North Central Austin Edition | April 2023

DINING FEATURE

BY DARCY SPRAGUE

Jalea ($19.95) is breaded sh, calamari and shrimps on a bed of vegetables.

Arroz Chaufa de Mariscos ($19.95) is Peruvian-style fried rice with seafood.

Susana Vivanco’s restaurant Lima Criolla serves traditional Peruvian food.

Lima Criolla 6406 N. I-35, Ste. 1550, Austin 512-323-5404 ww.limacriolla.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m-10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. PISCO Lima Criolla oers a pisco bar. The national drink of Peru is a pisco sour. Pisco is a type of brandy made in the wine-making region of Peru. Ingredients • lime juice, bar syrup, egg white, aromatic bitters

Lima Criolla Peruvian restaurant oers authentic dishes in Central Austin B efore Susana Vivanco began serving Peruvian food in Austin more than a decade food,” Vivanco said. “And if you nd [that food] in another place, it warms your soul.”

College to redevelop the area. She opened Lima Criolla in the Linc in 2015. The menu focuses entirely on Peruvian food, which features a wide variety of fresh vege- tables, seafoods and meats. Vinanco said the menu takes dishes from a variety of dierent types of Peruvian restaurants and street foods. Vinanco is planning to expand Lima Criolla. She needs the addi- tional space to oer catering and also wants to oer 24-hour roasted chicken. “I’m very proud of representing my culture,” Vinanco said. “When someone says [the food] was good for them, I feel it in my heart.”

ago, she wanted to ensure she chose the best recipes, so she gathered the top cooks in her family and asked them to compete in a blind taste test. Vivanco, the owner of Lima Criolla in the Linc and Brasas Peruanas in Round Rock, moved to the United States from Peru when her son was accepted to a Maryland university to follow his childhood dream of being a scientist. Eventually, Vivanco settled in Austin, where she found herself missing Peruvian food. “I think in every culture one of the things that is most missed is their

Vivanco found a spot in the High- land Mall, but the owners wanted a Mexican restaurant. She agreed to open La Chaparrita on the condition that she could also oer Peruvian food. “When people would ask for something with steak, for example, I would say, ‘OK, you want a fajita, but try my Lomo Saltado, and if you don’t like it after the rst bite, you don’t have to pay, and I will prepare your fajitas.’” After the closure of the mall, Vinanco decided to relocate rather than wait for Austin Community

E. HIGHLAND MALL BLVD.

MOTHER S DAY

NORTH CENTRAL AUSTIN EDITION • MAY 2023