some of the most photogenic food I've ever eaten. if you can't see that in the pictures, blame the photographer. only a block or two from my old Carlsbad house in the former Pollos Maria location. great job on the remodel. mid-week, anniversary date night adventure. shared a cocktail (KISS OF FIRE: agave tequila passionfruit, lime, aji limon, and red wine float). perfectly spiced, interesting fusion of flavors. the adorable couple were tired and anxious to get home for more intimate adventures and ordered lightly. started with the NIGIRI a lo POBRE (crispy rice with beef tenderloin, sweet plantains, quail egg, and ponzu caviar). what a great spin on the crispy rice offerings from straight-up sushi places. the QUINOA SALAD (red and white quinoa, cucumbers, mango, baby corn, seared cherry tomatoes, shaved radish, and apple dressing) was equally impressive. subtle mix of fresh flavors, textures, and visuals. plates were stunning, and if you're as unfamiliar with Peruvian food as I am, made for an educational evening. looking forward to multiple return visits to sample the rest of the menu. read more

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Don't get me wrong it was not horrible but it also wasn't the best thing Peruvian food I've had. To me it lacked flavor, even the aji green sauce they brought out had no kick, but they brought out a salsa that was very tasty and definitely helped my food out a lot. The steak was cooked good but the rest of the food on my plate was cold. Had no flavor as well... The ambiance was very clean and nice and the service was great. I was visiting in the area so decided to try it out, unfortunately it was a hit in my book. read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Churrasco à la peruana $38 - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

We've been here a few times, and I keep hoping it improves, but it really hasn't. My partner and I went a few weeks ago. We ordered the Lomo Saltado, and I had the Arroz con Mariscos. The Lomo Saltado was swimming in the broth, and the fries were soggy from soaking in it. There was very little meat. Mostly onion and the soggy fries. The rice was served on the side. Why take the time to fry the potatoes just to soak them in the watery sauce? The Arroz had a nice flavor, but for $38 there were 3 small, very overcooked and dry muscles, two tiny cocktail sized shrimp, two very small calamari rings, two very small, dry somethings that might have been scallops, but possibly octopus? Maybe the size of a nickel. I was absolutely disappointed. The deserts were mid at best. The Créma Volteda was rubbery - almost a cheese consistency and the caramel sauce was watery. The mousse was nice in flavor, but the texture was odd. $5 for an ice tea? I can't justify the ridiculous price tag of well over $100. Carlsbad is the perfect place for a great Peruvian restaurant, and I'm hoping some improvements can be made with the quality of ingredients and the presentation. We'll try one more time. Fingers crossed. read more

Honestly not sure what all the fuss is about. The place is clean and bright and makes for an enjoyable atmosphere. Service was mediocre to good. It wasn't bad but if you're selling me $40 plates of Lomo Saltado you had best kick ass. And he did not. At all. Not even a little. Food was tasty but so salty it was borderline inedible. The inca corn inspired crock was really flavorful but so salty that we thought it might have been an accident. But then so was the aji de gallina?! I'm talking so salty it hurt your mouth. Finally, we ordered a few pisco sours. Meh. I love a good pisco sour. This one was sweet and seemed to be lacking in pisco. We were so excited to get to this place that we told our OC friends that we couldn't wait to bring them. Now we shall be changing plans. I just can't chance that the salt and service will remain inflated and deflated respectively. Honestly we're super bummed. We so wanted it to be 5 stars. read more

Peruvian/ Asian fusion. Some of their items were really interesting. Like the the Pulpo Al Olivo, when it came to the table we were thrown off by the presentation but it tasted good.. the sauce is olives and you can def taste it. I got the churrasco plate.. came with pasta which is an different take (for me anyway) as I'm usually used to eating it with rice. Hated the potatoes, it was just boiled potatoes with some cold hollandaise sauce on it. Vibe is nice, in a quiet area of Carlsbad. Service was fine too. read more

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Great Peruvian restaurant in North County--highly recommend! Our group of four started with two ceviches (the Manka and the Pulpo). Both were unique, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious. The best compliment I can give is that we ordered a side of French fries just so we could soak up every last drop of the incredible sauces. A fantastic decision! The Anticuchos de Corazón was something I'd never tried before, and I'm so glad I did. It was outstanding. For our mains, we shared the branzino, the lomo saltado, and the Manka Char Siu--think of it as an elevated pork fried rice. That was our server Jordan's recommendation, and it ended up being everyone's favorite dish of the night. We paired everything with a French rosé, which was the perfect refreshing match for such flavorful food on a warm summer evening. Excellent food, excellent service, and a memorable meal. We'll definitely be back! read more

I was invited to eat here with friends and I had never eaten Peruvian food before. It was hard to pick something off the menu because everything sounded so good. We shared a few desserts and they were so beautiful! Everyone loved what they got and we have already decided we will meet there again. Bonus points for having plenty of parking! It's just on the edge of the village so even on a Saturday night, we were able to park easily. read more

Sad to see the place empty but we came earlier in the day to celebrate my husband's birthday. It's the rare moment of just us and my Peruvian husband wanted the causa and ceviche here for our sweet date. Patrick I believe was our server's name. I'm so bad with make, but he was professional and personable. The servers here do well at gauging what the customers want, if you like to chat, they are friendly, if you'd rather not, they give you your space. We got to chat some with him since we were the only ones there. We didn't need for anything, he recommended the Ceviche Manko I think it was, great recommendation! We loved it! Thank you! Well we started with Causa. What a fun food to plate! It was light, refreshing, and tasty. This dish is made various ways, some like more lime and others don't. We added lime and rocoto to it, so if you want more zing to it, just ask for a bit of lime and rocoto, they nicely obliged. Almost finished our causa, but then we had a marvelous idea! We asked for our second dish, ceviche early and topped our causa with ceviche. Perfection!!!! Seriously. It's a dish in Peru called Causa Acevichada, and it is amazing. Easily accomplished here, just order your causa and ceviche to come at the same time and top your causa with pieces of your ceviche with a bit of the 'leche de tigre' (the juice in the bowl of the ceviche) and voilà! Causa Acevichada! *chef's kiss* I need to up my iron so I ordered anticuchos (beef heart), it has over 50% of the iron you need and decently lean protein. They make such great anticuchos. They are thinner than last time, which is wonderful because it's how I got them while living in Peru. When it's thicker they are chewy and can be under or over cooked. Today was the perfect thickness, or thinness I should say. Here it tastes like the ones I eat in Peru, so nice to find a place that cooked them like that. The potatoes with it are well prepared as well. Oh the chicha! Still too sweet for me but truly here ppl prefer sweeter drinks so I think it's spot on for most customers. Easy fix for me, I order a glass of ice then pour it over the ice to water it down. Again I'm the minority here, I only share if there's someone else who thinks it's too sweet. My husband likes it sweet, we've sweetened him up here in the US lol. Oh and they have cloth napkins with silverware rolled inside. It's causal yet upscale. You'll do your loved one well treating him or her or family to the food here. They will feel pampered. And their tastebuds will be doing happy dances, ha! Also good to note that you'll leave feeling satisfied, not heavy like some meals can be. Can't wait to try aji de gallina next time. I've tired so many places LA to the border, Kentucky and Virginia as well, only one place made it like I had it in Peru. I miss it, Chupe de camarones, and aguadito so much, but thankfully I can make the past one well. Anyways. Treat yourself. Yes it's expensive. If they cut the prices a little I'm certain they'd be packed, we'd be regulars, but they serve quality ingredients and presentation is beautiful and thought out, their staff is professional, they make that effort and charge accordingly so go for the quality and experience. Obviously we returned because it is delicious so for such special occasions we splurge and dine here. Giving them 5 stars. Thank you Manka for making our date delicious. read more

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Delicious breakfast, very nice lady from Peru took our order. Strip mall atmosphere.

Went here on a date night and it was SO GOOD. Cocktails were delicious and the atmosphere was beautiful. We sat in the gorgeous outdoor patio area and everything was so clean and put together (even the bathrooms were pristine). Staff were very friendly and accommodating and came by to check on us just the right amount. From the apps to the desserts, every dish was so flavorful and filling. Will definitely be back soon! read more

Service was solid - nothing spectacular but the server was nice and attentive. It was quite nice to sit outside and I enjoyed their patio area. The pisco sour was super delicious! Perfect sweetness, a nice foam, and tastes like it doesn't have any alcohol. The ceviche is fresh and delicious. It's super refreshing and I definitely recommend trying it. The potato appetizer was just ok. Nothing to write home about. I wouldn't get it again as the flavors were plain but I don't regret trying it. We got the Lomo Saltado as well (not pictured) and it was delicious and was a well done classic Peruvian dish. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the meal! read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Classic Ceviche, Pisco Sour, Potatoes - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Took a little stroll along the beach and then headed over to try out Manka which we heard about online as a new restaurant in the area. It had a decent sized outdoor area and a small indoor area. We opted for outdoors given the nice day out. We started off with a pina colada (non-alcoholic) and the alpaca mule - both of which were very refreshing and delicious. For our appetizer, we tried the Causa limena. We didn't know exactly what to expect based off the description but we made a good choice. It was really flavorful, It was almost like a potato salad but extremely elevated. All the different sauces and ingredients made what could seem like a simple dish have nice, complex flavors. For our main course, we got the Tallarines a la Huancaina con lomo saltado which is like a fettucine with a creamy peppery sauce with lomo saltado on the side. Mixing the two together created a delicious, flavorful dish. I was surprised at how tender the beef was. We also got the arroz de pata. This dish I personally didn't like too much but my husband thought it was good. It was duck breast over a type of rice. The flavoring was very reminiscent of chile verde. The rice was a little mushy for my liking but I think that's personal preference. I would definitely come back to try some other dishes. Service was good and tentative. read more

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3.5 stars. I think this is a good restaurant but it is heavily overpriced. We came here on a weeknight evening and had a reservation. I guess it was good that we did because while the restaurant was empty initially, it filled up quickly. They mainly have patio seating. The ambiance is nice but does not scream opulence that one would expect with the price tag. The service is great. The servers are all knowledgeable and helpful. We started with the pisco sour and a Sauvignon Blanc. We tried their house sangria for a taste but it felt spicy for some reason and I didn't like it. I'm glad I didn't order that. The pisco sour was decent. For the food, we started with causa limena as a shareable plate, and then got the lomo saltado and the chaufa Manka (chicken) as our entrees. The food came quickly and portions were decent. The causa limena was deconstructed and delicious. The potatoes were cooked exactly the way you would expect a south Indian dosa (crepe) potato masala to be made. The cold chicken salad was an interesting but positive addition. We enjoyed the whole plate and definitely recommend getting this. The entrees were good but this is where the pricing comes in. The lomo saltado is priced at $38 and the chaufa at $30 with chicken but $38 with seafood. We felt that the food was not delicious enough to pay this. The lomo saltado was quite tart and the sauce was very strong. You HAVE to add the rice to make it palatable. The meat was cooked to medium to well-done which we liked. The chaufa was a little plain, pretty much like fried rice, but I enjoyed it. It was definitely richer than just a fried rice in other restaurants. I would have liked more red peppers for some heat. The chicken could have been cooked a little more. We did end up taking some of entrees home. Our experience was good but not worth the final check so if we come back, it will be for the shareables and ceviche. read more

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Ambiance..cute place and bar as you enter. Chill vibe and lots of outdoor seating. A few tables inside. Service..friendly and fast. Food..amazing..glad there is a Peruvian spot near us. Got yucca fries and plantains and fried rice..it had quinoa and so much flavorful and pickles too. Loved the cruncy on top. read more

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I absolutely loved this place! We went for lunch and it was not very busy. We sat out on the patio which was spacious and they had heaters on. Service was prompt and our waitress was very knowledgable about the dishes and was able to explain a lot about Peruvian cuisine. Everything we ate was absolutely delicious. I can't wait to come back! read more

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This restaurant is a cute and cozy spot. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. I appreciated the thoughtfulness of all the outdoor heaters during a chilly wet day. The menu wasn't complicated and had plenty of options. The arroz chaufa char sui I ordered was full of curry flavor. The serving size of this dish can be shared with another person. I'm not familiar with Peruvian dishes, but I definitely liked what I had. Come check it out! read more

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The food was delicious! I would come again and again! Yum. I had the lamb chops! I am gluten free and they were so accommodating.

Absolutely delicious food. The ceviches were incredible, and the main courses of lomo saltado and a seafood risotto like Peruvian dish were so filling and delicious. 4 appetizers and 2 main courses (with dessert) was good portion wide for our group of 4. Service was good and the ambiance was lively outside on a Tuesday night read more

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The food and cocktails were great. Our whole group enjoyed the meal, from ceviches to tallarines with lomo saltado, seafood rice, and dessert. The pisco sour was perfect. Restaurant is cute but patio isn't very secluded from the bustling street and loses a bit of ambiance. The wait staff felt like they were still trying to figure things out since they just opened 5 months ago - dimming and brightening lights, cleaning up the patio in a way that felt like they were shutting the restaurant down at 8:30 pm on a Saturday night. read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Pisco sour - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Excellent service. Delish meal. So happy with every bite and sip. We showed up tonight after reading a review and already making plans to bring friends soon read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I had the pleasure of dining at MANKA last night ... Really enjoyed their 3 seat bar area . Corley and Jonathan ( red haired young man ) attended to my every need. Their service was spectacular from the moment I entered their doors. I was fortunate growing up to have a best friend that came over from Peru in the fifth grade, and was lucky to have tasted Peruvian food that his mother and him would make all the time. The food I had last night was so so similar and just incredibly authentic. And because of the great Customer Service by Corley and Jonathan and the phenomenal food, I will be back... 10 STARS read more

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Amazing work, there is nothing like it. A great local spot if you are looking for great food. read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Veel Hearts Lamb Chops - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Absolutely shocking how amazing our dinner was. The food was simply stunning. The service was so friendly and informative. I cannot recommend this enough. Best dinner out I've had in a very long time. Definitely going on the favorites list. read more

Awesome new little Peruvian spot located within Carlsbad Village. The food here is pretty delicious, and really fits the bill for those craving Peruvian. Portions could be a bit larger, but it's all good. Good food, good service, awesome patio, can't complain... read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Lomo Saltado - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Without a doubt, this is the best Peruvian food you're gonna get this far north of Lima. Very cool atmosphere. Excellent service. My only complaint would be that it's a little expensive. Probably twice what it would cost in Peru. Bring your platinum cards! read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Pisco Sour anyone? - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Had dinner with my family here 4 times now. All of the entrées and appetizers we've tried are great (we've probably tried half the menu). The lomo saltado and the bao buns are my favorites. The service is excellent and the outdoor space is nice. Will definitely keep coming back! read more

Service beyond 5 Food is delicious D best cocktails Place is clean You can bring your bougee family friends here! They will love it. To Manka we will see again soon! read more

Manka Peruvian Cuisine - Delicious food - Peruvian Near Me - Carlsbad, California

We sat at a table in their outdoor patio and it is a spacious area. Our server was very friendly and attentive to us. We chose this place because my husband and I never had peruvisn food before but my friend's partner is peruvian and my friend has had it before. So we were in good hands for trying new things! We ordered the following items: 1. Causa Limena - this was a hit at our table. The mashed potato was so light, mixed with the chicken salad for texture. Ontop of that, the lime created a perfect citrus flavor. Everything tasted so well together. 2. Lomo Saltado - My friend and her partner got this as they are familiar with this dish. The meat was tender and melts in your mouth. The potato was perfectly cooked. Her partner was really excited to see the corn in the rice. The only thing he said that could be improved is the salt in the sauce. Both of them mentioned it was a bit salty and the rice didnt help with soaking up that saltiness. 3. Churrasco a la Peruna - The potatoes were good! It is a cold side dish. Very creamy. The pasta was basically a pesto fettuccine and the ny strip was so tender. I paired this with their red hot sauce to give that extra spice for the meat but also some flavor to the fettuccine. 4. Chaufa Manka - My husband got this dish and he really enjoyed it. My friend's partner recommended getting chicken as the protein and the recommendation was definitely well received! Overall, we had such an enjoyable meal learning the culture and the food. We ordered chicha morada (purple corn!! so sweet - it reminded me of hibiscus flavor) and inka kola (yellow soda - it reminded me of an asian energy drink) The menu is pricey.. but it is in Carlsbad and the quality of the food does make it worth the price. We want to come back here and explore more of the menu as we are now more comfortable with ordering! read more

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So happy to see another new restaurant in Carlsbad! And so glad to see that it's Peruvian!! we don't have enough Peruvian restaurants in the area and so happy to see one! And this one if delicious! was able to make a reservation online so it was super easy to get the time and date I wanted, you could also walk in and they'll seat you if there's tables available. The service was amazing everyone was so polite and welcoming. The majority of the seating is outdoors with like 3 tables inside. And they have heaters, so perfect when it gets chilly. Love this place! And excited to go back! read more

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Manka opened recently in Carlsbad, and is such a treat! A bit outside of the main drag but then it's very east to park. It's on the pricier side (a lunch menu would be nice to have) but the food was delicious. My friend and I shared the Manka ceviche, an appetizer with potatoes, Peruvian fried rice with beef and the delicious chocolate tort. Everything was delicious and I can't wait to go back to try more dish. Very nice server too! read more

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We wanted to love this place. I adore Peruvian Food. We came on a Saturday night. Was not even half full. Service was good. The Ceviche Manka was the best of all the eats. Truly delicious, however the portion size and cost were not exciting. The other app ordered was the Papa a la HuancIna. Meh' typically one of my favorite dishes and it was a bougie artistic interpretation that did NOT satisfy my craving of the dish at all. My main was the prime rib and that was fine. But again in the pricy side. I am typically not one to comment on price as eating out prices are subjective and the cost of running a restaurant is outrageous... however, for the location and price it seems a little much. Also this is a beer and wine only establishment. No real liquor. So the signature cocktails are not made with real liquor. Not excited to be back any time soon.... which is such a bummer .... read more

Highly recommend for special occasions! The pictures don't do it justice. Very unique food and wonderful staff. read more

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The food, service, and ambience were all outstanding. Some of the best Peruvian food I've had in San Diego county My only complaint is that the parking lot is very dark. They need lights. read more

We had a wonderful anniversary dinner here with our 8yr old daughter (she loves trying all food and certainly loves seafood). It is always refreshing to try new flavors and Manka Peruvian delivers. We started with the ceviche, tuna tacos and quail egg topped beef bites (sorry I cannot recall the menu names) but all were delicious complex combo of vibrant flavors- we kept the ceviche sauce to drink lol and pair with our mains. Our daughter had the Arroz con Mariscos (hah remembered that one) which was solid- complex, with fresh tidbits of seafood - mussels, calamari, I had the fettuccine with yellow pepper sauce and lomo soltado- perfectly tender chunks of beef and importantly perfectly crisp but sweet cooked onions and hubs had the fried rice which was lovely familiar (we Asian) and elevated with their house made green sauce. Dessert was amazing with never tried before Peruvian fruit based Lucuma fruit mousse and ice cream- And generously two glasses of sparkling vino for our anniversary. Great attentive service, modern lovely ambiance - Highly recommend and cannot wait to come back! (Also 8yr old double thumbs up approved - so family friendly indeed!) read more

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Really nice setting and unique, delicious food. Service was really good too! Mostly outside seating but they have heaters all over the place. Shouldn't be an issue most of the year. Pretty easy parking as well. read more

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Finally this place has opened!! We walk by/drive by all the time and noticed it was open! So we had to come and eat! The service was amazing, every one is so friendly, it's mainly covered patio dining, but there is a few tables inside! We ordered Tallarines A la huancaina con lomo saltado, which was amazing, Churrasco a la peruana- note potatoes/sauce is a cold dish- caught me by surprise- I hoped my steak was a little warmer- but had good flavor. We also got the Brussel sprouts. The tallarines dish was by far our favorite- the sauce was delicious, my daughter couldn't get enough! We will definitely be back! read more

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Stopped in for a quick birthday cheers and appetizer and the plátanos were THE BEST! I was shocked to find delicious plátanos in carlsbad! They surprised me with a sweet birthday treat - ice cream that the bar tender perfectly described as tasting like butter scotch! It was so good! I'll def be back to try more of the option on the menu! read more

We absolutely loved Manka and will definitely be going back. The majority of the seating is outside and spaced out so you don't feel like you're on top of everyone else. There are heaters as well and it was very comfortable. The waitstaff was great, attentive, and our waiter, Daniel, was awesome. We ordered the tuna wantsco, the papa a la huancaina, the ceviche Manka, the arroz con pato, and the churrasco a la peruana. The little tacos were a nice start to the meal and the ceviche was phenomenal. The papas were great and we loved both entrees...extremely flavorful. Highly recommend!!! read more

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Manka on the corner of flavor and finesse--Peruvian done right with a modern twist. We dove into three standout plates and walked away stuffed and happy, though patience is part of the experience. Started with the Maki Acevichado: a flavor bomb of crispy shrimp and silky yellowfin tuna wrapped around avocado and sushi rice, drizzled with acevichado sauce and dotted with aji limo gel. The crispy sweet potato shards and togarashi gave it crunch and heat--bold, balanced, and gone in minutes. Next, the Ceviche Clásico--Mahi Mahi swimming in punchy tiger's milk with habanero heat, red onion tang, and creamy sweet potato brulé. The choclo and chulpi added texture; rocoto gel brought a sneaky spice. Clean, bright, classic with flair. Saved the best for last: Branzino con Cremoso Choclo. Perfectly grilled fish in a silky aji amarillo-butter-lemon sauce, paired with velvety choclo puree and fluffy rice. Rich but light--every bite screamed care. Food? Delicious, no notes. Ambiance? Cozy indoor tables, spacious patio--great for people-watching. Service? Slow. We were one of four tables, yet courses crawled out. Turns out the chef was training staff--understandable, but large gaps between plates test the vibe. Still, Manka delivers bold Peruvian flavors with creative flair. Worth a visit--just come hungry for both the food and the wait. Will return when they're in full stride read more

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Our party of 4 had a great time at Manka - the food, ambiance, and service were excellent! We ordered all the bites from the happy hour menu and loved each dish, especially the tuna with crispy rice (we ordered a second since it was so good!). The ceviches were delicious as well! Come enjoy yourself in their comfortable outdoor seating! read more