Luis Rodriguez wears all hats and covers all bases at his Latin-inspired cantina in Avondale.
By Nikki Buchanan | Photography by Angelina Aragon
Opened: July 2023
Mexican-born restaurateur Luis Rodriguez wears all hats and covers all bases at his Latin-inspired cantina in Avondale, where he turns out Mexican cocktails, pisco sours, burgers, weekend breakfasts and shockingly good Peruvian classics. Papa a la Huancaína ($8.95) – sliced potatoes, smothered in a creamy yellow sauce spiced with ají amarillo, Peru’s famous chile pepper – is a good place to start. Garnished with hard-boiled egg and black olives, it’s a simple, comforting dish reflecting the sun-worshipping Incans’ obsession with potatoes and all things yellow. Peru is also famous for its ceviche, so no surprise that ceviche mixto ($18.95), combining fish and shrimp in a light, lime-sharpened marinade, is excellent. Flanked with white potato, sweet potato, a short cob of boiled corn and dry-roasted corn kernels called cancha, the bowl brims with flavor and textural contrast. The kitchen also turns out ultra-crisp jalea de mariscos (fried fish, shrimp and calamari, $16.95), served with yucca, potatoes and tangy, red onion-strewn salsa criolla, then swings Italian with tallarin verde de pollo – creamy, pesto-tinted “green spaghetti,” topped with crisp-fried boneless chicken ($17.95), a must-try Peruvian specialty.
Wild Card: New to the menu is Colombia’s bandeja paisa, a feast for two of beef, pork belly, chorizo, beans, fried eggs, plantains and avocado ($27.95).
1619 N. Dysart Rd., Avondale, 623-323-8273, incafusionperuvianrestaurantaz.com
