A lovely casual spot inside the loop. Peruvian food is not common (enough) around these parts, so the presence alone is already a win. Prices are a little bit on the high side with almost entree at $18 or higher. Don't bother with the takeout menus. The prices are old. .25 for sauce on there but online it's .50. Double check before placing an order. Gabriella is a G. Super nice person and was the highlight of the customer service experience. Overall the food is solid. While I'd typically rate it overall between a 3 and a 4, I'd say this is decent enough to round up. The lomo saltado needed crispier fries, but the flavor of the beef was good. The tallarin verde had tougher steak than I would have liked, but the sauce for the noodles was extra flavorful. I am impressed with the variety on the menu. I do have more things to try. I also appreciate how cute and intimate the dining interior is. There's a 3.5% discount with cash. read more

Great service and food. If you're looking for a solid Peruvian spot try this place. They were very attentive, would come back again. read more

Peru Cafe Express - Jalea (Fried Seafood Platter) - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Small, friendly cafe with big flavors and platters of food. The staff are warm and kind, and the atmosphere is lovely and comforting. The food is absolutely amazing in terms of taste and quality of the fresh ingredients. Arroz con Masriscos is best compared to a seafood paella for a bargain price. The Fried Seafood Platter is perfect with a light breading fried to a golden crunch, with mussels, shrimp, squid, fish, imitation crab and yucca, accompanied by fresh lime and a nice tartar sauce. The Pollo Saltado has flavors of Chinese and South American cuisine in the chicken, soy, tomatoes and onions over rice and French fries. The side salad is fresh and plentiful with a light vinaigrette dressing. We were too full to try the dessert, as we had to take leftovers home. Peru Cafe Express is a wonderful experience that you must enjoy yourself. read more

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Nunca e comido un ceviche tan delicioso como el de hoy está para chuparse los Dedos Mas con el buen servicio de la hermosa de Anita y Gaby siempre pendiente al cliente y con un buen ambiente relajado sin duda alguna está 10/10 read more

The place is a dump , no tablecloth , no napkins.\n Give me a glass of water with no ice. The service is terrible, the food stinks. I will never ever go back to that dump. read more

My wife and I loved Peru Cafe Express. The Empanadas were tasty and we loved all of them. Tried a chicken, a beef and a cheese empanada.... they were gone before we knew it. They brought us a small plate with a small salt and pepper shaker and a red and green sauce with tiny spoons. The red had some serious heat, the green was a little milder, both were great. The chicken and rice soup was savory but the rice and chicken were sparse, the broth was stellar. The Tallarin Verde Con Bisteck/ Pesto Fettucine with flat steak was my favorite.....8 stars! I've never tried this particular Peruvian dish before, it's my new favorite! We'll be back for more of these goodies! read more

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Pretty good food actually. I got delivery today, ordering the steak with the pesto pasta along with the beef empanada. Serving sizes were actually really good. The steak and pasta lacked a little bit of seasoning but the empanada was excellent. Overall I definitely recommend this spot. Will order again. read more

Not my favorite Peruvian place in Houston unfortunately. I've tried Peru Gourmet recently and wanted to compare it to another Peruvian restaurant and chose this place since I've heard good things! Hours are a bit odd since they close at 7p. I ordered the fish ceviche while my friend ordered the lomo saltado. I felt like my fish could have been fresher- it was a little chewy. The portion was definitely generous but I do think I prefer Peru Gourmet's in terms of flavor and freshness. I also wish they had baked the sweet potato so it was softer. I tried my friend's lomo saltado- I felt like they didn't put enough beef. The beef itself was a bit tough and chewy, I thought the flavor was decent but not remarkable. He requested fried rice instead of white rice which was an extra $2. Service was great! The staff came up to check on us multiple times. Prices are reasonable. read more

Peru Cafe Express - Lomo Saltado Sauteed Beef - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The food was great. We were not informed of the % charged if you use a credit card otherwise would have used cash.

Still so consistent and tasty after all these years. I love supporting great local businesses and love Peru Cafe Express!

Good food from nice people in simple surroundings just off 59 north between Galeria and Medical Center. French fries are the best in Houston. The beef, rice and French fries plate, Lomo Saltado, I got a taste for during my last trip to Peru, is delicious and filling. Would have been better with a hearty red wine ;) but no alcohol sold here. Service is great. This is not fast food as each plate is made to order from fresh ingredients. The restaurant is clean and basic. Usually soccer on the small TVs. Family place where folks get together and enjoy home style Peru meals. They also sell lots of the tienda items you would get in Peru. read more

A small and cozy restaurant serving delicious Peruvian food. We had the causa and fish ceviche. The causa was better than the ceviche, the empanadas de ají de gallina were very tasty too. (I'd recommend going for the hot foods) read more

Peru Cafe Express - Fish Ceviche - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Yummy!! Today I was starving and I got the chicken cilantro rice soup, Chicken empanada Fried plantain side Yucca huancaina style appetizer. Everything was delicious! I didn't feel heavy or bad after I ate. I wasn't able to eat all the plantain but I'll get to it. No pictures this time. Customer service is the best. Great people working there. read more

Peru Cafe Express - steak, rice, beans, and a fried egg - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I don't like saying anything negative about Peruvian restaurants (since I'm half Peruvian). But I can't let people think this is how Peruvian cuisine should taste. The staple of any Peruvian restaurant is their Lomo Saltado. And the lomo is so bad here, so bland, so DRY, that I'm left wondering if actual Peruvians are making the food here. It's the worst in town. The Peruvian rotisserie chicken place, Pollo Bravo, that specializes in ROTISSERIE CHICKEN has a much better lomo than Peru Cafe Express. Forget even comparing their lomo to La Guitarra con Sazon (the best in town) or Andes cafe (that doesn't even specialize in exclusively Peruvian cuisine). Their papa rellena was sweet (?) somehow. The potatoes in their Papa a la huancaína were undercooked and the sauce bland. The only, ONLY things that were good here were the salchipapas and their pasta huancaina con lomo. Both were good, but not nearly good enough to bring me back here. It's a shame because I love the location, and the owner and staff are very kind and welcoming. But this is not how Peruvian cuisine should taste. read more

This "peruvian food" has nothing to do with the real peruvian food. No tasty at all and in some cases, disgusting (like the aguadito).

The best steak and pasta anywhere! I love the pesto noodles. Everything else is great too, you won't regret coming

Food is amazing, I never try CHOROS A LA CHALACA steamed mussels on a lime juice and pico de gallo omg. Was amazing, but the ceviche misto is the best thing I ever had is just perfect in every sense Amazing read more

Peru Cafe Express - Choros a la Chalaca - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Place was in a good location, clean and the service was great!! The anticuchos and seco de carne were delicious yummy:3

This place is great! I really enjoyed the ceviche- it was very authentic and perfectly citrusy!

Very good Peruvian food. I came here with my friend whose mother is Peruvian so he had high expectations. The plantains are DELICIOUS. I would say the ceviche was not that good and didn't taste that fresh, but you have to consider that Houston is not that coastal. The arroz con pescado however was delicious and packed with flavor. Would recommend this place and excited to check it out again! read more

Peru Cafe Express - Arroz con pescado - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This little quaint restaurant offers an authentic taste of Peru for a modest price. The walls are covered with art from around Peru and the service is quick and friendly. The business appears to be family owned which gives the food an extra layer of deliciousness! read more

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Ordered takeout lunch from here. I got the bistec a lo pobre. It is essentially a variant of the popular Columbian dish bandeja paisa but th Peruvians have an edge with seasoning and the Columbian win with that chicharonnes goodness. Also got the beef empanada. The beef in both dishes were spectacularly seasoned. I liked the empanada but was generally thrown off by the powdered sugar on top. Very unusual but it worked. The beans, fried plantain and eggs went beautifully together though I wish the beans had a bit more salt and pepper. As stated the steak was well seasoned but waaaaay overcooked. I asked for medium rare and got medium well. I suspect it's because it's cut so thin. This is the sole reason I docked 1 star. Overall really good food. Final grade: B+ I'd eat there again for sure. read more

Peru Cafe Express - Bistec a lo pobre well seasoned. Subbed rice with extra beans - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Great food, great price and great service!! Happy we stopped in for lunch! Nice and quiet place as well. read more

Peru Cafe Express - Grilled Chicken, salad and Plaintain. - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I came here looking for a quick meal with my family. Overall, it was a solid place, and was pretty cheap for a family of four (we ate our entrees family style). We ordered many dishes, so I'll go through them individually. Beef Empanada: easily the best thing I ate at this place. You can tell that it was freshly made with love. The shell was crispy, and the beef inside was soooo full of flavor. Very well seasoned, and has an excellent mouth-feel (unlike some of the other empanadas I've had from various places). If I came back I would definitely order a few of these for the table. Shredded Chicken Empanada: compared to the beef empanada, I thought this was only okay. Sure, the chicken/sauce combo was flavorful, but I believe that inherently, shredded chicken suffers from being dry. The sauce does help with that but it is unable to fully redeem itself. White Cheese and Peruvian Corn: this was my first time trying Peruvian corn, and I found it a satisfactory experience. At first, I was taken aback by the sheer size of it, but once I had all of the components together (cheese, corn, sauce), it was like heaven in my mouth. Aji de Gallina: this was excellent, but the same thing as the above empanada. However, I think the additional rice does add a dimension I felt was necessary with the chicken empanada. The sauce is wonderful, and I could literally drink it like if I had to. Mixed Seafood Ceviche: this was my first ever experience with ceviche, so take this particular review with a grain of salt. I wasn't really a fan of the dish. The texture was a little bit off (cooked, but not really). I would prefer traditional cooking methods or sushi; I'm not really a fan of this cooking by acidity kind of thing. Also, I felt like all I tasted was the citrus/lemon/acidity of the dish; it wasn't balanced very well. Maybe it's something like an acquired taste? Jalea: Oh man, this was delicious. I mean, how can it not be? It's fried food. With fish/seafood, it can be very easy to overcook and make it rubbery. However, every bite I had was succulent, tender, and juicy. It was also very well-seasoned, and its flavors were well-rounded. Not only will this please adults, this will also please little kids who like fried food. Lomo Saltado: some components of this dish were better than the others. The rice was by far the worst part. It was very dry, coarse, and practically inedible. Even the sauce couldn't save it. (The rice on the aji de gallina was much better). However, the meats were PACKED full of flavor. It was juicy, tender, and amazing. I would definitely recommend getting this dish, if the rice was guaranteed to be better. Overall, this is a decent place to go eat. It can be cheap if you go in a group and share foods. That way, you can also try a little bit of everything. 4/5 stars. read more

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This place is really delicious! Pollo Saltado (sauteed chicken): Comes with rice and french fries but subbed fried yucca for the fries. Other reviewers have noted an extra $1 charge for the substitution, but since I ordered and paid online, they didn't bother charging the extra dollar upon pickup. Chicken was well seasoned and not dry (breast), and the rice with a tart soy sauce was so good! I think the soy sauce + rice combo is definitely reminiscent of an Asian flavor profile Chicken empanada: The Aji de Gallinda (shredded chicken with Peruvian pepper sauce) is another popular item here, but I didn't want to get another entree so decided to try the chicken empanada since it has the same filling. Wow, another winner here. The sauce and chicken combo made a super flavorful and moist filling. Empanada was deep fried and crispy. I gobbled it up in seconds. Plantains: Good as well. I actually want to say these are baked since they aren't soaking in oil like most fried plantains I'm used to, and not seasoned with sugar either. Regardless, very tasty and I would order again. What a great find! Just wished I had ventured here sooner since it's so close to home. Even my husband who normally only enjoys Asian food is clamoring to return. Highly recommend! read more

(5/5): JALEA (FRIED SEAFOOD PLATTER): This tall tower of crispy fried fish, calamari, crab, and shrimp is a seafood lover's delight. Each bite was so flavorful and the tartar sauce was delicious. The leftovers heated well. It was the perfect next day lunch. (5/5): TALLARIN VERDE CON BISTECK (PESTO FETTUCCINI WITH FLAT STEAK): The thin beef steak was very flavorful and moist. The pesto has a mild flavor but it was a good complement. It seemed like they gave a lot of parmesan cheese but we ended up using all of it. My only issue was the food did come out a little lukewarm but the food was so amazing it's not a big deal. I will be coming back very soon. These two dishes are definitely some of my favorites but there are so many other items on the menu I want to try. read more

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This hidden gem is delightful, we work right by it and when we can't decide what to eat! This is our go too! I recommend if you are looking for something authentic, pay a visit here! read more

The food was amazing, very filling and well made. The flavor was close to what one would expect in Peru! The servers were very kind and attentive, they took care of all the needs and answered all questions very kindly. The ambiance was nice and friendly, the tables and chairs are spread out evenly to allow for comfortable dining! read more

Peru Cafe Express - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Before picking up food here for my best friend's bachelorette surprise party, I had never had Peruvian food, but since this is one of her favorites, I was super excited to try it. If you're new to Peruvian food, you definitely need to check it out! If you sit in and order, it's quite fast, and the staff is very friendly. They're also great for takeout, it was super easy to order and they pack it all so none of the amazing sauces leak. We ordered the Tamal de pollo, plantains, Yuca and Papa Huancaina Style, and Beef Empanada on our return journey. I don't usually like plantains, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Peruvian preparation. I absolutely loved the yuca and papa huancaina, it is served cold but is also great warm as my leftovers proved. The empanada was delicious, I highly, highly recommend getting your hands on this perfect dough. Against the suggestion of some friends, I got the pescado a lo macho, and they all agreed it was the best dish at the party! I wished I had gotten two orders. It's very reasonably priced, it's delicious, it's quick, and it's unique. I highly recommend this little joint, don't miss out! read more

Peru Cafe Express - Tamale de pollo, plantains, Yuca and Papa Huancaina Style, Beef Empanada - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

When we drove up, it was packed so we were excited as it seemed popular. The reviews on yelp were also very positive. We ordered the bisteca (beef steak) with pesto green noodles. The beef was tender but the whole dish was very bland. Especially the noodles. We had to request some lemons to season the dish. We had to do the same with the grilled chicken entree. Ordered fries and yucca on the side. All bland. They really need to increase the amount of seasoning on these dishes. The beef empanadas were yummy but a little greasy. Don't think I'll return. read more

Absolutely love this place!!! The food is alway on point. Every time I'm on this side of town I have to stop in and grab the yummy food read more

Peru Cafe Express - Papa rellena al plato - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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3.5 stars. Located off of 59 in a shopping center, parking is a breeze. We were in the mood for some Peruvian and decided to check out Peru Cafe Express on a Sunday evening. Unlike spots like Che Inka which are fancier, Peru Cafe is very casual. With that, comes more affordable prices. The menu features classic Peruvian fare like ceviche and lomo saltado. I started with the yucca appetizer which is smothered in a yellow sauce (can't recall the name). The yucca wasn't the best I've ever had, needed a little more crunch to it, but it did the job. I had lomo saltado as my main dish which is stir-fry​ beef with rice and fries. I added a side of fried plantains and they were my favorite side. The lomo was solid but didn't really stand out. The service was good, only issue was that it took a little too long to come by at the end to bring our bill. I would say Peru Cafe is comparable to some of the other casual Peruvian spots in the area like Pollo Bravo. However, I didn't notice Peruvian chicken on their menu which is a staple seen at many Peruvian spots. read more

Clean, good service and good food. I did it give it a higher rating because of two things. First, the anticucho looked great, but the flavor was lacking. The marinade that was used had not enough vinegar and other r spices (could not detect any cumin for example) to make it close to what a real anticucho flavor is like. Ok, I realize that flavor can be subjective, but I have had anticuchos in many places in Lima and the US. this one simply had little if any flavor. Their Chicha Morada was ok. Ok because it had some good flavor, but not rich enough to make it very good. It was a bit watered down for my taste. I fully understand that others might find it good. Their Aguadito was very good. Their Tallarines Verdes also good. The service good, and the lady owner very attentive. Will be back, but not for anticuchos. read more

As a Peruvian myself, I can honestly say that Peru Cafe Express us the best Peruvian restaurant there is in Houston, and I've been to almost all. They have never disappointed me or my family. I went in today and had an amazing lunch and brought plates home since my kids couldn't come with me, and they loved their dishes as well. I recommend them 100% read more

Oh how I've missed this place! The aji de gallina was excellent and so was the stuffed potatoe or papa rellena! The flavors were all there the portions were huge! Will have to start coming back to eat here for lunch! read more

Peru Cafe Express - Aji De Gallina, Stuffed Potato onions were excellent with the potato, very authentic Peruvian style! - Peruvian Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great food quality and service. Employees are attentive. Ambiance is informal and family friendly. I love the ceviche!

I've never been to Peru, but I imagine that the food here is almost, if not just, as good as the food in Peru! The only thing missing is a stray llama roaming the street! I haven't eaten much Peruvian food in my life (I know, I've been missing out!) so I didn't know too much of what to expect. Naturally, I prepared myself by reading Yelp reviews and scrolling through Yelp photos. The show stealer: Lomo Saltado ($11.95). So I had to get it. Rice, beef strips, onions, and yuca (originally comes with fries but a Yelper recommended yuca and I do not regrets) in a reduced red wine and sky sauce. Wowowow it was delicious! The savory flavor was nothing short of delicious. The only complaint I have is that there was a little too much red wine flavor to me (I feel like I may be one of the only people to ever complain about too much red wine.) Note - the table next to us got calamari and fried rice and it looked ahhhh-mazing. Definitely coming back for more! Also note - they're moving (as of 03/18/17)! Just a couple of hundred feet down to a bigger space near the Fuddrucker's. Okay one more note - the only other Peruvian I've ever had was at Latin Bites and their Lomo Saltado is slightly better, but more expensive from what I remember. Case in point: come check this place out! I know I'll be back for sure. read more

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The ceviche was bomb! To go orders are always fast and easy to pick up. Parking is pretty easy as the restaurant has plenty space however seating is very limited. read more

Food I ordered was not top quality cerviche was not fresh . The papa hurricane wasn't all the way cooked. The jale plate wasn't all that great 5/10 it was the first time I've tried it I'm surprised it's still open . From what I heard they thinking about opening a place in Cypress. My mother n law is Peruvian and she can do better. I've tried Sabo y Saxon they have been good so far. La guitarra con sazon is second then lemon tree is next. The one place is in 4th place Peru cafe . There is always room for improvement if they get a better chef. That's the only way this place can be saved. Just because it's cheaper doesn't mean the quality will be great! It just facts if you guys meted help improving on your quality on this matter feel free to ask anyone in the Peruvian community we'll be helped time for a change Peru cafe! read more

I was so looking forward to there fish & shrimp ceviche and wasn't impressed. Portion size was great but got no plantains or chips to eat with it. Ceviche only which surprised me. When I've ordered Peruvian ceviche I normally get fried plantains but not here. The sweetness of the plantains balance the sour in the ceviche so I had tortilla chips at home and ate some sour seafood. Would not go back. read more