The food is excellent, but nothing compares to the service; they make you feel welcome with your family. Thank you waitress Niurka

Highly recommended, the customer service is wonderful and they make you feel right at home. Thanks to the waitress Niurka

The service from the waitress Niurka The best place to eat with family, highly regarded and inexpensive 1000% recommended Don't miss it!

I was in the Neighborhood visiting my Friend Dave , He is a Professional Mixologist friend of mine!!! I was Famished when I left his home. So I stopped by El Mono a Peruvian Restaurant!!! I rolled in and was Greeted and Seated!! My very Beautiful Server asked for my Food Order!!! I Ordered Calamar Frito for my Appetizer!!! For my Main Dish I Ordered Peruvian Paella !!! I was brought Roasted Corn Nuts to Start With. Seriously Service is Top Notch!! I was Checked on quite Frequently!!! When I Finished My Calamari Appetizer the Plate Was Cleared within Seconds!!! The Ambiance is really Nice and Clean !!! My Peruvian Paella arrived next on a Flaming Hot Cast Iron platter!!! It was a Delicious and Generous sized Platter!!! For dessert I ordered a Strawberry Flan !!! It Arrived very quickly!!! It was a Nice sized Piece and Each Spoonful was Heaven On Earth !!! Service was Fast and Efficient!!! I paid by Credit Card and Rolled Out!!!? For all These Reasons This Is A Baller On A Budget Approved Establishment!!!! I keep my Pimp Hand Strong !!! read more

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Food was delicious, thank you Anibal Orlando! Great customer service with Taya, and Niurka. read more

My receipt shows what I ordered as 1 Fillet & 5 Shrimps. I can't seem to locate it on the online menu. Anyway the fish was delicate and the sauce was most pleasing. The shrimp was a good option to take advantage of. It was a Sunday night and business was slow. Previously I had been to the San Pablo Avenue location years ago and I was overdue. I need to come back soon and try some other items. The food looks so good here! read more

El Mono - Fillet & 5 Shrimp - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I went here with my family the day after valentines. It wasn't too busy so we got in time to have dinner. This is their newest location and it is quite better. I do miss eating at this restaurant that closed down in Concord and this place was quite similar. I enjoyed the hospitality they gave us. The food was pretty good. We will be back to try other things. In addition, they accommodate gluten free people. read more

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Drove by on a Friday night, saw the place packed. Google the spot to see what all the hype was about that night. Found an episode of Check Please Bay Area of the restaurant talking about how good they were. Come in a Wednesday afternoon only to find out it's better than Good. It was amazing. I have only eaten Peruvian once before at a more commercial spot and was like "it's okay." But the journey of real Peruvian flavors MATT took us on was so AMAZING. I have never tasted these flavors interpreted like that before. From the MITI MITI CHI CHA to the Ceviche and the Paella with this green sauce and chimichurri, my wife and I were so amazed. Can't wait to get back. Ask for Matt if you don't know what to eat. But get ready he will take you on a ride to flavor city. Thank you MATT for making our day. Matt. read more

El Mono - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Delicious happy hour bites. Appreciated Criss' service. El Mono is a solid restaurant.

Food was delicious and portions were just right. Service was slow though. Will be going back again or maybe just ordering to go.

Our first time here and definitely coming back! The restaurant has its own parking lot and is spacious with indoor and outdoor dining options. Inside, the ambiance and decor were nice. Our server Christian was so friendly and welcoming. He gave recommendations and checked in several times. For food and drinks, we ordered the Yuca Frites, Lomo Saltado, Peruvian Paella, Miti Miti and Spearmint Limonada. Everything was delicious and I'd order them all again. I especially appreciated that you can adjust the sweetness of the Limonadas. read more

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July 19. 2025 1:30 pm 2.9 stars. A conscientious server saved the day. A wise diner once said "If you're craving something in particular, don't go to some place that you've never been to before." Wiser words than this have never been uttered. After reading some misleadingly good Yelp reviews and ignoring a few bad ones, we were off for the first time to El Mono. I planned to share my wife's dreamed about rotisserie chicken with her and a fried calamari plate. At the last minute my son joined us and had an Angus burger and Yucca fries. We dined family style. When we arrived, we decided to sit outside to avoid the din of diners chatting over slightly too loud mood music. The setting outside felt a bit like a parking lot covered with a roof though. Some dying plants, a bit of litter about. Cold breeze and traffic noise blowing through. It definitely does not feel like a "dining out experience". We chose to take our chances with the indoor din. Inside, Mono is very cheerful. The bright wooden tables all look inviting. The staff moving around with their hello's and smiles. A charming server, Bella, with her smile and a warm welcome, brings us home made corn nuts to snack on. We place our order and within 20 minutes we are snacking on a suprisingly large, tasty plate of calamari and enjoying, for our first time, yucca. We snack about 15 more minutes and our half chicken with rice and salad is here. The salad is covered with onions. I'm allergic and will skip that. The chicken looks pretty interesting. I wonder what makes rotisserie chicken that color? And then all dining Hell, at first slowly, and then like hurricane, breaks loose. As my wife is wrestling to cut the both of us portions of chicken, I see my son's burger coming towards us and I notify him. Wait. What? I'm wrong? The server (not Bella) turns left with a burger and heads to another table. That table rejects it and the server takes it back to the kitchen. She has a discussion and 15 seconds later, here she comes with that burger again and she gives it to my son. The Angus burger looks like a masterpiece. Two huge meat patties. Veggies and melted cheese. They even threw a fried egg and I think fried plantain in there. Some new customers with a dog arrive and sit at the next table. Is this damn place Dog Friendly? My wife is afraid of "those filthy biters" . The puppy is on a leash at least. Good. The woman let's the leash out. The dog comes towards my wife and I had to yelp at the mother of the fur baby to pull her child in. Bad. Now my wife has conquered that chicken and I take a bite of the drumstick. It tastes like S**T. Too much SALT. I'm not talking KFC or Popeye's chicken salty. I'm talking almost salt it up so it will stay preserved without refrigeration salty. Now my wife loves to put salt on everything. She thinks soy sauce is an every day spice and even she says it's too salty and won't eat it. Ok. I'll skip the chicken and eat the rice and some of my son's beef that he pulled out of the thick burger. I chew the beef. What?! It's way too Salty. My son says it is the saltiest burger he has had in his lifetime. I decide to eat the rice. Take a bite and it tastes ok. How can plain white rice be salty right? I take another bite and strike three on the food. It is not salty but there is some very unpleasant (to me) sauce under and soaking into the rice. Our party is finished eating and the three of us are chatting. I'm feeling a little annoyed but I dont want to take it out on Bella. She seems to be the best thing about this place. I excused myself to use the one restroom. It is a "choose your own sex" restroom. Darn. Its occupied. I walk back toward my table and see a female employee exit the restroom. I go in. The restroom floor is littered with many formally good but now waisted eighth inch thick piles of seat liners. I look at the toilet and Crap! Some woman has hovered over the seat leaving -well you know. I dont know if that exiting employee was the culprit but she sure as hell should have remedied the situation. I hunt Bella down and in a calm shaking voice explain about the chicken, the burger, and that hoverer. Bella springs into action and takes care of everything. Her employer should have several more like her. First she gave heartfelt apologies for shoddy work that wasn't her fault. Next, she quickly assembled a team to clean up after the hoverer. Then she comps the two s**ty dishes even though I told her earlier I wasn't after that, and brings us two delicious complementary deserts. Flan and some fancy ice cream. Lastly, she also smartly gave each of us a ticket for a free appetizer on our next visit. We gave all tickets to our son. It is highly unlikely I will be back with my family but my son might go with his friends. On our way out, in come more customers with another canine fur baby. read more

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Hubby and I came on an early weeknight to try El Mono at their Berkeley location. It's located on the tail end of 4th street with plenty of parking and outdoor patio seating. It seemed like you needed a reservation to sit in the main dining area, but we got a table immediately despite just walking in. We ordered a sampler for the appetizer, with my husband getting the steak for his main. I got the individual sized paella, which was packed full of seafood and had enough food for two. The rice was slightly overcooked but the flavor was on point. I'd love to come back again to try the other menu items! read more

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Customer service was really good. Mat checked on us multiple times. The food was delicous & savory. The poor mans steak was my favorite meat was perfectly made. The flavor on the papa la haucaina was yummy. For desert we got the lucuma icecream which was so good The atmosphere is nice + good music! Will be coming back.. read more

El Mono - Poor Man's Steak - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Great food and great service! I had the arroz tapado and it was delicious. Matt was an amazing server, friendly, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. I'll definitely be back! read more

El Mono - Arroz tapado - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

While searching for our favorite food, we stumbled upon El Mono Restaurant. The food was 100% bursting with authentic flavor; I always say that in another life I must have been Peruvian, given the love I have for this culture and cuisine. Matt was an excellent waiter, and the kitchen--though physically the least visible part of the establishment--is definitely where all the magic happens. From appetizers to dessert--we will definitely be back! read more

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I came here with my family for dinner & it was AMAZING. Beautiful interior, kind servers, & delicious food. Our servers Criss and Niurka were a delight, they were attentive & excellent hosts. We tried the Pollo a la Brasa, Lomo Saltado & shrimp. Everything was well cooked, juicy, and scrumptious. If you like authentic, fresh Peruvian food, YOU MUST COME HERE :) read more

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My best friend and I got together for my early birthday celebration. We'd dined at El Mono in the past and enjoyed having exposure to Peruvian food. So we thought, why not try their new location? We both preferred this one for many reasons! My best friend and I arrived at the opening on a weekday. We were one of a few customers but over time more folks came in. The layout of the restaurant is quite spacious and well-lit. There's a bar at the front and ample tables for all parties. Plus a nice outdoor patio. Service was fine. You look at the menu through the QR code but a worker will take your order. From there, your food will be brought out to you but you won't have many interactions or be checked on. My only note was my napkin provided was dirty and there was a plant in my water glass. Since we came in the afternoon, we both got the Lunch Special. I opted for the Aguadito Soup as my side and Tallarin de Camarones. My soup was wonderful and soothing, with lots of tender pieces of chicken and a perfect cilantro ratio. My pasta I also enjoyed. Decent amount of shrimp but a unique sauce--savory yet sweet! My best friend enjoyed her meal as well. For those who like Peruvian food, El Mono is worth a visit. I like this location more off Fourth Street and Gilman Ave. for space and free parking in their lot compared to their spot in El Cerrito. read more

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First time at the 4th street store. Excellent food as always! Had the lomo saltado, paella and a stew beef. It was busy but owner Matt and our serve Criss came over to check on the table multiple times to make sure we are taken care off. Will be back again! read more

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Our first dinner at El Mono was amazing. Friendly and professional service from Matt helped us navigate a Peruvian bevy of choices. From the very fresh Cevice, to the tasty yucca Frita's with a sauce to dip kicked off an amazing profile for our taste buds. Splitting the Paella, while adding some shrimp and the crunchy bits from the pan were a genius stroke. Finishing off with a Peruvian Affogato and the Crema Volteaeno. Perfect end to the meal. Thanks. We will be back. read more

First time trying out this restaurant and had an enjoyable dining experience. The ambiance was chill with good lighting. Service was delightful (shout out to Christian for personable and welcoming service)! Drinks: - limonada 10/10, no notes - virgin michelada 8/10, tasty overall but rimmed glass barely had salt or held in place Food: - yuca fritas 7/10, tasty but a bit too heavy/dense - grilled octopus 10/10, perfect balance of charred flavor with firm texture but not chewy - Peruvian paella 7/10, tasty and good portion even for a single serving (forgot to take a pic) Overall: 8/10, looking forward to trying other dishes in the future read more

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Authentic Peruvian cuisine. We were a party of twelve for my daughter in law birthday. Great service, good food. Highly recommend read more

Matt is an attentive server, making great recommendations! We enjoyed the beautiful fresh drinks, mushroom saltado, and alfajores with lucuma ice cream. Lovely space in Berkeley! read more

I had Peruvian food for the first time at El Mono with my family. We were very impressed by the flavor and the friendly staff. We ordered yucca fries, lomo saltado, arroz con pollo, and chupe de camarones. The chupe de camarones was our favorite. This is a creamy shrimp chowder that was rich and comforting and it was perfect with the rice. The yucca fries were also delicious I just wish there was more! The restaurant is nice and clean and the staff was very friendly. I can't wait to go back to to try more seafood dishes! read more

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First time trying El Mono. Some of the dishes were good, while others were okay. I came with friends and I got to try a few dishes. There is a parking lot at the restaurant which is very convenient. The staff is friendly and attentive. Now for the food: -My favorite dish was the Yuca Frita 5/5: these were delicious! Not oily and just right. The dish came with a delightful chili aioli sauce. -Lomo Saltado 4/5: This was my dish. It came with rice, fries and angus steak cooked in a tomato sauce. The sauce was very flavorful, and the fries were crunchy. However, this dish tasted more like steak with tomatoes; still tasty, just different from what I've had at other places. I could choose between a soup or salad to go with the dish and I chose the soup. It was delicious! -Ceviche 3/5: this was ok. It was a bit bland, and it needed more lemon. -Tallarin Verde con Pollo 4/5: My friend had this dish, and it was good but very dense. The noodles came with a green sauce and chicken, using the same tomato sauce as my dish. It came in a large skillet, so this is perfect for sharing or taking some home. I would order this. It was good! -Drinks: we had a Maracuya 3/5, this would have been delicious if it wasn't too sweet. I had to add a bit of water to dilute the drink. Chicha 3/5, same as the other drink. It has a good flavor but it is too sweet. Overall, I had some good dishes here and tasted some ok ones. If I come back, I would try the tallarines. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here but if I am craving some of the dishes, I would still give it a try. read more

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We were visiting from Los Angeles and decided to stop here on our way to the Redwoods. I was especially excited because my boyfriend had never tried Peruvian food before and as someone who loves it, I was really looking forward to introducing him to the flavors. If I'm being honest, the experience didn't quite blow me away. The food was okay, but not something I'd go out of my way to return for. The portion sizes were fair and everything we tried was fine, but it just lacked that "wow" factor I usually associate with Peruvian cuisine. Service was also just okay not bad at all, and I want to acknowledge that the staff were very polite, but it didn't feel particularly warm or memorable either. Definitely not the worst but nothing that stood out. All in all, I'm still glad we stopped by and gave it a try, but for me personally, it wouldn't be a must-stop next time. That said, it might still be a nice option if you're craving something different while passing through. read more

Everything was delicious and service by Christian was super welcoming. Spacious and easy parking in the back. read more

El Mono - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Amazing ambiance, extremely welcoming. Matt is so courteous and professional. Food was out quick and it was an explosion of taste. Their ceviche mixto is fresh, well seasoned and just overall delicious. Had to have fried yuca and chicha to finish with a bang. Great for dining alone or big parties. Come try El Mono, you will find a new favorite spot in Berkeley. read more

El Mono - Ceviche mixto, Yuca Frita (5 pcs) (Lunch), and chicha. - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

i love lomo saltado so i decided to stop by el mono, and I have no regrets! The lomo saltado was perfectly flavorful and balanced, especially with the addition of the green sauce! The seafood paella was gigantic, packed with seafood, and bursting with flavor. I also ordered the passion fruit juice which was divine. i want to go back already! ps free parking lot!! read more

El Mono - Lomo Saltado - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Niurka and Daniella were wonderful and super helpful! The food was very delicious and reminded me of my family's cooking taken up a notch I recommend the causa acevichada w/tuna and beef chaufa. The ambiance was very lovely, and I appreciate they have a patio option. read more

Let me start with the positives: the drinks were good, and so was the rotisserie chicken. However, the Asian inspired seafood dish tasted way too salty. I eat a variety of Asian food quite often and have never tasted anything as salty as that. It honestly tasted like they had poured at least half a bottle of soy sauce into the dish. In addition, after eating the dish, my stomach felt weird for a couple of days. I was also turned off by the fact that when they bring you the bill, they ask you to rate them immediately. As a customer, I felt that this was really pushy and could pressure many people into giving them good ratings. I'm not sure I'll be back. read more

Great food and service by Christian. The green sauce is amazing. The ceviche was fresh and delicious. read more

Meh. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. Maybe I had higher expectations. Wobbly table. Loud room. Candles on the table, none lit. Ceviche and postones excellent. Wine too warm and needed ice cubes. Lomo was ok. Too much rice and French fries, not enough beef. Pallia huge miss. No crispy rice. Over cooked mussels. A shrimp tail with no shrimp. 2 over cooked clams. Way too much rubbery calamari. Mushy rice. Staff was polite. Offered free dessert and free coupon for appetizer during happy hour. $150 seemed too much. The ceviche was the star. All in all just so-so. Restaurants are very expensive these days just to be meh. But maybe I ordered wrong. read more

Great food and great service! We had the cevice, limo saltado, and octopus. Everything was amazing. Thank you Matt for taking care of our party! read more

Excellent food, excellent service, and a wonderful overall experience. Matt, Niurka, and Taya, along with the entire staff, were friendly, attentive, and provided outstanding service. The ambience was warm and inviting, and the drinks were excellent as well. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and look forward to coming back. read more

We drove past Los Moles, and stopped short of Picante to visit El Mono for the first time. Good decision! This was fantastic with a deep menu to explore. Wasn't overly crowded and Cris, Niurka and Taya were attentive and brought us our order very quickly. Tonight the three of us all stuck with the seafood dishes, but I've already planned my next three visits. Tip: Finish with the flan. read more

Delicious! Just as good as the El Cerrito location so I'm glad to have a location that's closer to me. Our servers and the staff, Criss, Niurka, and Matt were all great. Highly recommend for the best Peruvian in the East Bay. read more

I live in the area and have driven by way to may times. This time I stopped and WOW!! I am so glad I did. Let me start by walking in. Criss welcomed us and said we are in the right place for Peruvian food and he was so right. The food was authentic and so full of flavor. Matt was our server and was great with his suggestions! Niurka always checked in on us and made sure everything was good. 10/10. Chefs kiss all around. I look forward to exploring the menu on my most definite next visits!! Gracias!! read more

The best food. It's probably our 4th time coming here. Every new thing we've tried, we are blown away. Niurka was a great server, super sweet and attentive !! read more

El Mono - Peruvian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I remember rolling up to their original location right after we moved to the east bay. It was a great experience for us in this strange and wonderful new town. I love this place and the family vibes - I may still be partial to their first spot, but am happy they're growing. BB read more