I stumbled upon this nice Peruvian place while walking down the street from my hotel. They were open at 4:30pm... perfect for a light early dinner before turning in early! Upon entering, I was greeted by a cheerful young lady who seated and served me. She was able to answer questions about the menu and give recommendations. The ambiance is not too formal. High ceilings and light colours. Bright and upbeat. The menu posted outside was slightly different from the menu I was given. I had looked forward to the squid, but it had been replaced by smelt. I didn't feel like getting that, so went with crab instead. My meal was: - Causa de cangrejo starter - La cholita cocktail - Chocolucuma 2.0 dessert Amuse bouche and petit four were complimentary. The blue crab starter was delightful -- such a good mix of textures and flavours, from the smooth potato below to the bouncy succulent slightly sweet crab meat to tangy sauce, and the crunchy thin fried sweet potato on top! I did bite into a few crab shell pieces though, nothing super sharp or hard, but a bit unpleasant and unexpected. The cocktail was pleasantly sweet and sour. (Given the decadence of the dessert, maybe I should have gone with something more crisp and dry.) The lava cake had a molten centre, as expected, and the lucuma on top added a rich toasted caramel flavour. The meal was leisurely and relaxing. The portions were a bit on the small side, but the richness of flavours tired out my palate, so I felt like I'd had enough food. I would love to visit again, next time with more people. read more

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Delicious experience at Raphael. First time having Peruvian food! Flavors were amazing and tasty. Loved the color in the dishes too. We shared 4 dishes between 3 people - the lingcod, steak skewers, ceviche and crab appie. We also tried the flan and corn dessert. Portions are on the smaller side. read more

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Expensive. Pretentious. Service no better than fair. Some dishes were good, others not so good. I'd go back to try again but for me, not worth the hype, parking, traffic. The restaurant was empty too so any vibe/energy was missing. Interior was decent. Nice platings. Avoid the octopus. We had parked at the NAC if that helps any. read more

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Peruvian food is delicious! All of the dishes tasted great - fresh and well-flavoured. I only wish the portions were bigger for the price. - The causa de cangrejo was my favourite. The crab was rich and umami. - The device and pacific tiradito was bright and tangy. - The anticuchos were fine, but were overshadowed by the other dishes. - The maíz dessert was ok (the corn was too heavy in the meringue for my taste, and the combination with the goat cheese mousse was interesting). - The crema volteada dessert was good. Service was impeccable. Our waitress was friendly and came at the right times without being overbearing. Vibes were nice. Lots of nice plants. The entrance is a bit hidden with the construction. The chairs were not the most comfortable. read more

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We made reservations for a table of 7 on Saturday. Oddly, they wouldn't let us reserve for 8 but 7 was ok. When I got there, I understood a bit better since a lot of tables are really small (tables of 2). The design inside is nice and I liked the ambiance. To start, I tried the mahi mahi (raw) which was really good. It was in some emulsion and there were bits of crunchy nuts in it. The flavours were really good, not to mention the gorgeous presentation. I also tried the crispy squid which was tasty. The tout ceviche was also presented really nice and taste was good but I think the mahi mahi is better. We also tried the duck breast with corn tamal. The duck was really tender, but this dish was a bit lacking in presentation and the corn tamal didn't do much for me. Lastly, I had the squid ink risotto with octopus. I felt like the squid ink was too much, or they added food colouring because it was so much blacker than other times I have had this dish elsewhere. The squid ink doesn't really have much of a taste either. The octopus was cooked perfectly, tender with crispy edges. Though my friend got the same dish and she had the thicker pieces of octopus and she said it was very chewy and she could barely bite through it. Overall, the food was good and the presentation impressed me. read more

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What a wonderful meal. Great service. Listened to all the recommendations. Really enjoyed the Ceviche and the squid. Mixed small plates and a main to share among two. Strongly recommend read more

Raphaël Peruvian Cuisine - Lovely meal - Peruvian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

The food is fresh and service is excellent the only problem is i ordered ceviche, and it was as big as a tapa but was written on the menu as a main meal. I went to many Peruvian restaurant and they serve a bigger amount of food everywhere even in Peru. So i didn't recommend this restaurant. Tout est très frais, et le service est excellent, le problème est que le ceviche que j'ai commandé était écrit comme un repas principal dans le menu, et que la quantité était seulement digne d'être un tapa ! J'ai été dans plusieurs restaurants péruviens et je peux vous dire qu'il y a beaucoup plus de nourriture dans votre assiette que dans ce restaurant, encore plus au Pérou ! Je ne recommande pas ce restaurant. read more

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we've eaten in Peruvian restaurants in many cities. Raphael's food is perfect. There were five of us and we ordered many dishes and loved each one. Nothing we did not really love. Wonderful cocktails and desserts. i wish i lived in Ottawa! read more

I visited for the first time tonight and split three small plates with a girlfriend for an early dinner. Long story short the food was extremely flavourful, with interesting/unique ingredients, well prepared and each accompanied by a truly delectable sauce/dressing. We got the ensalada And the rockfish taradito And also the antichuchos The service was great and the restaurant was spacious and nicely decorated. The menu offered a lot of variety with fair prices. The dessert menu was appealing too but we didn't try anything. We will be back to try everything else! read more

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Great date night spot, as it is on the pricier side of things. But it is well worth the price. Everything that I ate here was absolutely delicious. I still think about the risotto to this day. The ceviche is a great starter, along with the non-alcoholic beverages. Both extremely tasty. Highly recommend getting the dish with the duck breast, it was cooked to perfection. I would come back here again to enjoy upscale Peruvian food. read more

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Five stars for Raphael! The food, the decor, the service *chefs kiss*. I don't know why I have been sleeping on Peruvian food my whole life but I was slapped awake in Montreal when we dined at Barranco and had an absolutely amazing meal truly so memorable and I thought I would have to go back to Montreal for the same experience but Raphael has made my Peruvian dream come true! Will definitely be going back, everything we tried was delicious, the flavours were so vibrant and fresh and the server was very knowledgeable about the different dishes. read more

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The food here is delicious, everything is just not beautiful but so rich in flavours . Awesome authentic Peruvian food . This place is so unique , and you'll leave here wanting to just go back again . My favourite dish is the lomo saltado and the ceviche el apaltado . If you're ever in the Ottawa are , you must try this place . read more

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A great restaurant and a wonderful culinary experience. Be ready to embrace new and unique flavours!

This is a fine dining Peruvian establishment. As a Peruvian myself, I was really happy with everything I ordered. From the Pisco Sour, to the ceviche, to the lomo saltado, and last but not least a merengue de guanábana. Wow. Highly recommend you give this a shot. read more

Enjoyed a great meal at their new location on Elgin. Ceviche was delicious as were the arroz dishes. We were a table for 6. They gave us a nice round table and in sharing the dishes we got to sample most of the menu. All of it was delicious. The cocktails are also fun. I went with a classic pisco sour. Service was a bit slow but that didn't take away from our enjoyment. read more

Excellent food, excellent service. Their vegan stew was delicious! Lovely presentation as well.

Never had a chance to try the food, this review is solely based on the door service. We visited this restaurant based on positive "food" reviews. We walked in from a recent play at the NAC, we were well presented and a mature couple. My wife is celiac, so I asked if there were gluten free options. The hostess said yes, paused, then asked if we had reservations. I replied no and asked if we needed one. She replied "today you do", then said nothing and just stared at us. There was no option of sitting outside (plenty of seats), nor was there any apology for being full, please come another time, these are our busy days, these days are best etc. Nothing. Just a blank stare as we slipped embarrassingly out the door. It was beyond awkward. We recently returned from Quebec City, and twice we were turned away due to not having reservations, and both times we were offered suggestions on another local restaurant, please return tomorrow if you can and even offered to make a reservation for us to return. Sadly, how we felt at Raphael is becoming the norm for Ottawa. As long as the seats are filled, there is little care towards walk-in customers, as though you are second class. Please owner: take a moment to educate your staff on politeness and hospitality, especially towards walk-ins. You're 2 blocks from the NAC, surely walk-ins happen, just try a little harder to encourage someone to return. Unfortunately, we will not be returning due to a lapse in common courtesy. read more

The food was only OK. This is saying something when you consider you are talking about the tastiest cuisine in the Americas. Also; far too salty. My wife's entrée was too salty as well. The portions are really small. After our evening at Rafa's, we went home and made carné asada! The service was OK. Having lived in Latin America, I suppose I expected better. The ambiance was unremarkable as well. The tables were very close to one another. I would rather go to Nando's to be honest. read more

This is for their brand new location on Elgin (opened in April). I've never had Peruvian food before, but I intend on coming back soon! Raphael's was exceptional. We had the rockfish tiradito, cause vegetarian, papitas huancaina, ensalada, and not pictured the muslitos a la brasa and antichuchos. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and so flavorful! These were all small plates but I would say the portions are very generous. Their resteraunt atmosphere was very nice and lots of parking at that end of elgin even at dinner time. Looking forward to trying more things next time! read more

Every dish at our table of 4 was delicious. I recommend the pork. 200%. Rock fish too.

It doesn't seem to be authentic Peruvian food. It us very different of the delicious food in Peru. It is also very expensive.

Simply excellent. Would go back in a heartbeat. Dinner for two consisted of their traditional cocktail, two shared starters (EL Traditionale Ceviche and Causa Octopus, followed by a shared entre of Pesca de Roca) and dessert. It was all terrific. The Causa is not to be missed... Velvety smooth and delicious. The entre was very flavourful with a balanced lobster base. Service was great. Really hope this gem succeeds and builds a healthy base of loyal customers read more

I ate here yesterday for the first and last time. Although the food tasted good, the portions were annoyingly small for the expensive prices. For example, one of the small plate selections that cost $23 consisted of one thin slice of tomato, 3 small pieces of avocado, one asparagus spear cut into thirds, 3 small fried plantain chips, all of which were in a sauce. My $36 main meal, arroz con caldones consisted of a small portion of a nice tasting risotto but only 4 small shrimp. They weren't even jumbo shrimp. I was charged $6 for a glass ( not a bottle) of sparkling water. The portions of my husband's meal were not any better. They didn't charge us for the small plate appetizer because we complained about the tiny portion that cost $23. Although our server was good, we left feeling hungry, disappointed, and ripped off. read more

A party of went went for dinner to raphael express peruvian cuisine. I was extremely impressed with the test of food, quality and amazing service. They also have vegan options. Everything is delicious read more