blown away . Tender, juicy and not over cooked . The rice and beans were tasty as well . It also comes with a side salad . I also ordered a coke . The whole tab was $16.75. Definitely moving this place into my rotation . The only downside is the parking sucks. read more

Shittttt I went here 3 times in the past month and did take out a couple times I highly recommend the steak but you have to go inside and get it when it's straight off the grill read more

Really nice and all very delicious ... I was very satisfied, it was worth driving more than 1 hour ... my husband loved it ... realmente agradable y todo muy delicioso. yo quede muy satisfecha ,valió la pena conducir más de 1 hora para llegar al restaurante...a mi esposo le encantó ...la comida y la atención excelente ... volveré prontoooo!!!!! read more

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Being Peruvian gives me a certain right to say that I know about ceviches, I have eaten ceviches since I was a child, not only from Peru but also from Central America, South America and the Caribbean. A few days ago I was at El Ajicito Peruvian Restaurant (Hempstead Long Island) and tasted one of the best Fusion Ceviches that I have eaten in my life. The perfect combination of the flavors of the Caribbean such as passion fruit that was married with the fresh flavors of fish, lemon and avocado. A party of flavor in my mouth, 100% recommended. The staff are very friendly but still respectful. I paired it with a traditional Pisco Sour. If you are in the Hempstead area it is worth having this Passion Fruit Ceviche experience. Thank you one more time... #ceviche read more

My family and I loved this restaurant! We took the food to go and was not disappointed. We had arroz con pollo, fish, and maduros. Nothing disappointed. The food was so good we didn't have time for pics read more

The food is as bad as the service and that doesn't say much. Check ur bill, they change prices. Is there a way to leave a negative star?

A really great spot. Great service and fast food. The chairs rice with beef and chicken is great! The Pisao sour was everything as well. The place is a family friendly spot and I will be back . The music is good and low enough to listen but not to bother. read more

Fantastically tasty Peruvian food and generous portions. We ordered a soup and ceviche--and it was too much even shared! read more

El Ajicito Peruvian Restaurant - Ceviche, soup and camote fried - Peruvian Near Me - Hempstead, New York

wow! My family and I was so lucky to stumble upon this Peruvian restaurant during the end of our shopping day. It's a decently big restaurant, has a bar inside and a dining room. Our Waitor Eduardo was so helpful! He realized it was our first time in El Ajicito and quickly recommended some of their great dishes. What we ordered... Papas 3 Sabores, it's a mixture of 3 potato creams, papa a la huancaina, ocopa, and crema de rocoto. The taste of each cream was really good! Great seasoning and the crema de rocoto was spicy to its perfection. I wish they would've added a bit more cream to each potato. Leche de tigre Ajicito, is their own creation of regular leche de tigre with a small portion of jalea on the side. The leche de tigre was really good! It had enough lime, not a lot of onions, it included a bit of yuyo (seafood). I have to say I was impressed! I really enjoyed it & I can't wait to try the ceviche next time I go back. The jalea was also good. Nothing special. Just fried fish and calamari. Pollo a la brasa with French fries and salad, such a typical go to Peruvian dish. The chicken was extremely fresh, juicy, and savory! The skin on top was crispy too. The chicken was very tendered. Tacu tacu con Seco de cabrito a la norteña, that was delicious. I have to say, this restaurant is definitely living up to its name saying they're from the northern part of Peru. Not everyone can make seco de cabrito and make it good for that matter. The cabrito (baby goat) was so tender! So soft! Cooked to perfection! The tacu tacu was tasty, the fried beans and rice mixed together went so well with the juicy sauce from the seco. Great portion size too. The ONLY thing I did NOT like from this place was the green sauce they give you with the cancha. It had a LOT of huacatai, a Peruvian herb used to make the ocopa sauce which is also used to make a green spicy sauce. The one they put out for us was not well done. Very minor dislike. I would definitely come back to this restaurant! It was great! I want to try other dishes! Again, our waitor Eduardo was great! Thanks for being patient, friendly and welcoming. read more

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Great restaurant!!! It was my first time coming here and we came for a special occasion. It was my mom's birthday and as Peruvians living in Long Island, it can be tough finding an authentic and tasty Peruvian restaurant. We came here because of the good reviews and were very satisfied! The outside of the place is alright, parking can be tough but once inside, it's all worth it. It has a nice bar and a cute little chandelier in the main dining room. There's some TVs in the corners and a big projector screen on the wall by the windows. The waiter was really nice and talkative. Menu has a lot of good options. The prices were all reasonable for the dishes. Ceviche was delicious. Tallarines verdes con bistec was also super tasty! The helado lucuma (lucuma ice cream) was probably my favorite because I love it so much and it can be hard to find. My family and I will definitely be coming back. Probably for the Peru vs Denmark game coming up!! read more

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Excellent food. The service was excellent and the prices were modest. We have choros a la chalaca that were pretty good but a little salty. Papa rellena was delicious. My wife had aguadito de pollo and anticuchos superb!!! I had a tacu tacu with steak also very good. Perfectly cooked and served. Ofcourse the aji verde was great. Again the service was pretty good. We will come back to try the rest of items. read more

El Ajicito Peruvian Restaurant - I should had taken the picture first, ha ha - Peruvian Near Me - Hempstead, New York

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What a great meal! So, I must say our experience at El Ajicito was fantastic. We were greeted and seated immediately. First impression, the place is really nicely decorated, spacious and clean. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. We ordered calamari, salchipapa, arroz Chaufa con pollo and a side of tostones. I asked for a lemonade and was told they would have to make it. Mmm, let me tell you it was so fresh and delicious! It taste just like I had when in Colombia. The food: It was very flavorful and fresh. The rice was amazing and had a nice basil flavor. We ordered one order and it was enough to share. The calamari was great too. The aji sauce which is my favorite thing about Peruvian cooking was okay. It was a tad spicy but not bad. Parking here is pretty bad. They don't have a parking lot and parking out front is extremely limited. Bathrooms here are nice and clean too. read more

El Ajicito Peruvian Restaurant - Peruvian Near Me - Hempstead, New York

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Very helpful and accommodating staff. Esmeralda was great. My wife and mother-in-law were satisfied with everything. I am a big fan of the sopa wantan. read more

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