We had to go to the Upper East to return some items, and of course that allowed us to also explore some restaurants around that area. I recall Mission Ceviche having a stall in the Gainsvoort/Chelsea food hall, but I never actually tried it. They actually have a few locations in the city, and fortunately we were near their Upper East Side location. My partner is a ceviche fanatic, so we thought we’d take a look.
Ambiance
What was interesting about this place was that they set up a little wooden shack on the sidewalk connected to the front of the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant was quite noisy and stuffy, but it didn’t matter much because they seated us outside in this wooden structure. They did turn on the heat lamps above us, but I definitely have my doubts on it warming folks up if the temperature was windy and dropped a few more degrees.
The service itself was pretty speedy, and the server recommended we order 2-3 appetizers and an entree each. For the final bill, they bring a wireless point of sale system, so just be weary when setting the tip.
Food
The peruvian corn came complimentary with some salt seasoning and was toasted and crispy. Nothing much to write about this, other than it was crispy and tasted pretty good.
The Passion Chili (left) came with passion fruit juice and habanero. It was pretty good and not that spicy as I thought it would be. It was a tad pricey at $8 though.
The Acapulco cocktail (right) came with pineapple, bitters, rum, homemade sugarcane, grapefruit, and lime. I thought this was actually decent though a bit strong for me.
The Classic Ceviche came with the catch of the day fish, Rocoto Tiger’s Milk, corn, and sweet potato. The fish was fresh, and so were the rest of the ingredients. I felt that the citrus was much more tame compared to other peruvian ceviches I’ve had in the city. It was not the best we’ve had, but my partner definitely enjoyed it.
The Yukke “sushi” came with yellow fin tuna tartare, aji amarillo acevichada sauce, crispy rice texture, and avocado. This was also pretty good in that it’s basically a deconstructed spicy tuna roll. It had the usual spicy tuna flavors, and the tartare tasted pretty fresh. However, this really was not as good as the cost at $23. The portion size is fairly small at that price point.
The Lomo Saltado came with an 8oz stir fried filet mignon, soy sauce, onions & tomatoes, peruvian yellow potatoes, and rice & choclo. Tastewise, this was pretty good, but certainly not my favorite. My first reaction when I saw it was that it seemed pretty big, but once you start eating, the portion size is just right for 1 person. The flavors are mostly there, albeit they tried to make it more “special” by including the filet mignon. I think the price of this at $48 is what stings. It’s not worth $48. There are other peruvian restaurants around the city that offer comparable flavors for almost 50% less. If you ignore the price, it’s good.
The Arroz con Mariscos came with mixed seafood, chiclayo traditional green rice, and tomatoes confit. This is definitely not on the must order list. The seafood was not too fresh since some of it tasted the mushy side as if it were frozen. There was a heavy smoke flavor in the food which was bothering my partner. The rice was a little too wet for me although the flavors as a whole was decent.
Final Verdict
Mission Ceviche delivers pretty decent ceviches. The primary issue that makes it difficult to recommend highly is that the price to portion ratio is not good. For example, the lomo saltado at near $50 is quite expensive. I know they put in filet mignon, but the flavors are very typical. I think if you’re looking for ceviche around this area and are willing to spend, then definitely try this out. Just make sure you set your expectations that this place is expensive for what it delivers.
Yelp Jabs
Run, don’t walk to Mission Ceviche. When I say it was one of the best restaurant experiences in NYC, I’m not lying.
You can’t lie if you don’t know either. This yelper rated it based on the atmosphere and not so much the food.
Wish I took more pictures. The food was amazing. In town for a night and the yelp reviews helps me find this place
Many of the overly positive reviews seem to be coming from out of towners which means their expectations are very low.