Peruvian food is hot in Madison right now. Mishqui Peruvian Bistro just opened a new location on King Street that’s serving both Peruvian and Colombian empanadas, chaufa (a Peruvian take on Cantonese fried rice), ceviche, and more. The downtown location joins a second Mishqui in Middleton (the flagship restaurant in Monona recently closed).
On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Mishqui owner Cynthia Garcia about her restaurant’s rapid rise on the Madison dining scene and what it means to bring unique flavors to the community.
Here’s a few other places in Madison where you can get delicious Latin American cuisine. Check out the locations on Overlook Maps!
You get dinner and a show at this downtown Madison institution, where gauchos carve grilled meats tableside along with salads and desserts and the grill’s signature cinnamon-dusted grilled pineapple.
If you’re in a hurry for lunch, this fast-casual student-friendly spot on University Avenue is your jam. The Polla de la Brasa chicken is juicy and flavorful, and the chicarron sandwich is a delicious lunch option with roasted pork and sweet potato fries. Wash it down with an Inka Cola, a Peruvian favorite that looks like Mountain Dew but tastes a little like bubble gum to me.
This fast-casual Peruvian spot offers mouth-watering rotisserie chicken, ceviche, and lomo saltado (stir fry tenderloin). Pikkito opened its first location on Parmenter Street in Middleton, and recently converted the more upscale AmarPeru on Madison’s far west side into its second Pikkito location.
While La Taguara specializes in Venezuelan dishes, the expansive menu draws in favorites from across Latin America, including arepas, empanadas, and cubano sandwiches. They’re especially family-friendly, with a kids menu and kids-eat-free specials.
Not only does this Colombian restaurant on East Washington Avenue have a dauntingly large menu, but they also offer breakfast daily, so you can get a corn omelet with cotija cheese or a “Mexican party” bowl with chorizo and queso blanco.
This strip-mall spot is packed on the weekends with brunchers enjoying both pancakes and waffles and the restaurant’s distinctive Honduran dishes. Order some pupusas, some sopa de mondongo (beef and honeycomb soup), or warm up with a mug of champurrado, which mixes cinnamon, maize, and chocolate.
Chef Thony “Mango Man” Clarke himself is a fixture of Madison’s food cart scene with his Latin and Caribbean spins on soul food, and makes family meals to go out of his home base at FEED Kitchens. Make sure to grab a bottle of one of his signature sauces to use at home.
