Our enthusiasm for Tierra Peru is not not related to their sensational pisco sours. Nor should the fuzzy feeling we get from seeing a local restaurant on the Essex Road regularly heaving on a Monday night be ignored either. Overall though, it’s everything about this buzzing Peruvian spot that makes us smile. The enlivening, citric ceviche. The hum of people swapping stories and anticuchos. The blitzing sound of the blender mixing another drink from behind the bar. Tierra Peru can, simply put, be a party any night of the week.

Who’s invited is up to you. More often than not you’ll find one rowdy group in the dining room. The combination of pisco cocktails, a pleather banquette, and Amsterdam red lighting is obviously irresistible. But the 20-or-so table room suits everything: low-key dates, catch-ups, restorative solo dinners at one of the quiet tables at the back. The more time you spend here the more you realise that Tierra Peru is a restaurant that’s relied upon by families and friends and Islington locals. Some regulars, some not.

Food-wise, ceviche is essential. A couple of chef-recommended dishes, cordero huanuqueño (lamb chops rubbed in huacatay sauce) and picanta chalaco (spicy seafood stew), also stand out as must-tries. The former is perfect for a group of mates leaning across the table for a bite of this or a spoon of that, while the latter suits when you just want your own homely, generous bowl of food. Especially as it comes with rice and potato medallions. For pudding, you want to look at the biscuits. Tierra Peru’s alfajores. Handmade weekly and entirely scoffable in the best possible way. Come here en masse or with someone you like, really like. It’s a loving and celebratory kind of restaurant. But, be warned, you'll likely have to share your biscuits.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Pisco Sour

The only way to start your meal here.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Anticuchos

If grilled ox heart isn’t your thing then know that you can get chicken or vegetable versions of these skewers. The chimichurri sauce they come with is seriously vibrant—make sure it stays on your table.

Cordero Huanuqueño

Lamb chops should be given attention on any menu they feature and these are no different. The huacatay sauce they’re marinated in gives a green herbaceous kick and the meat itself is as pink and tender as you’d like.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Picanta Chalaco

A bowl of food that every person needs after a long day’s work. This creamy seafood stew has a background heat that builds but never blows away, perfectly offset by tender baby octopus and salty mussels. Get a spoonful of rice and a chunk of potato involved. It’s a proverbial hug of a dish.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Alfajores con Helado

These biscuits are small, dinky things, and short in every sense of the word. Perfectly crumbly and filled with a centimetre of sweet, luscious dulce de leche. Alongside a couple of scoops of ice cream it’s a dessert that just makes you smile.