This place was recommended by our son who lives in the area and has been here for lunch since it is near his latest worksite. This is a top-notch restaurant and was quite impressive – what I would have expected to find in downtown Tampa. Everything about the experience was excellent, with the only ding I can give it based on value – as it is a bit pricey.
This was a bit of a brunch stop for us, so we ate fairly lightly. My wife ordered the Arroz Chaufa Pollo Lunch (see picture) and 1961 Side Salad (see picture), my son ordered the Classic ’61 Tacos (see picture) and I ordered the Peruvian Ceviche (see picture). As is our custom, we all shared bites from each others orders and all really enjoyed all of these dishes, so would highly recommend them. The ceviche was creamy and tangy, the arroz chaufa pollo was moist and flavorful and the tacos were zesty, cheesy and delicious!
If you are looking for a great lunch or dinner stop in Lakeland, especially if it is a special occasion worthy of a bit of a splurge, Nineteen 61 will not disappoint you.
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Peruvian CevicheArroz Chaufa Pollo LunchClassic ’61 Tacos1961 Side Salad
This place has been on my Want to Go list for a while and finally got to try it last night. My wife was quite hungry, so we thought we would quickly resolve that and try out some $5 apps during Happy Hour. While the first external impression was a little negative (store front came across as a fast-foodish), we immediately felt better after stepping inside – very nice atmosphere and bustling with activity.
Long story short…we arrived just before 6pm on a Friday, didn’t have a reservation, were told it would be “5 minutes” – then proceeded to wait 50 minutes before we were seated. We thought we would help the time pass by enjoying a cocktail, so asked the primary server about ordering a drink (behind the bar seating area is food preparation only and no bartender). He said he would be back “in a second” to take our order, but never did return.
Other than cooking, bussing tables and table clean up, he was the only one doing everything else in the service area of the restaurant. While he was very friendly, pleasant and apologetic – he clearly could not keep up with all of the demands of the customers and made some mistakes. If he would have help on the service side, they clearly could move more people through (all told, we spent 2 hours and 20 minutes there) and increase their revenues while providing better service.
Now onto the good part – the food and drinks were FANTASTIC (see pictures for menus and food / drinks)! I did make one mission trip to Peru that was quite enjoyable and introduced me to ceviche and pisco sours – but have not have the opportunity to sample a lot of their cuisine.
For starters, I ordered a Pisco Sour (see picture) and it was delicious – very foamy egg white on top and the cinnamon / presentation was great! For appetizers, we ordered Chicharron de Pescado and Causa de Pollo (see pictures). I absolutely loved the Causa mashed potato / chicken salad / avocado stack and the Pescado was also very good.
For our dinner, my wife and I shared Cremoso Ceviche (see picture) and Arroz Norteno (see picture). As our 5* rating implies, we loved both of them – as the name implies, the ceviche sauce was a bit creamy and the Arroz dish was fresh and very tasty. If you read my reviews, you know I love sweets – so the meal wasn’t complete without Alfajores Peruanos (see picture) for dessert. Again, it is highly recommended – the soursop ice cream is best described as unique (the first word used by both my wife and myself) and the caramel cookies were great – caramelly, yet not too sweet.
Do not go here unless you have reservations (the place was packed and stayed so until less than an hour before closing when we were there) or go during a less-busy time. If you do that and are patient with the service, you will definitely not be disappointed with the food! As the pictures show, the presentation is fantastic and it tastes every bit as good as it looks – I highly recommend the food and cocktails! If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.
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Pisco SourCausa de PolloChicharron de PescadoCremoso CevicheArroz NortenoAlfajores Peruanos
We have enjoyed the Bahama Breeze in Lutz, Florida so thought we would stop by this one on our way to the airport to fly home from vacation. The experience was very similar and we enjoyed this location just as much as Lutz.
We started with a Cuban Mojito and Aruba Red beer (both hit the spot), then moved on to our main courses. I ordered the Tropical Fruit Chicken Salad (see picture) and can’t express strongly enough how much I enjoyed it – light, refreshing and so tasty! My wife ordered the Fish Tacos (Blackened) with a side bowl of Seafood Chowder (see picture) – both were delicious and are highly recommended.
Came here while on a business trip as it was a favorite of one of our hosts – and boy was I impressed. On two subsequent trips, we returned to the same location for at least one of our meals. I’ve been to Peru on a mission trip with my Mom and son and have grown to really love their food.
I’ve started each of my meals here with a Pisco Sour (see picture) – they are always tasty and Cafe Cusco does a great job making them. While I’ve had their Ceviche Miami & Tamal with spicy pork on previous visits, I don’t have a pictures – but do highly recommend both. Lastly, for my meal on two of the trips, I’ve enjoyed their Spicy Pork Tacos (see pictures). I just absolutely love them – so much food, so juicy and oh so flavorful! This time they were infused with beets to make the shells red and on a previous visit, they were blue resulting from the use of blue corn.
We came here first on the recommendation of a local host who recommends this place as his favorite…and it quickly became my favorite also! You absolutely have to try this place – all of the dishes I’ve tasted are full of flavor and delicious!
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Found out about their Taco Tuesday $2 street taco special on happyhourdesmoines.com, so had to go there last night to try it. What an awesome place!
There were plenty of chips and salsa (see picture) served. The salsa and cream sauce were top-notch, while the chips were average. I immediately ordered a Paloma (delicious) and one of each $2 street tacos (beef and chicken) on corn tortillas. Both tasted great, but the beef were especially great – tender and such fantastic seasoning! The chopped onions and cilantro on the side was another tasty addition.
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Stopped here on the way to visit friends and enjoyed the casual and open atmosphere as well as the Ultimate Margarita and food. I ordered the 1/2 Jerk Chicken Sandwich and my wife ordered the Blackened Fish Tacos with Seafood Chowder.
I enjoyed the Jerk sandwich, but found it a little dry – as it apparently used a dry rub for seasoning and I expected the more traditional red sauce. My wife’s Ultimate Margarita was fantastic (I tried a few sips), as were the Blackened Fish Tacos and Seafood Chowder. The chowder was light and flavorful without coming across as salty. The waiter recommended both (for good reason) and so would I.
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