El Porteño - Reviews

On the 26th, I went to El Porteño for lunch with some church brothers and had a bad experience. When we mentioned we wanted separate checks, they brought incomplete cutlery. They brought the food but forgot the chicha morada. I had to get up to ask for it near the end of our meal. When they finally brought the chicha, it was spoiled. I returned it to the kitchen, and the lady laughed and said they'd bring another. Instead, they brought passion fruit juice. She never returned. The service was awful; they didn't ask if we were finished before clearing plates. My guests said they wouldn't return, which made me feel bad for bringing them. To top it off, when I took a chalchipapa home for my daughter, she said the fries had ketchup on them, which I hadn't added. Some fries were also stained with black dust, so my daughter stopped eating them, saying they mixed fries from other people because they didn't look fresh and some were hard. I am very disappointed with this restaurant. The lady and the girl attending only seem to care about money, and you need to be careful with what they charge you – open your eyes. They didn't apologize. They told my son, 'Since you drank the spoiled chicha, we won't give you another glass of passion fruit. ' I thought this only happened in Peru, but it happens here too.

Perhaps times change, but the prices at this place are excessive. The food isn't as good as at other Peruvian restaurants, and I wouldn't recommend it, especially for a family outing. Paying $25 for a mediocre rice dish and a lomo saltado that doesn't deliver on flavor – everything was too salty 🥴. The restaurant La Fresca is a million times better. The waitress who served us was not good 👎, but the service itself wasn't bad.

My experience at the restaurant was very negative due to the service provided by the staff. The girls attending were not friendly at all. They should be a little more kind.

The first time I ate here was on the recommendation of some cousins, and everything was delicious and fresh, as if just prepared. Today, 9/5/25 at 12 pm, I went alone to enjoy the delicious ceviche with its chaufa. The ceviche smelled vinegary, and I ate it out of obligation and craving. Upon arriving home, I started vomiting 🤢🤮🤮 and had stomach pain. I will never return to this place again. It's no wonder the place is always empty. This is my lived experience from today, September 5th.

I used to love this place; I always considered it one of the best options for its food and the family atmosphere that the staff conveyed. However, on my last visit, I had the worst experience. Ms. Sandra G attended our table very unpleasantly, all because we decided to split into two tables and not accept the family table they offered us. From that moment on, the experience was a complete disaster, uncomfortable from start to finish. We reached the point of deciding to leave and pay before finishing lunch to avoid continuing in that situation. The most serious issue was at the time of the bill: initially, she charged us around $125 for three dishes that did not exceed $30 each. Only after insisting that she give us the bill did the amount change to $102. Very bad service. Definitely, the added value of any business is the attention, and in this case, it left a lot to be desired. I feel sorry for the owners!

My experience at this restaurant was overwhelmingly negative due to the unacceptable customer service. The waitresses were rude and unprofessional, to the point of slamming plates on the table. Furthermore, they were inattentive, never checking if we needed anything. This resulted in a very negative experience, and I will not be returning or recommending this establishment.

The food is delicious, but the customer service is terrible. They get angry because they want to seat you at a 'party table, ' which they charge as two extra dishes. They throw the menu, cutlery, and food at you. Before you've even finished eating, they're already over you with the card machine, as if you were going to leave without paying. 👎👎👎

My experience at this restaurant was a mixed bag. While the food had some tasty elements, it ultimately didn't justify the $60 spent for two meals and a sangria. I found the beef to be tough, possibly twice cooked, and the chicken was just good, not special. The biggest letdown was the service. The staff was not friendly from the moment I entered, struggling to even crack a smile. This lack of warmth made me feel odd, even when I tried to be polite. A particularly strange interaction occurred when I inquired about a green sauce (Aji verde); the staff member seemed offended, as if I was questioning an order, rather than simply asking if they had it. Although their version of hot sauce was good, the overall feeling of confrontation extended to asking for the check. To add to the issues, the bill at the register was higher than expected, with an unexpected charge for the sauce. Given the struggles many San Francisco restaurants face, I believe making customers feel welcomed is crucial, but this experience fell short. I'm okay with continuing my search for other gems in the city.

This is a long overdue review that I feel the responsibility to post. I remember when this place was the best of the best, run by Asian/Peruvian ladies who served great food with generous portions and plenty of aji verde. You could even grab your own from their soda fridge. Sadly, those days are gone. I recently had dinner here with my partner and was appalled. The food is nothing like it was before. We ordered lomo saltado, ceviche mixto, and arroz chaufa de pollo. While the sauce for the lomo saltado was tasty, the meat was very tough and flavorless, and the portion was small. The arroz chaufa was dry with barely any meat or flavor, and also a smaller portion than remembered. The ceviche was yummy and fresh, but was gone in two bites. We asked for hot sauce (aji) and spicy lemon sauce, and were brought a teaspoon's worth in a tiny container, charged $3 for it. Despite not being busy, getting attention for drinks or the check was a task. Overall, not a good experience, especially for the price ($$$!).

We ordered ceviche, chicken causa, lomo saltado, and pollo a la brasa, and we loved it all. It was my boyfriend's first time trying Peruvian food, and he enjoyed it immensely, as did the babies. I highly recommend this place.