Not a fan. I'm rating it based on the Beef Lomo Saltado, which in my opinion, it's such a basic dish that it shouldn't be messed up by any Peruvian restaurant. They seemed to accomplish that. The beef was over cooked. The fries were sparse. Lacked flavor. The service was horrible. Very slow during lunch time madness. Don't expect to get your drinks refilled quickly during the madness either. There was an older man who tried to help out. He was actually quite pleasant and nice but he wasn't our server. It was my second time there and I don't think I'll be bad. Sadly to say. It's so convenient to me but I've had better. read more

Inka Grill - Lomo Saltado (beef) with green beans and broccoli instead of white rice. - Peruvian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

"OH MY GOD! IS THIS SAUCE MADE OF CRACK?!" famous words of a first time Peruvian food eater that I brought here. What can I say? How can you turn down the chunkiest, spiciest, subtly delicious green sauce slathered over meat. Come on. I've been to a lot of Peruvian places from Sacramento to South Bay to Orange County. It's been a challenge to find a decent Peruvian joint since I've moved down here but hands down this place has to be one of the best I've found. The green sauce is definitely spicy and the food was well seasoned...best part... it wasn't greasy =] Mmm good times. Service was attentive and good, laid back crowd, weird decor, but comfortable. Lomo Saltados, paella, and chicken... all good choices that you will fill your tummy. read more

This place is ok. Nothing special and kinda pricey. The employees here aren't too friendly and they have stupid rules relating to credit cards (i.e. can only take two credit cards per bill, minimum of $20 to use credit card, etc). Very inconvenient. I've been to a few Peruvian places that served tastier and served bigger plates. I had the pollo saltado and the plate was completely overwhelmed by the taste of cilantro (I don't hate it, but I'd like my chicken to taste like, well, chicken). Not sure if I'd go back here again. I might as well try some other Peruvian places around southern Orange County. 2.5 stars. read more

My roommate introduced me to this place and I totally loved it! It reminded me of the cute streets in Peru's Cuzco region and brought me back to some great memories. The decor inside is really cute, looks like outdoors only indoors. :) I have an affinity for spaces like this for some reason. I had to have the lomo saltado (beef saltado) because I ate it so much on my trip. Absolutely delicious, feels like home cooking. I'll definitely go back for more or ask my roommate to pick some up on his way home. :D read more

Food and service was ok; not horrible, not great. Unfortunately, I'll never go back! I left a $10 tip on the check and accidentally left a $10 bill in the check holder and when I called to ask that they charge only the bill minus the tip and keep the cash they denied that it was in there. Why can't people just be honest? Very disappointing! read more

I'm going to ignore all of the negative reviews and just tell you about my experience and a little history. I used to come here back like in 1996. I was still in college and had a summer job in the area for some hotel software company. Chill gig. That's when I discovered this place (which coincidentally was shortly after it had opened). Just like back then, I ordered the Paella....AWESOME! ESPECIALLY with that superb spicy green sauce!!!!!!! KILLER! it was good to catch up with a good friend today and he picked up the tab as well! What a great guy! Too bad this is a bit out of the way for me to eat here more regularly. I know they have other locations but something tells me its not going to be the same as eating here. :) read more

Good food. Good service. I had the chicken chaufa it had less chicken than the average chicken chaufa entree. A great soup to have is called aguadita. The Peruvian style chicken and rotisserie chicken is pretty good. Good seasonings and hot and fresh. The green hot sauce and fresh French bread. YUM They don't limit the green sauce like at other places. You have a big bottle of it and all you can eat of it. Overall nice restaurant service good food. Don't go on a hot day since they don't run the air conditioning. I was on fire because it was hot outside like 95 here in OC going indoors without the AC running made it not as refreshing as I want. Go at night. Small restaurant. Casual. Homey cozy atmosphere. Free and easy parking. With table service. Nice waitresses. read more

I went here for lunch recently and was shocked to see $14 lunch prices! Since the last time I was here they now charge for extra green sauce. You also have to spend a minimum of $20 if you use a credit card and no more than 2 credit cards are allowed per table, WOW!! Good food but too expensive and slow service. read more

When I walked into Inka Grill I was caught off guard by the strong smell of tobacco. (There is a Hookah lounge next door) The interior was dirty and in desperate need of repair. The bread was stale but thankfully the veggie saltado was tasty. When we left the restaurant to go back to work both my husband and I smelled like the hookah lounge. I would strongly recommend anyone who comes here to eat outside to have a cleaner and more enjoyable experience. -- read more

Excelent service, food delicious perfect for a Sunday meal, very close to freeway 5, a lot of parking spaces available read more

Inka Grill - Good Peruvian food - Peruvian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Reading some of the reviews here would have normally made us avoid the place but I had a GroupOn coupon. I had the recommended Seafood Paella and my wife ordered Arroz con Pollo. She wanted Lima beans and the waiter said it is mixed with the rice. Paella was not as I expected. Normally rice is cooked in broth mixed w/ the other ingredients. Theirs is pre-cooked rice stir fried w/ pre-fried seafood. It was greasy and rice was overcooked. My wife could not find any Lima beans and explained the size of what she wanted . They did not know what we were talking about. Didn't Lima beans originate from the Andes? Her chicken was overcooked ,dry and the whole thing was salty.. The waiter didn't even bother to ask why she didn't touch her food. I was hungry so I ate mine, but threw up on the way home probably from the grease. Service was sub par, was never asked how our food was and on her cellphone at times. Place was not busy that Friday night, we were the 3rd table. read more

So really disappointed coming here for lunch. I had the 1/4 chicken (tiny) with fries & plantains on the side. The chicken was tasty the rest was just regular and ended up getting way over charged. I had inquired about the price, the lady said I was confused and that was that. She informed me that the fries and plantain sides were $4 each & the tiny piece of chicken was marked as $4.95 separately. That's $14 with tax. I paid $20 cash b/c they only take 2 cards per table. And they took all my money. After an already exhausting day at work, didn't feel like arguing it anymore. So after we leave, I decided to ask my coworkers about their bills, & they were overcharged as well. Each were charged $17.50 on credit cards before tip when they ordered $11 & $14 plates. This is not an honest place, which now explains the empty restaurant. read more

We were craving some Peruvian food and this place did not disappoint. Make sure to get the beef empanadas as a starter. I had the seafood paella and my wife had some beef dish with rice and beans. The beans are authentic and that made my wife very happy. Great service, tasty food and the prices are very good. Dogs are welcome to eat in the outdoor eating patio which was awesome. We will definitely be back soon read more

I called ahead to ensure they had their rotisserie chicken available. They confirmed and I was excited to go have dinner there. Instead, I decided to take my meal home. When I tasted the food,I couldn't believe how dry the chicken was. The wings tasted like they were dehydrated, it appeared as if the bird was sitting under a hot lamp, I was in disbelief. Even the rice tasted old and reheated. I called and let them know about it they said at that point they would refund the money or we could pick something else off the menu cause they didn't have a suitable tasted chicken available. How is that even possible, to return would take another 20 minutes and then the drive back home not worth it. They should have offered a quality product or not sold the last sorry looking roasted chicken they have left. It's said when the quality control is absent. I was just there a month ago and ordered the large seafood and appetizer, after today. I won't keep inviting friends to dine there. I should have taken a picture instead to show how dry it was sold, it's in the trash. I'm in support of local businesses, though not when they lack quality control. So dissatisfied...no words :( read more

Beef and French Fries were made for each other. Think a simple Hamburger and Fries, California Burritos, Carne Asada Fries, and now, Lomo Saltado! When big Willy and I need to escape the office and have a hankerin for a full meal, to Inka Grill we go. Honestly, we never seem to order anything other than the Lomo (Beef) Saltado, it's just so darn good. It's gotten to the point where the waitress knows what I'm ordering. For those who know what a Cali burrito is, (SD peeps, you know I'm talkin to you) you'll love this peruvian soy sauce ridden stir fry of beef and french fries served with a heaping of fluffy white rice. The portions are large and I always walk in with the intent to take home half, but always finish my plate. It's so good it's ridonkulous. read more

We recently placed an order here over the phone and it was terrible customer service. The owner is extremely rude to her customers. I made sure to put the order under my boyfriends name since he was the one picking it up and paying for it , and she refused to give him the food. I then called and told her I no longer wanted the food and I would not be going back, and she said nothing and hung up on me. The owner has horrible customer service. read more

Bomb.com! Inka always has a 90s salsa/merengue playlist, must be Pandora, and the food is always on point. I recommend the arroz con pollo or the lamb stew, white beans. They also have a great passion fruit cocktail, ask for a double shot if you like to taste alcohol in your beverage. I would stick to the traditional dishes... I mean who eats chicken at a steak house, right? I had a friend order a spaghetti meal, didn't look too appetizing, but hey you never know. Also they have a spicy green sauce that can clear sinuses if you use too much, still delicious. read more

Inka Grill - Peruvian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Best Peruvian place around. Authentic tasting food, great service. Awesome vibe. The lomo saltado is AMAZING!!

Just call my friends and I Christopher Columbus because we set out for one treasure and were presented with an even more plentiful bounty.... Searching for one of the few gold mines of carne asada fries not named Alejandro's or Allerto's in Lake Forest, we turned into the wrong plaza and decide we had reached our dining destination at Inka Grill, albeit cuisine from a different continent than we had expected. We arrived here at around 9:15 p.m., easily 45 minutes before the restaurant itself closed, but already passed the 9 p.m. kitchen closing. Luckily, the waitress informed us that the kitchen would still take our orders if we made them quickly. If not, we would have to go back to our originally intended, definite artery clogging food stop. Quickly, we ordered each ordered a plate of the Saltados and within minutes our food excursion reached its pinnacle. A simple blend of saucy fries, beef, and onions paired with white rice and an overeasy egg transformed into taste explosions into which we all inhaled. Simplicity never tasted so good. Great food + friendly service (props to keeping the bread basket and our water glasses full, in addition to the service past kitchen closing time) = a winning combo. read more

As soon as you sit down you get a basket of fresh bread and butter to eat with this green sauce/paste in a bottle. Hmm, so one may ask what is in this sauce? Garlic? Sure, Basil? Maybe, Coconut? Who knows? Crack? Yes, yes, that's it, there's crack in the sauce, cause once you start you cannot stop! I even like the iced tea here, never have I found a place where I have wanted to say, hey this is some good iced tea. I ordered the Chicken Saltados with egg. This dish was definitely concocted by a bunch of Peruvian stoners! Chicken, french fries, purple onions in a delicious sauce served with white rice with an over easy egg on top. Just thinking about it is making me hungry! They do have a lunch special menu that you have to ask for, because they simply do not hand it out to you. I tried one of the chicken lunch special dishes, it was good, but I prefer the saltados. All in all, never would I have guessed that Peruvian food would be so interesting and delicious. read more

Came here tonight with my lived ines for dinner for the first time because it was convnient as far as location. It's a cute little spot, nothing special. I had the Picante Chicken and it was a little bland... Spicy, but bland. My sister has the Arroz con Pollo, which honestly I'd nuch rather prefer bc her dish had a bit more flavor to it. Overall, typical Peruvian restaurant and I'd come back only when in close proximity. read more

Inka Grill - Pecante Chicken - Peruvian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

My absolute favorite restaurant! Please please do yourself a favor and order from here-especially now when these local businesses need us. Their ceviche is the best in the world, and the saltado is ridiculously good-especially the lomo! They do take out and delivery on the different food delivery apps right now and it's the perfect healthy but delicious option for your quarantine meals! read more

I went here for lunch for the first time today. oh Peruvian food. I have missed you. Great food and a really cute waitress. Cant beat that I'm glad it's close to work. I will be back to try the Aji de Gallina and Papa La Huancaina. A true test of a Peruvian food restaurant. I look forward to it. read more

I used to work next to here, and it was a special day when we came here. Its located in a janky strip mall (with a ton of good restaurants though). They have the most delicious aji sauce. You get this average bread, but then you soak up the sauce and it becomes the best bread of your life. You can buy a bottle for $5. I have never had to pay extra for bread and I never have seen any signs for that. The service has always been really friendly, and warm. The guys I come with love checking out some of the hot servers. I can never stray from their Paella. It is so amazing. The portion is huge. I don't think any normal person can finish this whole thing. It comes out in a paella pan with a red onion, cilantro salad on the side. Never stiny on the seafood which includes shrimp, mussels, clams, fish, squid. It is so flavorful that sometimes I take the leftover home and mix in some regular white rice so I can extend it into another huge meal. Cheapass me. The only problem is the price...its $13. Which is kinda a lot of lunch. But its the biggest portion that I can easily eat it for 2 extra meals. So that comes out being a pretty good deal. Arrox con pollo is very good also. Tender chicken with the same delicious rice. The "philly cheesesteak" type sandwich is good also. Everything is good. Just go there. NOW. read more

I like this place! A friend and I came here for a weeknight dinner. Not too busy but that's ok. The green sauce was spicy but yummy! I had that with bread and my food...we ate about 2/3 of the bottle. LOL! I has beef saltado and my friend had chaufa con mariscos...but good and not salty!! I had a Peruvian beer too. Bill came out to about $32 including tax, had a Groupon so the deal was even better! The waitress was nice and attentive. I would definitely come back here again. read more

Small authentic clean restaurant with great staff. Not a fancy place a warm place. Good and delicious homemade food. Food is good , service is good. read more

Vegetarian saltado, way too salty, and didn't even have fries. The bread - reheated, cold and then served - gross. Very friendly staff; however, I came for good food and didn't get that. read more

Best Peruvian food! I didn't know I liked Peruvian until i went here. Saltado, Picante, and Chaufa are my three favorites and all come with choice of meat. read more

Pretty decent food, but.. Sketchy happy hour. Menu says 1/2 off Apps i.e. 4 empanadas for $9.95 should be $5 for HH Alas the lady said "It's actually 3 empanadas for the HH". Or 1 empanada for $2. That's bad business imo. read more

Placed an online order and paid. Drove 20 mins to get here and there a sign on the window saying on Sunday they closed at 5 instead of 9 as advertised. Why not just reflect that time change online and NOT waste ppls time, money, and gas? read more

I went to this place several times. It is not a healthy, diet type place. They serve French fries with bread and rice......carbo load. They have a sauce that goes on the bread that is spicy and pretty good. Please, is not very clean, service a hit or miss. read more

This is fantastic Peruvian food! We had about a 30-minute wait but it was SO worth it. I had the pasta with chicken on it, Peruvian style, with their yummy spicy green chili sauce. They also had a slice of potato on my dish - well, I don't know what they did to it, but it had the best flavor of any potato that I have ever eaten. Loved the Peruvian juice "chicha morada" too. read more

$7.95 for dessert and I get these two little tiny containers of liquid lucuma ice cream don't recommend this, terrible! wish I could get my money back! read more

Inka Grill - $7.95 for dessert and I get these two little tiny containers of liquid lucuma ice cream - Peruvian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

This was the first restaurant that I ever ate at when I first moved to Orange County, so I'm slightly biased to it. I have never been disappointed with what I eaten here. The "green paste" that everyone talks about didn't faze me - actually was a little weak compared to other salsas I had before, but if I were a non-spice freak, I'd use it sparingly at first to get used to it. Since they cook everything to order, you're going to go through your whole basket of bread - You will get used to it. Better get the extra glass of water anyway. The portions are great, the Empenada, the Ceviche, hell anything on the Menu, I would heartily recommend. The food/portions are big, but you'd be hard pressed to get a take out container because it's all really good stuff that will make you sit down and eat. Have anything spicy with the Sangria here, or wash it down with some Inca Cola - you really can't go wrong. Great for if you're having lunch with business partners, dinner with friends, or out for a night with your special someone. read more

great food. excellent service. stephanie was amazing. very attentive. the place was clean. they even played great music in the background. definitely coming back. read more

Yea!! A new peruvian place for me to try. I've eaten at El Pollo Inka's Gardena and Hermosa Beach and El Rocoto in Cerritos and enjoyed most of the dishes. I figured to try the Lomo Saltado (beef, potatoes, onions, tomatoes) since I've had it a few times before and I must say I like Inka Grill's the best. Its a fairly oily dish so be forewarned. The green sauce here is lacking in flavor and could use a little more spiciness if you asked me. Its a little pricey for lunch at around $11 but you will probably have a kanak attack (food coma) if you finish it all. Based on the one dish I had here, I gotta call this place just average. read more

I love the Inka Grill chains. The food is amazing. Everything I've had from there has been great. I prefer the Costa Mesa location because the service usually is better and faster. Last time I was here though there was a waitress that I had not seen before and she seemed to be a lot friendlier than the last waiter I had, so maybe the service has improved! The green sauce is a must try. I really like the Pollo Saltados or the Lomo Saltados. The Paella is also good and the Fisherman plate (whatever it is called). read more

This is really a fantastic place that I come to every time I visit irvine. I fly to Orange County CA once a quarter and the food is so delicious. How can I not? It is so good, you won't be disappointed. read more

Inka Grill - Aji sauce is the absolute best! This restaurant is a hidden gem and a must on your list. - Peruvian Near Me - Lake Forest, California

My husband and I saw Inka grill from the I-5 and thought we'd give it a try. I ordered the seafood paella: my seafood was crunchy and refreshing, rice cooked perfectly. He ordered the Fishermans stew and he asked for shrimp and fish only an he ended up getting mussels anyway. He said it was spicy and flavorful. Bathrooms were dirty read more

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My cousin had shown me this place and after that it's one of my favorite place. I'm vegan, so not every 4/5 star rated place is vegan friendly but this place do have many vegetarian options. Peruvian Aji Verde sauce is my favorite. One of reason to visit this place. It goes really well with bread they serve while you wait for your order. Vegetarian Picante and Saltado are my favorite. If it's raining or climate is cold, you should definitely try Picante as it served really hot. Customer Service is excellent. read more