La Royal

This is truly one of the BEST meals I have had in Boston. The food flavors were totally unique. Each dish we ordered was fantastic (tiger’s milk ceviche, tuna potato terrine, steamed blue cod, and a fruit custard dessert. The drinks were lovely and the waitress made us feel like we were part of a special dining experience. Absolutely superb.

La Royal is a great place to enjoy a fantastic meal in a relaxed atmosphere. My wife and I got the scallop and blue cod ceviche which was great. The scallop was very delicate and the flavors were punchy. We also got the branzino grilled in plantain leaf as well as the duck over cilantro rice. I think family style is the way to go here. The fish was incredible. Almost melted in your mouth. I think this is a must get if you come here as long as your not squeamish about seeing the head and picking around bones. The duck was really great as well with an awesome grill/char flavor. The cilantro rice was also very good. We finished up with the mousse which was perfect and not too sweet. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. The prices felt reasonable as we got a lot of food as well as 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine and it was $150 before tip. Will definitely be coming back

Must try the Royal pisco sour cocktail, the passionfruit cocktail, and the lucuma dessert. Ceviche with blue cod and scallop was a great starter, very refreshing. It was slightly spicy but i think that was the bliss point I always order Lomo Saltado when i go to Peruvian restaurants, and here, i would give 5/5. I wanted to love the Chifa noodle with shrimp but it was too sweet for me, but overall, plenty of veggie and seafood!

We loved the ceviche mixto and Tigre de leche. We also got the tuna tartare causa and the grilled shrimp with pineapple. All the food was delicious! Maybe the best ceviche in Boston!

Friends brought us to LA Royal to enjoy dinner on their anniversary. I was very impressed with this restaurant. The staff were all very attentive to us and the other diners. Our server was Evan, he was very friendly, knowledgeable and just seemed very happy we were there. Evan was engaging and helped us with the menu choices. A very nice guy to be sure. I was a bit lost with the menu but Evan didn't rush us. The food: Superb. We all shared our dishes with each other to enjoy the variety offered. I ordered an Alpaca burger. You'd think a place like this would've not had a burger but this was no ordinary burger.. They didn't give ketchup with the burger but it did include a small bowl of some dip. I didn't use that but started on the burger as it was. HOLY COW!! This was the BEST burger I've ever had (and I've had a lot of burgers in my time). Sooo tasty, sweet even. I can't do it justice. The appetizers were fantastic, everyone's food was top notch. Drinks were all interesting and tasty. We also ordered a pitcher of brewed purple corn? That was a unique taste. The total for the 4 of us was about $250 give or take. That's pretty normal for the four of us. There was a 3% gratuity to the kitchen workers which they definitely deserved. All in all it was a super night, definitely worth a return trip!!

Excellent drinks, dishes, and service. Maria was super helpful and accommodated my last minute reservation! Similar to Celeste, La Royal has an incredible selective of seafood dishes, all very fresh. The drink menu is also great, beer, cocktails, and wine - the Peruvian drinks are a must try (Jaysa prepared the drinks pictured). As for entrees, I highly recommend the eggplant and verduras dish. The combination of flavors is perfect. Thanks for the excellent service! We will be back.

Great upscale Peruvian restaurant west of Harvard Square. The food was very good. A combination of various Peruvian cuisine though slightly altered for a contemporary dining experience. The ceviche mixto and lomo saltado were well presented and very tasty. The ambiance is cozy, but doesn’t feel too loud or packed. Our server was amazing. She was kind and brought us yuca frita even though it was not on the menu.

Came here on a date with my partner. Great atmosphere where you can see and smell the kitchen right in front of you. The drinks are delicious. As a person who has had barely any experience with the cuisine, it was delicious and adventurous w/ new textures and ingredients.

The food was great. The atmosphere was awesome! 😎 hope you enjoy it 💕

Been here twice for dinner. The ambience of the place is excellent! It's not at all noisy, so you can have a conversation. It's all decorated with plants and nice lights. The food is excellent. Little plates to share. The causa of tuna crudo, my favorite. All ceviches drive me crazy. We had to order the parmessan scallops twice because it's hard to let them go. I've been to Peru and the flavor at La Royal is very authentic with a bit of an upscale twist. I recommend it.

Lives up to the “best martini” hype! The horseradish pisco martini was delicious — much lighter than expected, a whisper kiss of horseradish — almost too easy to drink! I came for the martini, but the food is what will bring me back again! The ceviche mixto was fantastic. Bright and spicy and perfectly balanced with tender fish and seafood. The tuna tartar was delicious too, but the super flavorful salsa almost overpowered the tuna. And oh my! The Tacu Tacu seafood dish was amazing!! Its “lima bean risotto” was more like a stiff polenta texture— but in a good way. And the mix of seafood and the rich, complex sauce was just the right amount of spicy. It was hearty and satisfying and we ate every last bite! I also really loved the atmosphere. The exposed brick, the floor to ceiling windows, the minimalist modern art — a nice balance of modern industrial style with relaxed neighborhood vibes. Great service too. Absolutely charming!

Excellent food and service! The Leche de Tigre ceviche and Lomo Salgado were particularly exquisite! The cocktails were great too - we had the passion fruit pisco sour and the margarita morrada. Highly recommend!

Had an awesome date night. Personal favourite was the duck - my wife loved her cocktail, the Maracuya sour . Parking was a bit of a pain but a tasty and fun night all in all.

BOOK THIS PLACE FOR YOUR PRIVATE EVENT! We recently celebrated our marriage at La Royal, and I am at a loss for words to adequately express how incredible their service was. From the moment we arrived, Kerstin and the entire team went above and beyond to make our celebration unforgettable. They took care of every detail, going the extra mile to add their own magical touches. The staff at La Royal, including the wonderful team at Celeste, felt like an extension of our own family. Their professionalism combined with their warm and friendly demeanor created an atmosphere that is truly one of a kind in the Cambridge/Boston area. The level of care and attention they provided exceeded all expectations. We cannot recommend La Royal enough for your private event. Whether it's a small celebration like ours or any special occasion, this is the place to book. Their dedication to creating a truly remarkable experience is unmatched. Don't hesitate—trust us, you won't be disappointed. Thank you to the entire La Royal/Celeste team for making our celebration extraordinary. We are forever grateful for the memories you helped us create.

Had an incredible experience at la royal. The same great customer service as Celeste. Amazing atmosphere and drinks. The food was also outstanding. We especially loved the chupe langostino. Can’t wait to come back for a pisco during the week or a dinner with friends!

Celebrated my birthday here and they went above and beyond with their service! The food and drinks are amazing. My friends all loved the food. We are in love with this place!

La Royal's sister restaurant, Celeste, is one of our favorite spots in Cambridge/Somerville, so we were excited to try this new addition to the Huron Village area. Like Celeste, La Royal primarily serves Peruvian cuisine and cocktails, but with a distinct Chinese and southeast Asian flair. We shared an appetizer and two entrees and loved every bite! The arroz con pato was the highlight, though each dish was flavorful and unique. We'll be returning soon!

Pescado con verdura was great, the fish is fresh and juicy. The Chinese flavor sauce is very great. Tacu tacu is a bit salty but the shrimp and the squid is good.

Amazing every single time!! The food is TOP NOTCH!! As you can see - i’ve taken so many pictures of the cocktails - they might be the star! Get the mezcal margarita - ask for it spicy!! All the pisco drinks are incredible! The mezcal Negroni is really strong - strong flavors - if you like that - go for that too! You can’T go wrong! Highlights from our most recent meal there: grilled octopus potato terrine, arugula and watercress salad, the cod, the mussels with shrimp and squid are just incredible!! Celebrated my birthday there yesterday - great place for a celebration! And great service!

I came to this restaurant with a couple of friends for my birthday. The service and the food did not disappoint. The food was great especially the branzino and scallops. My friends had a little cake for me which the staff presented to me toward the end of the night and they sang happy birthday. They even gave us a couple rounds of shots, making one of the shots a mocktail for my friend who doesn't drink. What a nice touch! What really warmed my heart was when they cranked up the music to some classic dancehall cuts. The dj was on point! I couldn't have chosen a better playlist. Thank you to the staff at La Royal for making my birthday celebration exciting and special! Kudos to this fine establishment.

The steak, the pisco sours, the flan, all incredible. And the servers are so kind. There are so few restaurants in Cambridge that are actually a vibe. I'll be coming back here!!

The food is exceptional. The freshness of the seafood, the sauces, the textures, and the flavors were perfect. My favorites, so far, are: (1) the scallops au gratin (was a special) - unquestionably the best ever: (2) the Lima bean risotto with seafood was so flavour full with great texture and the freshest the seafood: (3) the Peruvian-Chinese stir fried noodles had great flavor along with the seafood. I will definitely be back again soon.

This might have been the best food I’ve eaten all year. The beef was cooked perfectly and the sauce they make is just out of this world tasty. Thanks so much for a memorable time out

Very authentic Peruvian food. The tuna causa (classic one) was amazing. It was definitely our favorite dish. The only recommendation is to work on the dessert options and well as on the ones they already offer.

Overall we had a lovely dinner here - the food was good and the service was sufficient. We ordered several appetizers and one main. Our favorite by a large margin were the scallops au gratin. They were well cooked (not over done), well seasoned, and with just the right amount of cheese. It is also a creative dish in a fun presentation; we would definitely recommend getting this as it was the best dish we had. Don't forget to squeeze the limes on top! The arugula salad was good but quite standard/underwhelming. We felt it was quite overpriced at $15. For the main we got the whole branzino - the dish was homey and rustic both in flavor and presentation, baked in banana leaves. It was good, but not great. The flavor was a bit lackluster for us and we didn't love the lack of variation in texture - it was all the same mushy texture. The accompanying yuca fries were a bit dry inside and not crispy on the outside. We would have also enjoyed more of them as well as some sort of creamy dip for them. For dessert we had the rice pudding which was good but also underwhelming. Lastly our cocktails were probably the highlight - they were all very well balanced and interesting and fun. Our favorite was the mezcal negroni. We also thought the pisco martini was interesting but needed more horseradish! Due to the price of the food, I think we would only return to this spot as a place for inventive Peruvian themed cocktails and an app (likely the scallops.) but if you're looking to try upscale Peruvian for a fancy night and don't mind paying a premium, try it!

Great Peruvian cuisine tucked away in West Cambridge. The owners also owned Celeste, and it definitely reflects in the ceviche dishes ! What makes this place wonderful is the atmosphere and service we received. I think the staff anticipated every move or indication of wanting to order before we did and it was terrific. It is a bit pricey but understood given its location. Drinks were terrific - the sours and martinis in particular. In terms of ceviches, the tuna dish was far more balanced. The lèche de tigre was a bit under seasoned but still a great start. In terms of the main dishes, I was a bit surprised. The noodles were good, but the arroz con pato was a bit dry - did not expect that with something like duck. That said, the mousse de lucuma for dessert was unbelievable! The fruit itself really made that dish taste so fresh and lively. Though the main courses were not stellar, would definitely go again for dishes had at both ends of the evening, drinks along the way, and the wonderful atmosphere. Hope to come by again soon!

Contemporary Peruvian spot in West Cambridge. After a few successful years with Celeste, Maria and JuanMa launched La Royal in hopes to expand the Peruvian food scene in Cambridge. I had a great experience at Celeste a few weeks ago, so I recently made my way to La Royal to check out their expanded range of Peruvian offerings. The seafood appetizers at La Royal had a well-balanced flavor profile, but it somehow felt more generic. JuanMa’s creations at Celeste, which hold a more personal narrative from his childhood in Lima, seemed superior, with their more robust flavors and better quality seafood. I was especially disappointed with Causa de Tuna Salad, which just seemed like an overpriced tuna salad over mash potatoes. On the other hand, the cheesy Scallops au Gratin soaked in butter was a decadent treat. The entrées thankfully redeemed our experience. Both the Arroz Con Seared Duck and the Whole Bronzino were great. The former dish paired lean, perfectly seared duck breasts with the invigorating zest of salsa criolla. Despite my initial reservations about the cilantro rice, its subtle aroma was a pleasant surprise, and it felt more reminiscent of a well-executed paella. The Patarascha, grilled in plantain leaves, maintained the Bronzino's tenderness while infusing it with the unique flavors of Amazonian condiments. The process of deboning was somewhat cumbersome, but the intricate blend of spices and vegetable toppings more than compensated. While I may be hesitant to get seafood appetizers in my future visits, the entrées at La Royal are undeniably compelling. If you’re looking for a great ceviche experience, Celeste might be a better option, but for refined and satisfying Peruvian meals, La Royal also does a great job.

My husband and I went for dinner at La Royal for his birthday. The food was definitely unique in presentation and flavor; can taste the Chinese influence in Peruvian food. The service is good but a little slow. Atmosphere was nice -- decor was modern and the kitchen was open. Would go back for another special occasion.

Good ambiance, went here for an early dinner and left satisfied. The pisco sour and the passionfruit pisco sour is a must try for cocktails! Tuna Tartare app is good, the skwered grilled shrimp was a little too burnt for me BUT the fried yucca that came with it is good. The Lucuma mousse is a must try. Tastes like a burnt caramel which is the flavor that the fruit gives. Overall a good experience.

Packed house on a Saturday night. Gorgeous room. Service friendly but maybe understaffed during dinner rush - we were scurried to our table without much of a welcome and orders were taken briskly. In any case the drinks and food were great. Scallops au gratin were succulent. Duck breast was wonderfully tender although the cilantro rice was soggy and a bit bland. Branzino was awesome. Beware the room can get almost unbearably noisy - on top of the loud music we were unfortunately sandwiched between a group of six and a group of three - essentially had to lean on and shout across the table with my companion. I'd come back to try the rest of the menu but maybe at lunch time or a weekday night.

The food was excellent! Delicious and well balanced, strongly recommend trying a number of dishes family style. The service was a little cold/stand-offish -- I found myself asking for many things (serving spoons for the soup, more water, drink refills). It may have been the night though!

It’s a nice place. Service is very nice, very casual. The food was overall very good, but a bit of a mixed bag. The ceviche was very good (nice acidity, with the traditional two types of corn), but the fish was not well cleaned, it had some of the brown meat in the back of the fish that made it taste too fishy. The pastel de choclo was interesting, but a bit too sweet. The tacu tacu was the best: it was like a “meatloaf” but if rice and beans, with a seafood spicy sauce: very interesting flavor, very good. Overall a bit expensive for what it was.

We went here for a wedding anniversary and were not very impressed by the food or the service which is quite surprising given how the reviews were quite high. I do not like ceviche which knocked out 2/3 of the appetizer menu. However, for the remaining 1/3 we got three Appetizers which were quite good - Shrimp/ pineapple skewers, polenta, and scallops. My passionfruit mocktail was very good. The entrées were overall OK. My husband got the cod dish in the Peruvian/Chinese section and I got the taca taca with risotto. The risotto was overcooked, tasted like it was made with old rice, and was very starchy. Servers did not check in to see if we like the food or having questions, and did not seem very enthusiastic. It was also quite strange that we wanted to communicate the restaurant about our tardiness, but we were not able to contact anyone despite multiple phone calls and text messages. And what was even more surprising was that when we got there it was not busy. I think if you like ceviche and are willing to get small plates you will likely be fine

Cute spot, with good food and interesting flavors but a slight let down. I would say my main concern was the service. The restaurant was not that busy, it was a wednesday night and yet the servers were barely coming around. There were multiple times that we felt like we were hunting for our server in order to 1. put in orders and 2. just get opinions on what to order as we are new to the verbiage on this menu. I wish the server had warned us that the main dishes we ordered were extremely similar to each other. We asked for opinions and all she said was, yeah thats good. We basically got the same dish for dinner, except 1 was all vegetables and the other had noodles in it. The appetizers were good the tomato avocado causa and the ceviche was delicious. Highly recommend both. Additionally, the wine they had by the glass were really nice. I truly liked my orange wine. The cocktails were slightly flat tasting (not impressed). Overall, this place was good. Not great.

Interesting food/drinks (tuna sashimi was a standout) with lots of flavors. Unfortunately the service left to be desired (& truthfully I never thought I’d be the type of person to notice)… After being seated & reviewing the menu for an extended period of time, our waiter came over and simply asked “Are you ready to order?” No hellos, no welcome, no explaining the menu. No one asked if I was interested in a second drink (even after finishing my first before our entrees were served). Truthfully quite surprising evening, I’m happy we checked it out but am not dying to go back

So this was some kind of fusion with Peruvian food. Not the real Peruvian food you have when you go to Peru. It is all good but the ceviche and purple tamal taste weren’t as great they were OK. Specially the ceviche, the presentation was elaborate but the flavor was too complex, it missed the point. For someone who is not used to Peruvian food this might be a great experience but if you are used to Peruvian food, might not be your place. Also, why charge and extra 5% for kitchen gratuity? That should be included in the price already. The waitress and people were nice

After walking by when La Royal was setting up my boyfriend and I decided that we would need to try it one day. That one day came. We made reservations for a Thursday and there was a decent sized crowd. We were seated at their bar. The restaurant itself is a little cramped, but not a big deal at all. It was nice to be able to watch our food being prepared in front of us, although on a warm day the heat from the kitchen is not extremely enjoyable. When we were seated we were given warm water that was sitting in their window sill. I would suggest they move those bottles to a fridge! We ordered a round of drinks, and they were different. Very bitter tasting in my opinion. For dinner itself the leche de Tigre was PHENOMENAL. Would highly recommend as an app. For dinner my boyfriend got the burger and I got the Jalea La Royal. Both were ok. Nothing crazy or over the top. Overall, service was ok, but when we wanted second drinks nobody seemed to pay attention to us. Definitely a one time visit.

Most dishes missed the mark. The tiradito de tuna apaltado was overwhelmingly citrusy, ruining the fish. The causa de tuna was bland, the pastel choclo carne too sweet, and the tacu tacu a lo macho overly salty. The only redeeming dish was the arroz con pato. Desserts disappointed too: the flan had a hard bottom, and the mousse was just passable. Overall, everything was overpriced and underwhelming.

Im not local so I check the reviews of this place and seemed like a good food. I ordered a drink was 10/10 . Then I ordered a Leche de tigre, as a peruvian I feel this was nothing close to a leche de tigre, didn't have flavor at all, was like fish with water , the glass the serve was very uncomfortable to eat , I left the whole thing and eat just the two calamaris the put in my glass. I asked for spicy to give at least a bit taste but nothing really change. A girl at the bar ask me If I like it and I said not, nobody mind to take my plate from the bar while I was waiting for my lomo saltado. The lomo saltado was okay . But definitely pay 23$ for that leche de tigre was a joke. The service at the bar not the best nobody ask me anything at all maybe because they knew I didnt like the appetizer but still ..

Please someone teach the chef how to cook. I cannot understand how someone can screw the rice so badly. It was extremely watery and no flavor at all. Easiest thing to cook and just awful. The meat? Also no flavor, all water. The chicha? Same. Ice and colorant.