El Tío Darío
El Tío Darío has a great location and beautiful grounds.
I really enjoyed eating outside, surrounded by fruit trees, listening to the fountain. This is a great place for groups because there are several separate spaces outside and two more inside. The fountain has some toys and is clearly set up for kids to play. This is one of the few nice restaurants that I’ve seen with a kids menu, which makes El Tío Darío ideal for family gatherings.
The fish was just right, tender and moist. The volcanic rock served more to keep the fish warm than to cook it. The accompanying potatoes were warm and perfectly crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Serving them with cold slices of tomato and cucumber, without any kind of dressing, seemed an odd choice. There were three small dishes of sauces, plus a dish with a slice of lime, which I used for both the fish and the veggies. The chimichurri didn’t have much flavor and was more oil than herbs but the ají was delicious. I think the third was supposed to be garlic aioli but it tasted more like mayonnaise. My companion enjoyed her dish much more. The tomato broth was delicious, the shrimp cooked just right and the other shellfish also cooked well. The crab claw presented a challenge, even with the seafood cracker but we managed to get it open and she said the crab meat was tender and had good flavor.
This was a weekday lunch, when there were only a couple other tables occupied and it took exactly an hour.
1 min: We were met at the door and seated in an outdoor area without any other customers. There was a QR code for the menu but we asked for printed menus and they were brought immediately.
2 min: The server set the table with place mats, plates, silverware and roasted corn to snack on.
6 min: The server came to take our order. I asked for a recommendation for fish without shrimp and was recommended the fish grilled on a volcanic stone. The menu said either sea bass or sole but the server said they had only sole. My dining companion ordered the shrimp chowder. We also ordered a pitcher of lemonade.
7 min: The server brought glasses
12 min: The server brought two pieces of bread and a dish with two pieces of potato and some diced tomatoes, cold.
15 min: We were served the lemonade.
26 min: Our main courses arrived.
55 min: We finished eating
1 hour: We asked for the bill, paid cash at the table and left.
How to get there
From the plaza or mirador de Yanahuara, El Tío Darío is less than a block up a narrow pedestrian street. There is parking in the plaza and it’s an easy walk from anywhere in Yanahuara. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the Arequipa Plaza de Armas.
