andina restaurant

this was a real treat and may be the best latin american cuisine i've had outside of latin america. it's all done with modern flare using lots of local, fresh ingredients

unbelieveable!. first, allow me to say that i am shocked by the number of negative reviews andina has received, because my experience there last night was nothing short of amazing.

we had a reservation for 9pm, but decided to show up early for drinks. we checked in at around 8:20 and were told that we could be seated immediately!

we sat down, ordered wine and sangria, and took a fair amount of time to mull over the menu. our server was patient with us, but checked back frequently enough that we didn't feel abandoned. i asked for her recommendation on which was better - the seco a la norte or the lomo saltado. she recommended the seco, which i ordered. she was also very helpful in recommending dishes for my vegan sister, and warning her what had cheese in it and what didn't, etc.

the bread came, with the fabulous sauces...my favorite was the passion fruit. we are a bread-loving family, so that basket of bread didn't last more than a few minutes. it, along with our sauce plate, was refilled, and before i had even taken the first bite of the fresh batch of bread, our food arrived. that's right, no more than 10 minutes after we ordered, we had our food.

of course, the presentation was impeccable, and everything looked fresh and delicious...not to mention, it was exactly what we had ordered.

i have eaten a fair amount of peruvian food, enough to know the common traditional dishes and how they should be prepared. i have an uncle who makes the best seco i've ever had, and cousins who make alfajores to die for. so i kind of know what i'm talking about.

well, i'm sorry, uncle lucho...your seco is good, but andina's is better. the lamb was...buttery melt-in-my-mouth goodness, perfectly pink in all the right places and falling off the bone tender. the cilantro sauce was plentiful enough to mop up with the rice (which, along with the beans was perfectly cooked and seasoned). i am used to seco being much spicier, which i may ask for next time, however the flavor was utterly delicious, and i definitely can't complain.

my brother-in-law got the escabeche de pollito con duo de camote, and practically licked the plate clean (although i did get a taste of the smokey, succulent sauce that it came smothered in). my sister got the de betarraga (beets), and my mom got the empanadas caseras de carne, the quesos artesanes con membrillo, and some delicious potato stuffed with crab, shrimp, and other assorted sea goodies.

we ate, drank and made merry. and then we ordered a few alfajores just for kicks. they were just ok -- my family makes them differently. i would love to go back for tapas and get a real dessert -- they all looked amazing!

in summary, this is one of, if not the best restaurant i have been to not just in portland, but in america. the service was impeccable, the food divine, and the atmosphere perfect. it's a great place for friends, family, a business meeting or a romantic dinner. hands down, five stars.

food odyssey!. scrumptious from the get go! the waitress was incredibly animated and so passionate about the food, that it we became excited about the drama and waited in anticipation for our meal. we chose the tapas menu, which was such a great experience. everything from beginning to end was delicious. my two favorite standouts, were the empanadas (flaky, flaky homemade pastry filled with beef, olives, raisens, etc) and the homemade truffle at the end of the meal. the stuffed relleno was also divine. we mostly just enjoyed the sensual food experience which included a charming trio of guitar players. this was a great restaurant!

food, fun & reasonable for upscale eatery. 4 ppl, drinks, tapas & dessert for $140 is not expensive. we each had more than one cocktail. the waitress suggested the med tapas plates for 4 ppl and we chose to go with the smalls. most were overwhelmingly fantastic, a couple mediocre to our tastes. dessert was over the top. we were all stuffed beyond belief and could not finish the dessert, i guess we should have ordered them first. get the empanadas, even the olive haters loved them!

over rated. i had ordered the duck confit and it was salty. couldn't eat it

deee-lish!. outrageously great food, service & a cracking good staff! we had a group of six which included two vegetarians & one person who needs to eat gluten-free. everyone walked away patting their bellies, we shared several medium & large plates and tasted some of the best peruvian fare. the menu includes an excellent mix of sea and land foods, wonderfully prepared vegetable and grain dishes, and a frittata that could be eaten all day by our group ( the tortilla de patata y alioli de aji amarillo). the 3-taster creme brulee was outstanding - do not miss; as were the canutos de quinoa y maracuya (think crispy tuile-like cannoli with a rich, mango-y filling).

downtown tapas. we enjoyed andina. we had a mix of tapas and all were good. place was busy but service kept up and we did not feel ignored. it is expensive but the food is good.

...the multi-colored napkins, the wood, the copper, and the bottles of prettily colored liquor all worked together to create a warm, comfortable atmosphere that begged people to sit around sipping sangria and sopping sauce with fantastical bread.

salty food, noisy, overrated.. i was so dissapointed. as i had hear such good things about andina.

why is this place so popular? my food was so salty i sent it back and couldn't eat the second plate of food.

and, it was expensive inedible food.

good but not great. i've eaten at andina's 5 times. food s good, but for the price, not quite equitable to the finess of oba. i find oba to be more authentic and w/ flavors that match the dish's expectations. i will go back, but maybe for business, not pleasure.

always good, just good food. the way it should be,

great place for date night...... great atmosphere, service, food, live music. cozy yet lively. what more can i say. love this place.

skip dinner and go for dessert.. andina is packed, hard to get a table, overpriced and has not very authentic, they do have good drinks and pretty good food... exactly what i expect form the pearl. then the dessert menu comes. there are no foie gras profiteroles here (ok habanero made it in) but everything, yes everything on the dessert list sound good... and tastes even better.

so now there are three things that would get me to go to the pearl, and the first two will break the bank: powels, metro vino and desserts at andina.

been here!. i brought my visting mother here a few months ago, and what a treat! amazing staff and delicious food. the veggie options were great and they were able to tailor my entrees according to my food allergies. the waiter was kind and engaging from what i recall and we just had a great time.

can't wait to go back!. my husband took me there last october for my birthday and i've been talking about it ever since. i hope we make a trip to portland just for andina this year too. it's so good! they have a gluten free menu and everything was delicious. the atmosphere was fun with live music and friendly staff.