London’s often rude climate means that delicately cured raw fish isn’t always a major craving. But ceviche is a thing of beauty that should be appreciated year-round. It’s Peru's national dish and features heavily in the cuisines of Ecuador and Columbia as well. All combine fish so fresh it transports you to the sea, citrus so vibrant that your brain starts handing out dopamine left, right, and centre, and aji amarillo so electric that even those who are chilli-adverse will reconsider their position. Here’s where we go for our ceviche fix in London.
THE SPOTS
El Inca Plebeyo is covered in colour. Tiles, pottery, and tablecloths. It’s loud, it’s proud, and its ceviche is just as bright on the eye. Everything at this Ecuadorian restaurant on Essex Road is worth checking out—the hornado, a national dish of slow-cooked pork, is a must—but the ceviche menu is particularly outstanding. Fresh prawns, sea bass, and scallops are paired with a choice of leche de tigre (a mix of lime, chilli, onion, and fish) marinades. There’s tamarillo, rocoto, or yellow chilli—depending if you’re looking for something more fiery, fruity, or fresh—but whatever you choose is sure to brighten your day.
The always-enticing trio of plants, exposed brickwork, and pisco cocktails come together seamlessly at Pachamama’s slick Shoreditch location. The Peruvian restaurant divides its menu like Noah organising his ark in a spreadsheet—there's soil, land, and sea—and the latter has plenty of delicious raw fish options. There’s salmon paired with tiger's milk as well as sea bream tiradito, a sashimi-style dish introduced by Japanese immigrants in Peru.
Our enthusiasm for Tierra Peru is not not related to its sensational pisco sours. Nor should the fuzzy feeling we get from seeing a local restaurant on the Essex Road regularly heaving on a Wednesday night be ignored either. The ceviche bar—featuring all your friends from under the sea with a classic selection of pairings like aji amarillo or aji limo—is a delight. Full of fresh prawns and juicy baby octopus, biting red onion and lively lime juice. Whether you get it as a starter or a main, it's great, and the same goes for the hot, tender ox heart skewers or those homely alfajores biscuits.
Having moved to Spitalfields from Shoreditch, Andina continues to serve slightly stylised takes on Peruvian classics. The excellent ceviche menu features classic combinations like sea bass with leche de tigre and crunchy deep-fried corn kernels, with flourishes like avocado cream or mango gel. It’s a cool, casual restaurant—perfect for cocktails as well as catch-ups—and the menu has just as many hearty options (rump of lamb, chimichurri, sweet potato) if you’re looking for something a little more filling.
Coya’s website says ‘from Peru to Mayfair’ on its homepage which, thankfully, isn’t a description of the schlep that your yellowfin tuna has gone on to end up on your plate. No, this swanky restaurant— full of sparkly decor and soft furnishings you want to touch—brings Peruvian into glitzy Mayfair surroundings. The menu ranges from reasonably to unreasonably priced, but the ceviches are, at around £15, about what you’d expect for the neighborhood. And they’re good. Expect Japanese influences like soy sauce and rice crackers and, because it’s that kind of restaurant, there’s some truffle thrown in for good measure as well.
