Llama Inn

Easily my favorite new restaurant in the neighborhood. The food is just so good and IMO much more exciting and flavorful than Lilia down the street, which gets all the press. Sit at the chefs counter and don’t miss the ceviche or the quinoa (with bacon and avocado!) Also– all of the anticuchos, and if you’re with a bunch of people the Lomo Saltado is incredible. Service is hit or miss but seems to have gotten a lot better recently. Regardless, the food makes the trip worth it.

Tiny tiny tiny portions. I was with my girlfriend and she weighs 100lbs and eats like a bird we had a $ 160 brunch and left STARVING!!!

que cagada
la comida no vale sus precios
if you know about about food, then you know that this place is all hype.
i had better food in a peruvian street cart/​truck/​market for a dollar than this place.
this place has no soul and none of my peruvians friends in ny want to eat there as well.
bad vibes /​stay away

We had a little going away party on the roof on a nice day, it was great. It’s a great space to chill.
Some of the dishes that stuck out to me was the bursts, the octopus skewers and roast chicken. The drinks were also well made.
All in all it was a good place to chill and grab some good cocktails.

4.5 stars rounded up.
Food is amazing (exceeded our expectations!); textures, flavors, innovation, and execution is top notch. Service is on point — attentive, helpful, not pushy; they even left a note and comments to wish us a happy anniversary. Pricing is to be expected for the area. The only thing that could have been better is that it gets noisy (and this is more of a biased preference) quickly (but do note that it was fairly empty at 630 on a Weds night).
Luckily we live 3 block away, but even if we didn’t, we’ll definitely be back!

My brother took me here last night for my birthday and it really exceeded both our expectations. We had octopus skewers, a quinoa salad, and the roast chicken for two, which was absolutely amazing! Perfectly cooked and tender. Would come back for just that.
Our waitress was amazing; very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and offered perfect suggestions. The manager, Adam, was very friendly and extremely personable. He sent us a quinoa salad out to try, and it was marvelous. He worked the room with precision, and checked back in periodically. The inner workings of this spot appear to be in very good working order, and I expect it to be around for a long time. Count us in.

So here’s the deal… Food wise I really like it and the concept is great. But…
And their is a huge BUT… The service is lacking. I’ve been here 3 times now and really trying to love it because I live close by however it’s been the same type of service every time. You will wait 20 min for your first drink and have to beg for a menu. This is not dirty French… Feed the people.
Go here if you don’t care about service and only care about the food.
Three strikes and I’m out :(
*2 stars for the kitchen thy hustling

Best brunch I have had in a while. What a spot. This place is cool and hip without trying too hard. Amazing music played the entire time we were there (Beatles, Bowie, Talking Heads… if your into that kind of thing)
We started with the plantaines and dip– excellent. Then we shared the beef tenderloin which was definitely the highlight The quiona salad is surprisingly incredible. I did not love the bacon and egg dish or the omelette
Drinks were also on point as was the service!

This place is phenomenal. I had the beef tenderloin sandwich and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The smoothies are tasty as well. I highly recommend this place. I also like the ambience as well.

Simply superb. Great room with five kinds of seating. Table to counter. Staff sweet. Food crazy good. New Peruvian or something.
My new fav resto in BKLYN since Do or Dine closed.

Llama Inn has become one of my favorite new restaurants in Williamsburg! I’ve dined here a couple times now, for dinner and for brunch, and have loved everything. Not one dish has let me down.
Upon entering the oddly shaped restaurant decorated with lots of greenery at the walls, the first thing you’ll see is a center bar and an open kitchen. It’s a beautiful space – bright and airy in the daytime, and dim and romantic in the evenings. It’s not an absolutely tiny restaurant, but it isn’t too big either and we had to make our reservation about 2 weeks in advance. There’s a stairway too, which leads to the rooftop that will open in the summer.
When we came for dinner, we were a group of 4. We ordered 4 skewers, the beet salad, ceviche, mussels, and the whole chicken entrée. We finished everything and were very happy with the portions. I wasn’t expecting to be impressed with the skewers, but they turned out fabulous. The mussels were delicious with mini croutons tossed in the sauce. And we continued to fall in love with the meal when the whole roasted chicken entrée arrived. It was a pretty big plate that took up the middle of the table. The serving size said it was for 2 people, but along with the rest of our plates, it fed 4 people comfortably! The chicken was delicious. It was smokey and juicy and the skin was rubbed with blackened chile. As a side there was also a heap of fried potato wedges, along with 3 dipping sauces. I cannot wait to come back for dinner again! And prices seemed fair. With this meal and each of us having at least 2 – 3 cocktails, it was about $ 80pp.
I learned that Llama Inn also does brunch, so my husband and I went today. We ordered the ceviche, chicken thigh sandwich, and what was essentially a breakfast lomo saltado – beef tenderloin stir fry, french fries, plantain and fried eggs. Again! Everything was a hit. The ceviche was fresh, tangy and spicy, and the sweet potato worked perfectly along with the handful of toasted corn kernels. The chicken thigh sandwich was reminiscent of the delicious chicken served during dinner – juicy and flavorful. In the sandwich was also a plantain, which added a perfect sweet balance to the savoriness of the chicken and salsa. And the lomo saltado… beautifully done! Just looking at it, you can tell the beef tenderloin was a good quality cut and cooked to perfection. The french fries were rich with beef-​soaked flavor, yet remained crispy even to the last fry. The plantain was so soft and decadent – it was almost like a custard! The runny fried eggs just topped everything off to give it the «brunch» vibe ;)
I was expecting good as Chef Ramirez does have Eleven Madison on his pedigree, but I wasn’t expecting Llama Inn to become such a quick favorite for me in the neighborhood. I’m an absolute fan!

They need to come up with a better menu. Bottom line. And get actual chefs, not 10 prep cooks with 2 year experience.
This place has no theme, no concept, it’s just a new tacky restaurant in a great location.
I heard about this place a bit ago so i decided to try it out with 3 of my friends. The location is great and the reservation was easy.
I understand they’re trying to go for ‘sharing plates’ but it simply doesn’t work here.
We ordered the quinoa, duck sausage, lamb, pork shoulder, 2 skewers each, ceviche, clams and mussels etc which is a decent amount of food and not one thing there was really ‘shareable’.
First of all, all just too difficult to share kind of plates. Its designed not smartly at all. For example, the ceviche, everyone has to eat broth out of the same bowl with spoons. It’s disgusting. Were you thinking at all making this dish a ‘share plate’? Have you EVER been to some of the restaurants in NYC for what you’re trying to copy? Because I’m definitely confused.
There are plenty of amazing tapas places in NYC and the major difference between those and this place is so big, it’s laughable. And just to compare the ‘authenticity’…I wouldn’t even go there lol
And my other complaint? The food was so cheap tasting. It wasn’t bad, but definitely not good. It was like they served dishes that someone is still experimenting with. It’s not ‘done’. It’s like when you try to put a bunch of different things to make a ruined dish better.
It was clear they were going for ‘high end fusion vibe’ but the quality just wasn’t there, and the experience definitely was not there either.
It felt like young line cooks who got together and came up with what they learned in their past and just mashed it all together.
I’ve had Peruvian food many many times in the past. And let’s see. Quinoa with nuts and banana and bacon, pork shoulder and the duck sausage. Are you seriously calling this ‘Peruvian food’ not ‘food we kind of came up with’? Bananas in quinoa btw was. borderline idiotic I thought.
Also, the service! What the hell kind of tapas bar loses the serving flow so often? That’s almost the most important thing! You’re supposed to bring them out as they’re ready and take the plates a away as soon as they are finished, that is kind of the fun/​charm of shared tapas restaurant. This place, I’d eat one thing (which would be finished in a minute since everything was so small) and wait another 10 minutes for the second dish. By the time we were almost done, we couldn’t wait to get out of there. Even the drinks took forever.
AND to see these guys behind the open grill kitchen, TEXTING and TALKING TO FRIENDS WHO VISITED THE RESTAURANT, for the entire time you have been waiting for your slow food service isn’t fair either.
$ 350 later… yea nope. Won’t come back, ever. I think this place has a lot to work on, like prob need a whole new team of cooks. Regardless, not interested.

Ordered 4 plates and a dessert between the 2 of us. Duck sausage, pork belly, quinoa salad, ceviche and then finished off with the chocolate mousse.
Every dish hit the spot. The plates are a bit on the small side and we’re not massive eaters. I would’ve given it 5 stars if the portion size was a bit bigger…
Really good food in a nice chilled setting. It’s not so hipster in terms of the crowd but more relaxing and laid back in a modern kind a way.

Thought the ambiance was cool, nice vibe.
The food was very good, we ordered the tuna and traditional ceviche, both were good. I liked the tuna better.
We also ordered the lentils, goat neck, pork shank.
All were delicious.
Drinks were OK. Don’t order the purple pisco drink that has potatoe purée. It was too thick.
Would come back!

The brunch ceviche is a simple blend of soft white fish, red onion slivers, a tiny bit of red pepper, a tiny bit of cilantro, and hard, crunchy Peruvian corn nuts. The juice it was marinated in was a bit tart, but not that limey and with a slight bit of heat. Decently good.
This bar/​Peruvian place is like a clean, nice, airy warehouse-​like space, high ceilings and concrete floors. Windows all around letting in plenty of natural light. The I-​287 expressway is right across the street.
I would have to try more dishes for more accurate rating of this place. The dishes at other tables were played attractively.
(Also, the dinner ceviche is supposed to be slightly different with the addition of plantains.)

Sunday 4:45pm, we arrived early to a locked restaurant for our 5pm reservation
4:50pm, a second party of two arrives without reservations hoping to score a walk-​in table (they were successful)
5:00pm, a line of at least 12 people form on the sidewalk waiting to enter
5:10pm, the restaurant finally unlocks its doors and grants us entry
I had no idea this place was so popular. Despite being the first party to be seated and order our drinks, we were the last ones served. It could be an oversight on when the waiter entered our order or perhaps the bartender had to redo our drink and put us at the back of the line again. Nonetheless it was noticeable given we had a full view of the bar and other seated parties from our table. Apart from that mishap at the start, the service ramped up well from there. Our silverware was replaced and customized before each meal, and each dish placed on our table was explained in detail.
When ordering, keep in mind that the portions are light. Our party of two with an average appetite ended up consuming two appetizers (ceviche and tiradito), two skewers which come with three cubes of meat each (cow heart and pork belly), and two entrees (goat neck and duck sausage). We actually had to add the goat neck entrée later on so we wouldn’t walk out hungry after spending $ 120 because how sad would that be?
The tiradito came in a refreshing yuzu broth that also had a slight jalapeño kick to it. The broth is too spicy by itself but it calms the raw fish down nicely when paired together. The ceviche was fresh and the cooked plantain and plantain chips were a nice surprise to find with the dish.
The skewers on the other hand were passable. The beef heart unfortunately came out cold. I was hoping to have the cool salsa contrast the warm beef, but alas I was to be disappointed. The pork belly tasted very much like a Chinese chasiu (pork) at three times the cost especially with the soy sauce smothered over it but the raw jalapeños laying over each cube was too much of meat killed my taste buds for future bites.
Both the duck sausage and goat neck entrees were winners. The duck sausage was juicy and the raw greens over it with the rice made it into a complete meal filled with meat, vegetables, and carbs. The goat was strong in flavor and if you aren’t a fan of lamb or goat perhaps this is not the dish for you. I on the other hand am and devoured this without hesitation.
With a limited menu currently and Brooklyn location I don’t see myself returning in the near future until the menu is expanded or rotated. The cuisine is surprisingly spicy for Peruvian style and I hope in the future they can create more flavor with the dishes without having to rely on the jalapeños. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Believe the hype, this place is really good and really different.
We sat at the bar on Oscar Sunday. At 6pm there were a few seats left there, but the rest of the restaurant was booked for the night. Though, the restaurant was never full while we were there
For 2, we ordered quinoa, 3 skewers, ceviche, and duck sausage. It was plenty of food.
The quinoa was my favorite as it was so different. Who knew bananas would be good in a savory dish? The skewers come 3 on a stick so plus up for more ppl. The heart wasn’t bad, but the idea of heart was too much for me. I did learn a lot about heart that night.
The staff is… new. Well intentioned, friendly, but just a bit too aloof to be attentive to details.

KenScale: 8.5÷10
I went to visit Peru last year and explored the full range of Peruvian cuisine, from the acclaimed eco-​friendly fine dining establishment Central restaurant to sanguche (Peruvian sandwich) joint. I learned that my taste bud is perhaps more American/​European than South American as I had some mixed experiences with the Peruvian food, which draws influence from a variety of sources such as Latin American, Japanese and Andean. The flavor and texture of food that I had during my stay didn’t necessarily agree with my taste, although I could never forget the sanguche that I had at La Lucha chain in Lima. Despite its growing influence in the global culinary world, Peruvian cuisine hasn’t been a big part of New York dining scene (in general, South American cuisine other than perhaps Brazilian is still very underrepresented in Big Apple). I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Llama Inn that opened recently under the helm of chef Erik Ramirez, and I wanted to see how the kitchen presents the Peruvian flavor and texture as I remembered from my time there last year. Overall, I was very pleased with the versatility of modern interpretation of Peruvian food that the kitchen displayed.
I wouldn’t call the food at Llama Inn authentic Peruvian food, although the inspiration and ingredients are definitely from Peru. Any meal at this place should start with at least one or two anticuchos (skewered snacks); I ordered all four on the menu and particularly enjoyed pork belly (with pickled chilis and spicy mayo on top) and head on shrimp (with adobo and garlic seasoning and lime on the side). There were other pleasant surprises. Quinoa is a staple of Latin American food, but I didn’t expect the kitchen to mix it up with banana, avocado, bacon and cashew to create a very delightful but not heavy flavor. This could be the type of salad that would make die-​hard vegetarians (minus the bacon) or locavores swoon over. Peruvian food is also well-​known for its raw fish (ceviche or tiradito), and I really enjoyed the mix of persimmon and yuzu that accompanied red snapper tiradito that was silky smooth. The highlight of the night, however, belonged to the modern take of Peruvian-​Chinese classics, lomo saltado. which is basically a stir fry that includes beef steak with onions and other vegetables, typically served with potato fries and rice. The one at Llama Inn replaced rice with scallion pancake to eat like you normally do for tacos. I absolutely loved this mix of beef tenderloin, red onion, tomato, avocado (served on the side), cilantro and pickled chilis. Each bite was pure decadence and how matter how full I was, my dining companion and I almost finished the entire thing (which seems more apt for sharing by three or more people)! Beef was cooked very nicely and the combination of vegetables worked very well as well, while fries were also delicious. This is the food I would absolutely come back to Llama Inn for, perhaps with more people this time because I was beyond full for several hours before I went to bed. I still mustered willpower to order at least one dessert, and the chocolate and lucuma dessert was quite delightful without being overly sweet.
Llama Inn has an absolutely charming décor, with a mix of sophistication and Williamsburg casualness. The restaurant has a full bar, and I highly recommend trying their Llama del Rey, which is sort of like sangria but way better than the run-​of-​the-​mill sangrias elsewhere in the city. Getting a reservation wasn’t particularly challenging, and although the dining room was nearly packed throughout the course of my meal, it doesn’t feel too cramped as the spatial design was quite nicely done, with a bar at the center with tables on the periphery. I’m hopeful that Llama Inn can help pave the way for Peruvian food to gain more popularity in NYC. Not sure I would call it a pioneer, but it certainly deserves its recognition.

I’m a rather picky eater in the sense that I need interesting food and brunch is about as #basic as it gets. I have a friend that moonlights for the Infatuation and after turning down a half-​dozen suggestions she tells me about this new joint that’s only been open for a couple months that serves a Peruvian-​inspired brunch. I’m sold. If I wanted avocado toast or an eggs benedict, I’d make that shit at home or go to some bougie SoHo spot but I want a flavor packed brunch that does some cool shit with breakfast (which is why I like places like Café Mogador, Onomea, and Manila Social Club).
I met up with a colleague so we could discuss personal projects and how her boyfriend never wants to come to Brooklyn. I ordered a coffee (French Press) for $ 4 and the Swiss Chard Empanada for $ 7. The bake on the empanada was great, the coloring looked a bit underbaked but it definitely wasn’t. Like if I were going to ‘gram it, I’d bump up the contrast and saturate the colors a bit more if you know what I’m talking about (or they could put a quick egg wash on it before baking).
For the main brunch dish, my friend ordered the Andean Potato which was fried eggs on top of a delicious chunky stew-​like base topped with red onions and avocado for $ 15. Myself, I ordered the beef tenderloin stir-​fry placed on a bed of fries and shallots topped with fried eggs.
For dessert, there was only one dish, the bread pudding for $ 8. When I go to a new place I like to have the full experience so of course it was ordered even though I detest raisins (which were in the dish), but surprisingly I liked it alot. It had toffee, almond, golden raisins and topped with whipped cream. I would put that on par with the Ube bread pudding at Manila Social Club and the sweet bread pudding at Bakeri.
The space is large, two levels (rooftop bar which will open when it’s warmer), a large central bar so the flow of the room is great. Surrounded by windows with tables flanking one wall, wrap around counters against another, and booths back by the kitchen with a couple odd bistro tables peppering the space. It’s very light, bright, airy, and modern.
This place is definitely one of my new favorites. The service was a smidge off in the sense that I had to a couple times crane my neck and try to peer into the back of my waiter’s head to get her attention but other than that, it’s great… which means Gothamist is going to pick it up and it’ll turn into Manila Social Club where by 11:15am, brunch is booked for the whole day. I’m just glad I got to eat here before it was cool.
I will be back for dinner.

Voici probablement une de mes «tables de 2015 «qui n’est pas encore vraiment médiatisée mais qui risqué surement de l’être d’ici peu de temps. «Llama Inn «est un restaurant péruvien de New-​York ou plus précisément Brooklyn ou même Williamsburg. Maintenant j’ai envie de de dire que «péruvien «est un peu limitatif et si je dis «nikkei», cela fera trop penser au phénomèné de mode actuel avec des tables comme «Pakta «de Barcelone. Pour être plus juste je devrais dire «d’inspiration péruvienne et créative «. Ouvert il y a très peu de temps à savoir au mois de Novembre, le chef n’est surement pas un inconnu car il s’agit de Erik Ramirez ancien sous-​chef de «Eleven Madison Park «, célèbre 3 étoiles où officie «notre chef Suisse, Daniel Humm «. Puis travailla chez «Nuela «en 2009 et qui se transforma en «Raymi «où il devint le chef exécutif. Un cuisinier qui voyagea également au Pérou, passant de cuisines en cuisines, rencontrant les célèbres Diego Muñoz de «Astrid y Gastón «et Virgilio Martinez de «Central «, deux des tables parmi les plus médiatisées de 2015. De son voyage, il s’inspire de ce qu’il a vécu mais en pensant y ajouter une touché très personnelle.
Son établissement se situe dans une rue que je pourrais qualifier de plutôt particulière car ressemblant plus à ce que l’on verrait dans une série policière américaine la nuit que à quoi ce que l’on s’attend. Face à un pont un peu lugubre sur lequel se trouve une rue passante, en dessous du parking si vous êtes en voiture et vous voilà face à un coin de rue où se trouve le restaurant.
Un bâtiment qui ressemblerait à un garage ou un entrepôt de briques complètement transformé avec de grandes fenêtres encadrées par des structures métalliques de métal noir.
Une entrée sur le côté et vous voici face à une porte en bois qui vraisemblablement est ancienne et peut-​être provient du pays du chef.
Une fois à l’intérieur vous serez grandement surpris par la beauté du lieu avec ce côté ultra-​moderne, un bar central, un plafond très haut, une structure un peu octogonale avec des tables tout autour du bar toujours le long des parois vitrées. Dans un coin de cette salle la cuisine ouverte où vous pourrez contempler l’équipe à l’œuvre.
L’œuvre d’art qui se trouve dans une niche circulaire est particulièrement magnifique, une composition de fils de laine qui s’entremêle et de diverses couleurs. Laines réutilisées pour les grands lustres centraux au-​dessus du bar.
Ce qui est vraiment très bien pensé sont ces diverses manières de pouvoir festoyer. Soit à des tables conventionnelles, soit sur des banquettes perpendiculaires aux fenêtres ou même encore face à celles-​ci comme si vous vous trouviez face à un bar. Une architecture vraiment très bien pensée entre élégance et décontraction. Un design imaginé par la société de Joseph Foglia.
Je vous encourage de démarrer votre soirée au bar car les cocktails péruviens sont tout bonnement fabuleux. Une très belle série de «pisco «, eau de vie de raison que l’on déguster comme de simples alcools forts mais je vous recommande les cocktails. Par exemple le «Llama Del Rey «dont le nom se peut être une référence à la chanteuse… Un mélange de pisco de la marque Barsol appelé «mosto italia «car distillé avec des raisins italiens, du vin rouge, de la «chicha morada «une boisson non alcoolisée fabriquée à base de maïs violet, l’une des diverses variétés de maïs péruviens, de zacapa un rhum produit au Guatemala, de citron vert, d’ananas grillé et de poivre rose. Un mélange absolument raffiné et unique dans son genre.
Le «Flying Purple Pisco «avec du «macchu pisco quebranta «, une touché de purée de pomme de terre pourpre, du blanc d’œuf battu, du citron et citron vert. Un autre fabuleux cocktail.
Et encore un autre cocktail avec le «Tia Julia «, avec du «macchu pisco quebranta «, du «cocchi americano «un vin apéritif produit par Giulio Cocchi Spumanti de la province d’Asti en Italie, du citron vert, de l’ananas grillé, de la muña qui est une tisane péruvienne et du vin pétillant. A nouveau impressionnant de justesse dans les saveurs et inédit.
Pour accompagnement, ces petites graines de maïs grillées bien plaisantes.
Allez observer quelques instants l’impressionnante équipe en cuisine qui travaille avec rigueur et sans perdre un seul instant. Vous pourrez voir le chef Ramirez avec sa casquette de joueur de baseball à l’envers sur sa tête.
La cuisine péruvienne a subi un certain nombre d’influences comme le Japon et la Chine. C’est pour cette raison qu’une majorité des plats proposés utiliseront certains ingrédients de ces deux pays. Nous connaissions déjà le terme «nikkei «pour décrire cette fusion Pérou-​Japon mais j’apprends également que le terme «chifa «symbolise la fusion Pérou-​Chine.

I visited Peru around this time last year, and fell in love with Lima’s sophisticated food scene. When I heard that a «new-​Peruvian» restaurant would be opening in Williamsburg, I immediately made plans with one of my travel buddies, and we checked it out this past Sunday night. (Pro-​tip: they’re on opentable!).
When I entered the restaurant, it had that upscale Lima vibe to it, between the high ceilings, abundance of greenery, and Andean artwork. Great setting. My friend and I chose to eat at the bar, since it’s often most comfortable. The menu was interesting, but I thought it was a little limited. There are a variety of veg, fish, and meat entrees, and then a small anticucho menu of dressed grilled meats (beef heart, chicken thigh, pork belly, head-​on shrimp). They could definitely benefit from another section on the menu dedicated to small vegetable sides («And I’d like a side of the yams»).
We started with pisco sours, which were expertly made and splashed with that perfect thin line of bitters. I then moved on to the grilled pork belly anticucho, and ordered the duck sausage with farro for my main. I liked the skewer of grilled pork belly, but I loved the tiny spicy pickled chilis that sat on top of it. It was a few really satisfying bites. My duck sausage entrée came out shortly after that, and it was delicious too. The combination of all the ingredients: sausage, butternut squash, greens, and farro felt really balanced. My only complaint was that a few areas of the dish skewed towards over-​salted.
I usually don’t visit restaurants within the first 2 weeks of their opening because they need time to find their footing and get comfortable. The service last night, while all very polite, definitely felt like the service in a brand new restaurant. If they can get their act together (which eventually I think they will), I think the concept, space, and food at the Llama Inn could really be a valued and unique addition to the New York food scene.