Food is delicious, service was fast and thoughtful. We sat outside because the weather was lovely but we didn't get the cool ambience of the indoor seated area. I had the veggie empanada and yucca fries. My friends shared the ceviche and special and they raved about it. We picked it because they have clearly marked vegan as well as gluten free choices and so it meant there was something for everyone. read more

This place has really excellent food! It's crazy to think my office is literally half a block away (for the last 12 years), and only ate there for the first time somewhat recently. I ordered the lamb, which was tender, juicy, rich, and unparalleled. Beef empanada was another memorable treat. We also ordered for an appetizer the papa rellena - lots of meat and potato, not my usual fare, but really enjoyed it nonetheless. Lomo saltado flank steak was great but not as good as the lamb. Good wine selection - paired perfectly with our food. The unique, local atmosphere is perfect for a date. read more

Qero Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

All three courses were excellent. So tasty. Really cool space, staff were so friendly. And the water was delicious! Might need to come back tomorrow it was so good. Thanks for an amazing meal. read more

We ordered vegetarian option and so amazed on the flavors all dishes, highly recommend to visit this restaurant. Of course it's very cute culturally decorated place read more

Qero Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

OMG, what a gem of a place. Quality, colorful, intimate, just right. The lamb plate was sooooo good. The chicken empanada was just as delicious. I'm coming back. read more

Qero Restaurant - Lamb plate - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

Overall prices were a little on the steeper end but great flavors! Qero is at their own pace. A quaint little restaurant in Encinitas with a few tables inside and some placed on the sidewalk outside. A sandwichboard advertising for pitchers of sangria caught our eye and we took a seat. For shareable, we ordered some yuca fries. I had the stewed fish and my husband the lomo saltado. For him he said the flavors of the steak were authentic. My stewed fish was a filet of salmon and the tomatoe-y onion stew was great. Our food came out a long while after ordering but we were fine enjoying our sangria. A great spot for lunch on a nice day read more

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I have two regrets after leaving this restaurant: 1. Not ordering more food and 2. Not dining at a Peruvian restaurant sooner! I was completely surprised at how delicious everything tasted! I loved the flavors that everything I tried had. We stopped here because they have a great lunch special for students which was an empanada, side salad, and a drink for around $10-11 dollars. We ordered the beef empanada which was packed with filling and had a very rich flavor. The sauce that it came with was delicious and made in house. The drink was unlike anything I had ever had before and both rich and sweet. The side salad was bigger than we expected and had a very refreshing citrus flavor. We also ordered the Don Cucho ceviche. I loved that it was fish instead of shrimp. The fish was extremely tender and we loved the seeds that it came with! I will definitely be exploring more Peruvian spots throughout San Diego after this delicious meal! read more

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The food was extremely flavourful and felt authentic. The indoor space is relatively small, but they have an expansive outdoor space. If the weather is nice, it is a lovely date spot. They had a handful of vegetarian options as well as empanadas. I opted to start with a salad, ordered two empanadas, and left satisfied. Service was slow, and we had to ask for water refills a few times but overall a great experience. I will be back for the food! read more

I've been meaning to dine here for a while now, but haven't had the chance to. It was my friend's birthday last month and she ordered a cake from here. There was some misunderstanding, but she was still able to get two smaller tres leches cakes from here. The cakes looked homemade, so I was surprised when she told me that she ordered it from this restaurant. Tres leches is one of my favorite cakes and this one was very moist and flavorful. I liked that it wasn't too sweet either. Will need to come to the actual restaurant to try their Peruvian fare soon! read more

Qero Restaurant - Tres Leches - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

By far one of the BEST restaurants in Encinitas. If you are going to take your hard earned money and spend it on dining, try this place! The flavors are amazing and the quality is exceptional. The service was great, the hot sauce is out of this world delicious and each plate will leave you wanting more! Perfect restaurant for a date night, foodies, or with the family! read more

Let's start with the food. Beyond amazing. So fresh, the flavors, the smells, just so satisfying. I have Peruvian food as my top 3 foods in South America (Venezuelan 2, Argentina 1) and in my top 10 overall in the world. This place exceeded & satisfied my taste buds more than any other Peruvian place in California. We had the lomo saltado which was divine!!! the chicarrones and arguably the best dish was the ceviche mixto. Plantain & Yuca chips are so addicting that accompany the dish. The decor is very cute. Place is small but cozy with vibrant colors, art and several different items to shop that your eyes are constantly looking at something. Service was great, we dined for lunch on Sunday, 7/9, and I cannot recall his name, maybe Roland, but he was very good. He was the lone server working the 6 tables inside and the patio area outside as well. Everything we ordered came out to perfection & he was on us with water & drinks. Great experience overall, will come back for sure read more

Amazing homemade empanadas! All your Thanksgiving favorites in one empanada: Turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries. SO GOOD!!!! read more

Qero Restaurant - Nana's Thanksgiving empanadas are SO GOOD. A holiday must to share with your family :) - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

A total overpriced ripoff ! Tiny, tasteless bland food portions. Terrible, very slow service. Sneaky, hidden 5% surcharge added to your bill with no advance disclosure. They also charge you $100 to make a reservation. Complete waste of your time and money ! read more

Our friend introduced this flavorful restaurant to us yesterday. We were ending our little day trip of sports murals in Encinitas. We parked half a mile a way and walked. We had outdoor seating because it was slightly muggy hot. The maduras and arepas were good--I'm partial to plantains. You can tell the chef takes great care to present yummy cuisine in digestible portions. That said, I still took some sea bass ceviche home because I wanted to taste some tres leches cake and apple empanada. Because I love lemon flavors, the sour marination of the ceviche shined and the little accoutrements were darling large dried corn, a few slices of boiled sweet potato, and hominy. I had to order some rice to enjoy the flavor a little bit more. My husband and friend had the beef entree that was spicy and had onion, potatoes (think home fries=pappas); delicious! Our other friend had the chicken dish - he couldn't finish because of the arepas. Overall, very satisfying. read more

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Well... you secure an amazing location, and then blow it. Service and ambiance good. Food.. bland.. and weird. I've never been to Peru but now I don't want to go. The food in Ecuador is great and this should not be too different. read more

Started out great but ended up being a disappointment. We wanted to order a couple of small plates and decide after if we wanted anything else. Waiter told us it was not convenient for the kitchen and we needed to order everything immediately. So we ordered another larger plate as well and he casually asked us if we wanted that with rice, quinoa or potato, as if it was a side that came with the meal. We said potato. The small plates were excellent. The larger plate we felt pushed into ordering wasn't great. We left 90% of it. Imagine my surprise when we were charged an extra $5 dollars for the small side of potatoes along with an additional 5% service charge for who knows what. We were still expected to leave a tip. read more

Qero Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

Came with my daughter super hungry & ready to eat. They took our order & then we sat for about an hour, waiting for our food. It never came so I asked if maybe the order hadn't been put through. One of servers told me their kitchen was swamped & it was on its way then another cake & said it was never put through. We didn't have more time to wait & my daughter was really hungry so we paid for our drink & left. I was hoping to try the food. Not too impressed by their service though unfortunately. read more

I WASN'T WOW'ed Came here and ordered, then realized this wasn't the Peruvian restaurant I initially wanted to go to. My bad. - Food, meh. Menu, selective. - Price, meh. Little pricier. - Service, meh. Not as attentive. Typically, I'd order a Saltado to judge a place but the pictures posted didn't captivate me to order it. Instead I went for a second dish, Aji De Gallina, that I typically like to eat and judge a place by preparation and the pictures posted made it look delicious. Well, lets be real, looks are deceiving. I felt catfished! AJI DE GALLINA - Hand corn chicken in a walnut and Aji Amarillo sauce with rice. When the plate was delivered to the table it was picture friendly but what first came to mind was "why is it so small?" for $18 I'd expect more. The shredded chicken was tender and plentiful but the sauce was kind of bland and the walnut taste shined through the dish more than I'd like. I do appreciate texture, small pieces of walnut in the sauce, but it was too walnut-ish. I wasn't too thrilled with my consumption and packed up the rest for left overs in which I ate some but wasted the rest. I don't like being wasteful but if I've wasted food its because it wasn't that great to finish. CHICHA MORADA - i love that purple drink! HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Until the next review... read more

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I had the worst experience at this sidewalk restaurant when I went there last Saturday with a friend visiting me from New York for happy hour. According to the restaurant's sign prominently displayed on the outside wall of the restaurant Happy Hour was from 2pm to 5pm and included a glass of sangria and an empanada of your choice for $10. We sat down at a table outside and the waiter/assistant manager, Patrick came out with the menus. When we told him we wanted the happy hour special of sangria and empanada as stated on their sign, he told us emphatically that the owner , Monica, who was not present to speak to, had changed the menu and the Happy Hour was not on Saturday or Sunday. I pointed out to him that the sign did not say Happy Hour only M-F. His response was, "It doesn't say Saturday and Sunday." With that he abruptly snatched the menus from the table and waving his hand at us said, "You can leave now". His actions attracted the attention of some bystanders. As my friend and I left, one of the bystanders, who saw and heard everything, commented to us how rudely we were treated by the waiter. We called the restaurant later that evening and asked to speak to the owner, Monica, and were told she had gone home but he would give her my number and ask her to call me. She never did. As a result of this experience I will not return to this restaurant ever again! Janice P. 4/26/2025 read more

I decided to try this restaurant in Encinitas. It was a beautiful day and they had nice outdoor seating. I ordered the Aji de Gallina, which is shredded chicken in a creamy Aji Amarillo walnut sauce with parmesan cheese. It was served with rice. I'm a huge fan of Peruvian food and this was a really delicious and filling dish. I also tried their panqa sauce which gave the dish a little bit of a kick. So why 4 vs. 5 stars? The service was efficient at times, although it took awhile before I got a menu and I had to ask for silverware after my food was served. When I was given the bill, the usual tip prompts were there on the handheld Toast device. Only after I paid and looked at my receipt did I discover that the restaurant slipped in a 5% service charge --- which meant that whatever my tip was they added an additional 5% without me knowing about it. Given how outstanding the food was it would have been better if they increased the menu prices rather than a sneak in a charge on an unsuspecting diner. Even though the dish I had was great that less than transparent way of pricing would make me think twice before returning. I hope they change their policy. read more

Qero Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

Just ate here tonight and the service was absolutely terrible! I was treated as a 2nd class citizen and I literally made a reservation for this place, on my freaking birthday!! Our appetizers took forever to come to the table, the waiters seemed more attentive to everyone else. Guess what?! Everyone else got their order before we did!! Even though we made a reservation and were literally there before everyone! Not only that, but the food portion was tiny and expensive!! I expressed my frustration about the wait and the server told me, "I know nothing about the restaurant industry", as if i'm I was just stupid for complaining. On the way out he told me not to comeback, he said "this isn't McDonald's, Don't come back", we payed for our order that never even came to our table. $150 down the drain and on top of that, the server talked a bunch smack with the other staff right in front of us. This place is trash & classist, and maybe even racist. read more

Amazing food!! This has been a special spot for us for the past 15 years. Highly recommend it.

This place was the best. Great food, great vibes, great service. The ceviche was amazing

We love this small welcoming restaurant. We love the food and the staff! We would recommend it to anyone

We unwittingly arrived for lunch while a five block street fair was going on so be aware of Encinitas activities as parking was non-existent. I had seen a lot of glowing reviews on yelp but I think that was from another time. Menu has been greatly reduced so not a lot of choices. I went with the Lomo Saltado that was quite disappointing; meat was actually chewy tough, french fries were limp and soggy under that and the rice was cold. Dining partners had ceviche which was "ok" and the lamb that was good. I asked for some salt and pepper that arrived in an unusual fashion (see picture). read more

Qero Restaurant - Interesting serving method. - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

Beware of their reservation system. $10 per person in case of not making it for lunch. This place is so booked and no people waiting for seating that the place loses money automatically for a no show? I prefer services where there is a trust between the customer and the business. Reservations at this place is not for me. Will go there without reservations, and if they are booked, I will gladly go to a nearby restaurant. Glad it is so popular that they feel they can scam their potential customers with a $10 charge per person with no good reason. Good for them and good luck! read more

We got lucky with parking and was seated without a reservation. I'd definitely recommend making a reservation if you want to dine here. Our waiter was the bomb and the food was delicious! read more

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This is a very small, homey and cozy Peruvian restaurant in downtown Encinitas. Apparently, they have been here for 19 years. I've only driven by them about 150,000 times and never noticed they were here. My loss. MAKE RESERVATIONS. We saw at least 10 walk-ins get turned away because they had no reservations. Peruvian food is interesting--it's not completely exotic but there are unique twists to nearly every dish. We tried the chicken in walnut sauce (aji de gallina) and it was absolutely delicious. The braised short rib was so tender you could have cut it with a spork. The vegetable empanada appetizers were also excellent. Like everyone else, we had to get the tres leches cake. It was, by far, the best tres leches I've ever had. It was a huge slab and was incredibly moist throughout. No question it was homemade. Our drinks, a sangria and a pisco sour, were both good (and strong). Service was friendly and attentive. If you have questions about the menu, ask. The servers know the menu well. Parking can be tough in the area but it's free and you'll find something but likely off the main drag. You might have to hoof it a couple blocks. This is a charming restaurant that serves fresh, delicious, interesting food. We'll be back. read more

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Came here for a nice weeknight dinner with a friend. We ordered the plantains as an appetizer and shared some empanadas. The veggie empanada was my favorite item of the night and the queso empanada what so-so. I also had the quinoa which was great too. The service was awesome, Our server was able to give us a ton of information and recommend things on the menu too. We were recommended the house sangria and were even given the chance to taste it before ordering it. It was amazing and I would highly recommend giving it a try. The food came out fast as well. Fun little restaurant and a great place to eat out in Encinitas. read more

Food tasted good and was fresh. We enjoyed the unusual dishes, especially the ceviche. Servers were nice. The biggest problems were the very small portions (we left feeling hungry after appetizers and mains for lunch) and dishonest pricing. They add a service charge of 5% *before* calculating the tip, which isn't right, and, unlike other restaurants with a surcharge, this fee wasn't visible on the credit card computer when you paid. Tips ranged from 18%-23%, so the minimum you're paying for service if you don't do a custom amount is 23% which is too much given that the food is already super overpriced. They need to be more transparent about what they're charging. If left a bad taste in our mouths. There are better options in Encinitas and we won't be back. read more

1. One of the best places in all Of San Diego. 2. Staff went above and beyond 3. It's hard finding a place like this 4. Some will say a little high on price but worth it, 5. Thank you so much read more

Tonight, my husband, son and I ate at your restaurant. We found the interior of every cozy. We ordered three appetizers and two entrées. By far, the best appetizer was the sweet potato with quinoa. Even though the calamari entrée was named Diablo, it did not come close to describing the heat in the dish. And we all love spicy food. They need to make the hot peppers, more discernible and not put in small pieces. The chicken empanada was very plain, and the Arrepa was just too salty. The only thing I can highly recommend other than the sweet potato appetizer was the tres Leche cake. It was delicious. The service was much too casual. We were left with dirty dishes in front of us when they brought the dessert. My biggest annoyance though was when the waiter came over and told us the total of our bill without giving us our bill. We have never had that happen, and we're so startled that we did not ask to see the bill. Our bad. There was a 5% service charge added to the bill. Very bad form. read more

Had a great evening and dinner here! Marcus was our server and was wonderful. We got our favorite appetizers and tried the special of the night. They even provided water for our puppies. Highly recommend for a nice evening in Encinitas. read more

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Amazing peruvian cuisine. Lamb shank and peruvian canary beans are to die for. Make sure to sit outside for ambience and get reservations as they will fill up. read more

The beef in the lomo saltado was very tough and chewy. Service was a bit off too. I did enjoy the sangria though.

We do Restaurant Reviews with Chef Marian Foodies and here's our comments.... what we recommend and our experience at Q'ero. Tabernero Cabernet Savignon from Ica, Peru - This is a recommendation from many people at the table. El Q'ero Salad - Quinoa, Sweet potatoes, Spinach. Diane says: "the quinoa is done really well" and Susan says: "it has a lot of flavor". Empanadas - We all had the same take away: You cannot go wrong with any of their empanadas. Aji De Gallina - torn chicken in a creamy walnut-aji Amarillo sauce with Parmesan Cheese - Janice says: "this was a unique tasting dish". And Bridget says: so creamy and the sauce so sweet but not too sweet I just kind of perfect ....  it lingers there in your mouth and it's just yummy. Sudado de Pescado is gluten free, pan roasted fish in a broth with vegetables. Very good. Salmon - Roger says: "You can't go wrong with their salmon Filet". Maduros - caramelized plantains, sour cream and green onions - This dish is the hit of our table. Everyone enjoyed. It's something I will go back for! Yuca Friti - Crispy Yuca spears with Aji Tari Sauce - Janice says: I especially liked the Yuca Spears". I second that. I thought they were really good! And that sauce was delish! Ceviche - Recommended by all. Momo Saltado - flank steak - Tiffany enjoys her steak and was glad this dish landed at her end of the table! Arepas - cornmeal cakes filled with cheese - A very nice addition. Yellow Rice - with Turmeric and Dried Fruit. Suggested to order. I overheard Rima and Andrew talking about how they were enjoying all these dishes, like many of us were. All of their 'classics' at Q'ero come with rice. I must say that our waitress came up with answers about the spices in the rice and Bridget says it's her favorite rice ever! "The rice is very flavorful ... it doesn't stick, it's flaky and very sweet. Wonderful"! And that's how I will close this Restaurant Review: Wonderful. This restaurant is a winner!  Just call ahead to get a seat! read more

Qero Restaurant - Restaurant Reviews with Chef Marian Foodies - Latin American Near Me - Encinitas, California

Makes you feel like you are eating in someone's house - in the best way possible. Highly recommend the chicha morada and tres leches cake.

Homemade empanadas are incredible. Lomo Saltado is my favorite entree. Staff are friendly and the ambience is great as a local/family owned restaurant. Not to mention their signature homemade sauce is like nothing else! read more

$20 for a fistful of rice and a takeout container of aji de gallina that was between 1/2 and 2/3 full. Wasn't even good, the lemon was overpowering. Just tasted like sour chicken. The texture also wasn't great, needed to be creamier in my opinion. If you look at the menu, they also want to charge **$8*** for a SMALL chicha morada. Delusional pricing. 2 stars instead of 1 because the person that helped me was nice. read more

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My friend just took me here for my birthday dinner. The food was amazing! So flavorful and unique. Patrick, our server was fun and helpful too and we thoroughly enjoyed everything about this quaint and colorful restaurant. Highly recommend! read more