Rio’s D’Sudamerica

I have dined here a few times and the food has always been good. The drinks, however are inconsistent. The last time I dined here I ordered an el argentino and it was disgusting. I have never returned a drink in my life, but there was no way I could drink it. I told the waitress (who made the drink) that I did not think it was mixed properly and I wanted another drink. She argued with me and told me that it was made properly. Finally, she said she would talk to the manager. She returned and said she could give me another drink. I ordered a manhattan and even though this drink was not mixed well, it was drinkable, so I just kept it. Like I said the food is good, but if you are going to dine here earlier in the evening (7:00), order drinks at your own risk. They do not have a bartender working at this time and the waitresses make the drinks.

I’ve been going to Rios for the last 3 years and it is the main place I recommend to everyone who asks what’s my go-​to place. Love he food. I’m always happy to pay regular price but since I came across a Groupon i said «sure, why not». Fast forward to my latest dinner, I did my part playing by the rules and made a reservation, reminded them about my Groupon upon arrival, etc. When we were done and are ready to hit the road the waitress brought some boxes. She went into what I can only describe as full panic mode because of the leftovers. You could literally see the fear in this woman’s eyes. She made a comment indicating that the owner would reprimand her if he saw anyone with a Groupon taking food home. She even suggested to my other party that she hid the bag with leftovers because the owner was roaming around. WHAT? Sounds like absolute nonsense to me. It’s not like it’s a buffet or anything similar. We already paid for the fixed amount of food. The Groupon clearly says «no carryout» and says nothing about leftovers. I observe and respect whatever policies restaurants make if I’m informed upfront but I hate it when things are made up as they go. All this drama completely ruined the experience for me. I’m really hoping management writes back here clarifying what is going on here.

DELICIOUS! We love coming here. If you like Peruvian food, this is a place for you. They have all the Peruvian staples on the menu. The seco and lomo saltado are fantastic. The service is great, and you can always get a table.

Food was ok, but the service kills everything. The waitress was rude and we had a big drama about our groupon, the worst experience ever. Just don’t waste your money there– go somewhere else.

Food was not great, both entrees oversalted, ceviche was ok, anticuchos ok, but not amazing, terrible service, they wouldnt let us take leftovers with us, because it would make it take-​out order and than groupon could not be used for some reason, worst experience ever, dont recommend

Terrible !! Would not recommend it at all to anyone. The worst service I have ever had. Our waitress was rude and we pretty much had to beg for her to come to our table. The ceviche sauce was good but the actual ceviche was mostly onion not much fish and it cost 16 $. When we expressed our concern for the portion size the manager was defensive and said that’s how they have been doing it for the last 30years. Then when received our entrees, the portions were better but the taste was not great. I read in one of the previous reviews someone had said that compared to the many great Peruvian restaurants in the city this one just is not worth considering. The only thing I am taking away from my experience as a positive is that now I know to never go back and to let everyone I possibly can not to go there.

I chose this place because it was recommended from a coworker. Don’t know if I will take her advice again. The service was good. Itnwas pretty empty for such a spacious restaurant. Ordered the papa rellena appetizer. It was crispy and filling. The Shrimp entrée I ordered was delicious until I noticed they don’t clean the shrimps very well (shrimp poop still there) My partner ordered the Steak lomo saltado. She said it was nothing special about it and was pretty bland. The décor on the walls were beautiful. I just don’t understand why such a proud Peruvian place would be blasting Kenny G?! The music was in contrast with the Peruvian inspired décor. Will I be returning? Might give the Sunday buffet a go. Besides that, no.

My favorito place to get my Lomo Saltado, papa la huacania, and anticocho fix! A must try!

Horrible service ! Worst customer service ever! Where did they find this waitress? She was rude and so unprofessional from beginning to end! Everything I ordered she repeated back almost with an attitude? We were one of two tables in this ENTIRE place and she clearly knew the other table because she spent our entire time there hanging out with them while we had to get up to ask for anything, INCLUDING WATER !
The food was ok but the experience here was so bad I will NEVER return, Especially with so many other delicious Peruvian options in the city.

Horrible food! No taste. I made the mistake of getting vegetarian here which was just white boiled rice with grilled veggies with no flavor. I was highly disappointed. I would not recommend this place. They had a party with really loud music and it was hard to hear anyone or have a conversation. The waiter and waitress were down right rude. They bought in my food late. It was difficult to even ask for a drink. I’m never going back to this place again. Don’t waste your time.

Our group of 8 was in Chicago for a conference and wanted to try as many foods that we don’t usually have in the Twin Cities. 2 of our group is from Chile and had a craving for Peruvian food — there’s no Peruvian places in Minneapolis/​St. Paul. We came across Rio’s through ever useful Unilocal,in that it was closest and easiest to get to from our rental. Because our group was large, we made a reservation (especially considering it was Halloween Saturday night). The restaurant was pretty empty, so the reservation wasn’t super necessary. The waitress and manager tended to our table very well, especially to the toddler at the table. We asked a lot of questions about the food, and was happily surprised with the depth of answers. One negative thing about the restaurant was how dim the lighting was — much harder to see the beauty of the food and companions at the table.
As for the food itself, I was such a fan. We each ordered our own entrees, but took bites from everyone else’s. At our table, some of the things ordered were papa a la huancaina, lomo saltado, arroz chaufa, a couple versions of ceviche, cau cau, aji de gallina. All the dishes were delicious (a tad on the pricey side), and we still talk about the wonderful sauces with the food even a month later. For me, definitely a great introduction to Peruvian food!

The best Peruvian buffet that I have had in Chicago! A great variety ranging from ceviche to arroz con pollo and aji de gallina! Service was super nice and the alfajor for dessert was delish! I would definitely come back!

If they have ZERO STAR I will give it to this place, the manager was Rude and the service too slow, NEVER AGAIN especially with Grupon, save your money and go somewhere else DON’T GO THERE!!!

Came back after three months and noticed a slight change in the menu.
Cassandra was very courteous and super nice. We ordered the jalea de mariscos as appetizer, it needed seasoning and the little salsa criolla had no lime at all.
I ordered the lomo saltado, they really make good here but I had to tell them not too put salt (this dish uses a lot of soy sauce) and last time it was too salty.
The meat was not as tender as last time and they used white onion instead red ones.
My husband ordered the Seco de Cordero Piurano. The lamb shank was very good. The beans had no seasoning and they put a tamale (humita) that literally had no taste at all.
The place as always clean and inviting.
The food was not bad but it could be better. We will come back in a couple of months.

I really want to like this place as there aren’t many Peruvian places in the city. The food is good but the service was painfully slow and disorganized. We went for an early Saturday dinner and were one of maybe 4 tables at the time. It took forever for our meal to come out and the server was MIA for most of the dinner.

Sad I had a bad experience there: Went there by chance (I was walking, exploring the neighborhood) and got sat just to witness the owner (I guess) having beers with a friend, being loud and later kicking a customer who complained about the ceviche or something like that…
after that uncomfortable moment, an old man who I guess is the father of the owner asked me about my food and when I replied it was ok, he said something in Spanish that sounded rude. I know that’s the way rude Peruvians talk and I really hated it. So I finished my food, drunk my chilcano (that was bad, it didn’t taste like a real one, I thought my order was mistaken but it wasn’t) and left. Worst dinner I had (and not because of the food)

The food here is delicious. We found Rios several years ago, and it has never disappointed. The service has always been attentive as well. I simply don’t get the bad reviews people have given it.
Tonight we shared tamales verde empanadas and arroz con mariscos. One portion easily feeds two with some to spare. The dish contains perfectly cooked squid, mussels, clams, octopus and shrimp.

This place is FANTASTIC for a couple of reasons. If you want to go to a place that has a relaxing atmosphere while having lots of Peruvian art and history, this is the place to go. Every time I have gone here (it’s been now 4 times), I never want to leave. The service is good, so are the drinks and the food is PHENOMENAL! Nice roomy booths to sit in. Make sure you try the papa a la huancaina, a wonderful potato dish. The fried rice (Arroz Chuafa is phenomenal! I ask for it with low sodium because of medical reasons but they are able to accommodate any food request/​substitution, they are just that good. For dessert, the «Lucuina Temptation» is called that for a reason! It’s the best and will make your mouth feel like it’s in heaven. Great place — I can’t wait to go back which I guarantee you will be soon!

I met a friend so that I could get an entry on Chicago Alphabet Soup for Peru. She started with a lemon drop martini and I started with a mojito. Compliments to the bartender for mixing drinks that weren’t watery or overpowering. My friend had been to Rio’s D’Sudamerica before, so I accepted her recommendations, the papa a la huancaina being her first recommendation. This is now my favourite potato salad. We also ordered a dish of camarones en costra de quinua con pure de yuca-​rocoto y salsa de maracuya. Four plump shrimp, encrusted in quinoa, were served over yucca seasoned with rocoto, olive oil, and lemon juice glazed with passion fruit sauce.
There was a platter of camarones a la plancha for an entrée. Served with white rice that actually had flavour, this was an entrée to enjoy slowly. The dish that was new to me was the plate of arroz chuafa con camarones. I have had my share of Chinese fried rice and liked it. However, I am now in love with Peruvian fried rice.
Because the appetizers and entrées were hearty, we sat for awhile and let our bellies settle before our final attack on some desserts. Light in texture, full of flavour, and heavy on the arteries, we had flan Peruano. The texture was not like that of old Jell-​O, but like slicing through a cloud. Not drowned in a caramel glaze, it wasn’t sugary, which made it that more enjoyable. The dessert that could result in a continuous, long line outside of Rio’s D’Sudamerica is the lucuma temptation. This ice cream, which is made from the lucuma fruit, yielded the flavour of dulce con leche. I would have ordered another dish of it.
I am a fan.

My sister and I at the last minute decided to go for dinner to this place (she had a Groupon) OMG — I am so happy we did!!! They had a full bar and a pretty nice wine list. The food was OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!!! The service was IMPECCABLE!!!
We ordered the seafood combo plate and pork with onions — I do not recall the exact names of the dishes, but I remember where they were located on the menu (for the next time visit) The ambiance was very lovely! Our server had the owner come over and talk to us, who gave us his little history and told up about the Party Room. We shared our AMAZING experience with him and ended the night with a very delicious Flan for desert.
We will DEFINITELY be back –with our husbands for a double date
P.S: I have been craving that food since.

Entiendo que no debe ser el estándar pero tuvimos una pésima experiencia. El sábado pasado fuimos un grupo y, para empezar, «no pudieron» sentarnos juntos. Nos dijeron que la mesa al lado nuestro estaba reservada y nadie llegó hasta que nos fuimos.
El lomo saltado lo sirvieron con el raspado (concolón, quemadito) del arroz. Ordenamos 3 ensaladas de quinua. Trajeron una y… una hora después, cancelamos la orden de las otras dos. Se les había terminado la quinua y la estaban recién cocinando.
Finalmente trajeron la cuenta y, pese a que se les pidió anticipadamente «no pudieron» hacer cuentas separadas. Uno de nosotros tuvo que tomar una foto al ticket (la tinta casi no se leia) ampliarla y, calculadora en mano, empezar a sacar la cuenta para que cada quién pague.