Lunch at La Mar

La Mar Cebichería Peruana has as its main mission “attaining that all who visit discover, enjoy and forever make their own the marvelous invention that is Peruvian cuisine, created throughout the past 5,000 years” with locations in Lima, Peru and San Francisco, California…and soon to open in Mexico City and Santiago, Chile.

La Mar San Francisco is located at Pier 1 1/2 on The Embarcadero in an amazing space with soaring ceilings, full of light, and views of the San Francisco Bay.

Have you tried a pisco sour, the quintessence of a Peruvian cocktail?
  • 2 oz pisco brandy
  • 1 oz key lime or lemon juice
  • 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 1/2 egg white
  • 1 dash Angostura® bitters
Shake ingredients vigorously with ice, strain, and garnish with bitters. Pisco is made by distilling 100% fermented grape juice in copper pot stills. It is a method developed by Spanish settlers in Peru over 400 years ago.

You can sample pisco flights at the bar. How does one describe pisco? Unique, rich, clean, lush, fruity, tangy, crisp, smooth, nutty, spicy, grappa-y… I would love to hear how you interpret the taste of pisco brandies.

Cebiche Criollo: Baja California yellowtail, mussels, calamari, scallops in a spicy aji rocoto leche de tigre with habenero, cancha, red onion, Peruvian corn and yam. Very spicy (that’s a habanero ring as garnish) and very flavorful!

Tamalito Verde: Fresh Peruvian corn cilantro tamale with red onion and lime juice.

Causa: Whipped purple potato with avocado puree and aji amarillo sauce.

Cordero: Braised lamb shank, mashed rice and bean tacu tacu.

Some other dishes we enjoyed included…
Chorillana: Roasted red snapper, mashed yucca, tamarind, red onion and tomato sauce.
Lomo Saltado: Traditional stir-fry of sautéed beef tenderloin, onions. tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, aji amarillo with fried potatoes.
Arroz: Peruvian style vegetable risotto.

The desserts were excellent too. I love the china in which they serve their sunken crème brûlée over purple corn compote.

And these little orange glazed chocolate beignets were a hit as well…If you are in San Francisco, we highly recommend La Mar for its interesting and fresh Peruvian menu, both classic and modern dishes, its breathtaking colorful space, and engaging knowledgeable staff.
When we dine out, we love to share. With so many interesting dishes and new flavors, we had to put all the dishes in the middle of the table. In fact, we started out at a table for four, but had to move to a bigger table so we had room for all the plates. How about you, do you prefer to savor your own dish or would you rather try them all?

15 thoughts on “Lunch at La Mar”

  1. That all looks muy sabrosa! Brings back memories of our honeymoon in Costa Rica! I’d definitely have a bite of everything at the table! It’s too good to pass up. Thanks for sharing.

  2. Come siete il mio amico? 🙂
    I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.. especially with your family in town! I loved the little sous chef photos of your nephew!

    What a beautiful restaurant.. I love the crisp color of aqua with the earthy tones of dark wood! The food looks fantastic and how interesting the pisco sour cocktail.. with egg white no less! It looks very elegant. The dish that really caught my eye was that lamb shank.. yyum!
    I think the thing I love about Asian food is all the variety and quantities.. I love trying different dishes when I go out to eat. Although my family isn’t so into variety! 🙂

    It’s good to see you again online. Ciao and hugs!

  3. LL,
    Do you read Chinese too?
    What do those comments say above mine? I am curious!

    I have never had Peruvian cuisine. It looks gorgeous. Beautifully presented.

  4. Your post is making me hungry. I’m on a diet but I guess I am only human born to make some mistakes! I love to eat. Thanks for giving my the appetite to eat again.

  5. You have an absolutely gorgeous blog! Me and my 4 – month old daughter are having trouble sleeping. I am so happy I stumbled onto your blog during our insomnia!

  6. i’d prefer sharing, to get a taste of everything. i think i’ll love
    causa looks tempting with my fave avocado.

  7. Gorgeous photos! That ceviche makes me mouth water. Though I have to limit my intake of chilis, ceviche is one my favorite dishes.

    As to your question, I am the sort of person who always wants a little taste of what everyone else is having and wants to share tastes of her own meal, especially if its good. Food is very interactive for me, so while I can’t picture eating a wide variety of dishes alone I can certainly envision myself doing it with friends!

  8. This looks like a beautiful place for a meal. Sharing plates really depends…if it’s tapas or a tasting menu, OK. If someone wants to dip their fork onto the boundary of our plate, sure. When there are too many fabulous things, and you know you don’t need to overload it on just one, no problem! But sometimes it is nice to know something is all yours! Especially dessert. 🙂

  9. Such luscious bounty,
    love the sunshine present throughout your images.

    Could you please write a little bit more about blue corn compote?

  10. It all looks great but I probably wouldn’t be able to eat very much of it. People with migraines can’t just go eat anything they want. We can only watch others. I wonder if they would alter a recipe for someone like me? hehe

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