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Arango - Restaurant review

by Chef David Jesson

The Restaurant-Arango

Arango, Café and Restaurant is a place where one can go and be relaxed, unassumingly embracing the relationship between good food, good prices and family. This eatery has an extensive menu as it is much more than just a coffee shop and could never be considered just a local diner. The modern design and comfortable seating makes one automatically feel a bit like they are invited guests whom are expected to relax and enjoy a good meal.

The ambiance provides for comfort and is spacious. The leather chairs we sat in were so comfortable that we could have been in them for hours, yet with the attentive and friendly service (from many who spoke English to help out with any of our selections) that could never have happened. Arango has large windows that face the tree-lined street so it makes for a very open feel with modern paintings and color schemes that are lively, yet blend harmoniously. This is all pulled together to make a tranquil place to enjoy good food prepared with love.

The owners make sure to personally greet each table at some point and see how things are; a very nice touch of old that many others can learn from. With the superb food on their breakfast menu (that you can get at any time), lunch, tea time, dinner and a Sunday brunch, it made me feel welcomed to come right back. Do not be afraid to bring the family and skip the tie and suit, although the ambiance would appear to be formal, it is a place to come to be comfortable and enjoy the bounty of Peru.

I was super impressed with the Pisco sour I had made with guanabana. The others tried the maracuya (passion fruit) and tumbo (tropical fruit) sour. All were great combinations of the national drink. The wine list, although limited, was perfect for the menu and had some good reds like Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon along with a few whites to meet anyone’s fancy for a good meal.

We started out with one of their most famous plates called Pollo Crocante con Ensalada Tai (crunchy chicken rolls on top of a Thai salad) with mangos and an oriental dressing that had the juice of the tumbo fruit. This should indicate to you the range of different foods that are available here. It was crunchy, flavorful and a wonderful light meal. We also tried Langostinos de la Casa which was a plate of shrimp battered perfectly with corn meal, then fried and served with a sweet sauce made from honey and orange. We also tried some fabulous Champiñones a la Parrilla (grilled mushrooms with a Roquefort cheese sauce) and also Pulpito a la Parrilla (grilled baby octopus) that had a wonderful flavor of the smoked wood the grill used. It was served over perfectly puréed Humatango potatoes surrounded with an Aji Chimichurri (Andean relish served with meat dishes). It was hard to move on to the main courses.

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Lenguado en costra de pan, medio Arango Mango y Pulpito a la parrilla.
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As we went on to the entrees, we were dazzled by the range of what we could order. From pizzas, main course salads, homemade pastas to sandwiches with such size that some people would need a doggie bag to take home what was left. We went onto the dinner menu to really test the kitchen. A good example was the filet mignon I ordered medium; it was cooked perfectly and served with Pastel de Papas (Arango’s version is more like scalloped potatoes) which I wanted to eat a whole plate of by themselves. The crepes with beef stroganoff were marvelous, and the Lomo a las Cinco Especies (beef filet with five spices) was delicious and served with glazed sweet potatoes and a sautéed medley of vegetables.

For a nice in-between tasting we had a Carpaccio that is not the normal. Usually we think of salmon or beef, which they also had, but to cleanse our palate we had a Carpaccio of figs with caramelized walnuts covered with prosciutto and served with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was a fabulous creation that is sure to satisfy almost any taste. Of all the dishes, my favorite was a masterpiece called Lenguado Encostra de Pan. It is a beautiful piece of flounder perfectly encrusted with a delicate breading and served over a mixture of sautéed spinach with almonds and oranges. It was like a one-sided grilled flounder sandwich and I will surely be back just to order this dish, it was exquisite.

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Crocante de Chirimoya.
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Last but not least there was an array of superb desserts. We tried the Arango Mango, which is a crepe flambéed with orange liqueur and served with vanilla ice cream. We also tried a very sweet desert of Crocante de Chirimoya (fresh chirimoya fruit with a meringue) which was fabulous. A favorite was the Mousse de Lucuma, served in a delicate crunchy pastry tulip, with two different sauces, one of vanilla and the other of milk chocolate. A selection of after-dinner drinks and great coffee made for a perfect closing to a meal. At least we thought so until we were treated to the house Pisco.

There is ample parking with personal security in what is considered a safe neighborhood of Chacarilla. The kitchen proved itself to pass my tests for food storage and food handling. The food safety was above average, with all the staff even being required to take a shower on the premises before starting work.

Overall, Arango is a great place to visit frequently, enjoy, relax and have good food with good friends.


The Restaurateurs -Arango


Bistro, coffee shop, cafe, or noshery, however you may describe this wonderful restaurant, Arango, you will be sure to agree on the good food, good service and good prices. This is a fulfillment of the dream of a charming couple, Carlos and Ana Maria Zarzar, who are enthralled to be restaurateurs and fulfilling their life’s ambitions. They will ensure you feel welcomed there, and without a doubt, they will personally see to it that you leave satisfied with their great food and service.


A good friend of mine from Turkey has always encouraged me to remember how important friendship and food go hand in hand. At Arango, you will feel the same way. Many customers have their favorite table and have been coming for years. You will see and hear long-time friends greeting each other throughout your meal. It is this exact atmosphere that the Zarzars desired to create. Coming from a Palestinian background, they understand the relationship between friends, family and food. It takes a long time to make an old friend and time-proven favorite recipes fill the menu created at Arango.

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Chef Antonio Tutiño and Chef David
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It is a family affair when a new menu is prepared or new items are added. In a group effort with their own chefs, they also invite other chefs and friends when they add to or change their menu, using each other to work together to perfect each dish. The Zarzars believe in team work, and taking care of their long-term workers, who have become like family, all add to the great symphony that comes from the kitchen and resounds to the dining room.

Carlos and his wife Ana Maria make a great team. From breakfast, lunch, tea time to dinner, they look over all the details with enthusiasm. Both of them agree that even if the food is good, but the service is bad, people will not return, so they make sure both are attended to properly. Their teamwork orchestration between the front and back of the house does not miss a beat. They look at their place as a family restaurant, treating everyone as such. The establishment is informal, but the food is superb, and for the past 10 years they have followed the same ritual together everyday.

Carlos personally buys the fruit himself daily, hand-picking the best available. Over the years he has perfected his choice of purveyors and knows what his customers like and expect. This homogenous rapport with the people from whom he buys and then turns into great food, makes for the simpatico plates which cause for an almost compulsory return; nearly like coming home to mom’s cooking. The attention to detail flows through to all who come and is mixed perfectly with a heaping serving of friendship.

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Carlos and Ana Maria Zarzar
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With Carlos and Ana Maria having been influenced by their grandparents, they grew up enjoying traditional Arabic cuisine. Carlos has fond memories of lamb, shish kabob, grape leaves, special salads, and couscous, while Ana Maria has a soft spot for Peruvian delights such as antichuchos (marinated beef heart skewers) and picarones (Peruvian doughnuts). Having an early passion for food, Carlos remembers his mom encouraging him to try a variety of foods, and to learn to eat everything. Today, with two grown children, days of relaxation are rare for the Zarzars, but when there is a family get-together, barbeques are the order of the day, with a range of BBQ-meats, chorizo, and sandwiches, but their everyday foods are casual and simple.

Ana Maria has the final word on anything sweet as she oversees all the desserts and a young pastry chef whom she helps create sugary delicacies. The main chef has been with them since they started and is like part of the family. Overall they have had to learn to be restaurateurs from the ground up, their passion for friendship and food make for a combination of delightful dishes, service and atmosphere that at Arango,

you will be hard pressed to find better.


The Facts

Arango Café-Restaurant


Address: Av. El Pinar 139, Chacarilla, Surco

Directions: Block 3 of Av. Primavera (Prolongación Av. Angamos)

Phone number: 372-0042

Hours: Monday through Saturday: 8 am – 1 am, Sunday: 12 pm – 5 pm

Specials (with special menu and pricing):

Business Lunch: 1 pm-4 pm

Tea Time: 4 pm-7 pm

Sunday buffet: 1 pm – 5 pm

Website: Under construction.

Online reservations/information: arangorestaurant@gmail.com

Parking: Secure off street.

Menu in English: Not yet, but owner and waiter speak English.

Reservation recommended: For special groups or parties.

Cards accepted: ALL major cards.

Business friendly: Yes.

Good for large groups: Yes.

Child friendly: Yes.

Handicap accessible: Help available.

Catering for special dietary needs: Yes.

Full bar: Yes

Outdoor seating/terrance: No, but has second floor/balcony that can be used for private meetings.





Add a comment :
2 comments

alex reccio says :
22-08-07,10:21:45

that sounds like one of those small, off-the-path restaurants you can find in the Mission Distric or th Bernal Heights Distric in San Francisco, I guess that not having a "particular" type of cuisine allows for more freedom and eventually, a pretty good repertoire of dishes. See?... This is another little gem I'll have to visit on my next visit to Peru.

CARLOS URQUIETA ZARZAR says :
30-09-07,04:13:31

I KNOW ARANGO CAFE SINCE THE BEGINING YEARS AGO AND IT'S ONE OF THE BEST'S,  IN LIMA PERU. THE AMAZING AND SURPRISING  MENU, WAITERS, CHEF AND THE PERSONAL ATTENTION OF CARLOS AND ANAMARIA ZARZAR HAVE DONE OF ARANGO AND EXCELLENT PLACE TO STAY WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS.
CARLOS



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