It all started at the counter of Gansevoort Market with a young chef named José Luis Chàvez – of Venezuelan/Peruvian heritage – who was making a Peruvian poke bowl. The menu was quite simple: basic Peruvian ceviche served in a bowl with salad, rice, or quinoa.
In summer 2019, with co-owner Brice Mastroluca, a French/Italian entrepreneur, he opened another Mission Ceviche in the Upper East Side of Manhattan – this time, it’s a restaurant with a bar and a great vibe.
The first time I tried the restaurant, it was for lunch; it was quiet and I could appreciate the décor. Nothing fancy but clean and pleasant, a nice blue mosaic on one wall depicting a giant fish, and another wall covered with vines and a neon light that reads “Tiger Milk Effect” – referring to tiger milk in Peruvian cuisine, which is a citrus-based sauce generally used to marinate the seafood for ceviche.
The following times I went to Mission Ceviche were for dinner and the restaurant was quite busy. It definitely has another atmosphere: dim lights and a friendly ambiance.
The menu has more than ceviche to offer, but I highly recommend that you choose at least one dish in the ceviche section. I’ve tried most of them and I love them all.
Another recommendation is to start dinner with a Pisco Sour, my favorite traditional Peruvian cocktail; it’s served with roasted Cancha – Andean corn nuts.
The crab Acevichado with tiger’s milk aioli, cherry tomato, and avocado puree is so delicious and beautifully presented. The avocado purée looks like a flower made of icing on a cupcake.
I ordered many times the classic Peruvian ceviche: seafood, rocoto tiger’s milk, corn, and sweet potatoes. It has the right balance of citrus. Rocoto is a kind of chili pepper that grows in Peru and Bolivia.
The ceviche mixto is made with aji Amarillo (Peruvian yellow chile pepper) tiger’s milk, which makes it spicier. Both the classic and the mixto are absolutely amazing.
Tiradito de pescado comes with sashimi-cut seafood, aji Amarillo sauce, avocado, and quinoa.
For my lunch, I had the salmon anticuchero, served with traditional Peruvian sauces over Parmesan quinotto.
The arroz con miriscos, seafood Peruvian paella with aji Amarillo sofrito, are among the specialties of the restaurant. Although it’s a very good and well-presented dish, I will not put it among my number one choices.
The Seco Norteno, 8-hour slow-braised short ribs with cilantro sauce, beans, yucca, and chicha de jora – corn beer – was delicious and represented more the Peruvian cuisine to me.
The pork belly skewers and the aji de gallina, – shredded chicken breast with spicy yellow chili pepper were both excellent and had lots of flavors.
The dessert is on the weak side I would say, only three choices: we passed on the chicha morada raspadilla – an Andean beverage made of purple corn on crushed ice.
The chocolate fondant with churros and the guava mango cheesecake were tasty and were both nice to be shared after an excellent meal.
So far Mission ceviche has been a great experience for us. I’ve recommended it to many friends and they were
all delighted!
Mission Ceviche
1400 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10021
📞(212) 650-0014
Price range: $$$
Monday – Thursday: 12 – 3 pm, 5 – 10 pm
Friday: 12 – 3 pm, 5 – 11 pm
Saturday: 11 am – 4 pm, 6 – 11 pm
Sunday: 11 am – 4 pm, 6 – 10 pm
