Villa Peru

This cute and cozy little eatery in Tempe serves up traditional Peruvian cuisine courtesy of Lima-born chef Walter Salazar. Employing members of his family to help with front- and back-of-the-house duties, a good thing for those unaccustomed to the cuisine, Salazar's lengthy menu includes dishes with an abundance of raw or cured seafood, onions, acidic and aromatic limes, potatoes, and tongue-tingling spice from fresh and fruity aji peppers. Although the restaurant's absence of liquor means an absence of pisco, the grape brandy and national drink of Peru, pitchers of the sweet-and-spicy chicha morada (Peruvian purple corn juice) can be had along with standout appetizers like anticuchos and causa de langostinos, and entrees of Peruvian-style comfort food such as carapulcra limena and ají de gallina. Not to be missed are Salazar's ceviche and the exotic, orange-colored ice cream made from lucuma, a tropical fruit grown primarily in Peru and the country's third most popular ice cream flavor after vanilla and chocolate. Read our review.