Tirion Boan
Audio By Carbonatix
For 12 years, through the challenges of the pandemic and a fire that damaged the building, the family behind El Chullo served classic Peruvian eats on Seventh Street. But now, that original location is saying goodbye.
The owners, Esperanza Luzcando and Jose Ramirez Sanchez, posted the news to their social media pages on Tuesday.
“For the past twelve years, this restaurant has been more than a place to eat, it has been a home filled with memories, stories and shared moments with all of you,” the post said. “Every visit, every celebration, every simple meal together helped build a community that we will cherish forever.”
Luzcando and Ramirez Sanchez opened their small restaurant in 2014, three years after they moved to Arizona from Peru. Over the years, the couple built a loyal customer base who traveled to taste their classic Peruvian dishes. The restaurant served lomo and pollo saltado, anticuchos, multiple varieties of ceviche and classic Peruvian drinks, such as pisco-based cocktails and purple corn chicha morada.
In early 2022, a fire damaged the original restaurant, forcing it to close for four months. The owners made it through thanks to a GoFundMe fundraiser and by selling cookies and other treats online.
The Seventh Street restaurant was able to reopen in August 2022 and then in June 2023, the owners opened a second location on Seventh Avenue in the Melrose District. Great news for El Chullo fans: that second spot will remain open.
“While this door is closing, our story is just beginning,” the post explains. “We are shifting all of our love and energy into our second location, where we will continue to serve the same authentic recipes you’ve loved for 12 years.”
El Chullo Peruvian Restaurant
4414 N. Seventh Ave.
