Address: 260 Capistrano Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
La Costanera Peruvian Restaurant opened in 2009 and is headed by the famous Chef Carlos Altamirano. It gained the Michelin star in 2012 and 2013, and in 2021 moved the restaurant to Half Moon Bay (Princeton). It’s an Authentic Peruvian Restaurant famous for its savory ceviche (cebiche in Spanish) with a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and serves a wide variety of unique, savory Peruvian dishes that culminates the Latin Cuisine. La Costanera highlights two bars, a lounge area, and an outdoor patio with firepits. The Restaurant is situated in a touristy and retail area called Princeton and surrounded by local restaurants and retail stores. The La Costanera Restaurant is about 31 minutes from San Francisco via CA-1 South, ( 25 miles). The restaurant is open Tuesday-Thursday from 4-9 pm, Friday-Sunday from 11 am- 9 pm, and closed on Mondays. There is a lot of free customer parking available in the area.
The parking lot area is adjacent to the La Costanera Restaurant. As we walked in, we were immediately greeted by a friendly hostess and were seated at the relaxing outdoor patio with a firepit that kept us warm in sunny but cooler weather. Our table had a partial view of the Pacific Ocean, Pillar Point Harbor, and a few colorful boats. We were impressed with the festive, South American stylish design or decor of the restaurant. The huge bar that is located in the middle of the lower level is very unique and a good spot to take pictures. They also have a lot of tables available inside the restaurant. There were only a few customers at the restaurant since they just opened up at 11:00 a.m. Our server was very fast, friendly and provided us with complimentary Yucca chips and salsa. Our server even provided us with a brief summary of what dishes are popular at the restaurant. As for starters, we ordered the popular Cebiche Tasting combo (3 cebiches) which is composed of 3 savory samplers of cebiche Pescado with fresh fish of the day, aji rocoto Leche de Tigre. Cebiche Chino Peruano with sushi-grade ahi tuna, rocoto sweet chili Leche de Tigre, roasted nori and wontons. And Cebiche Mixto with fresh fish, calamari, mussels, camarones, aji rocoto Leche de tigre. He even suggested the famous Peruvian Chicken Empanada De La casa which was very delicious with lots of chicken meat inside. My wife ordered the Seafood Paella Peruvian style with bomba rice, seafood medley, saffron-tomato base (cooked in our succulent shrimp broth). While my daughter ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich with Mary’s chicken marinated in lime-chili Amarillo with salsa Criolla, chili rocoto aioli, and french fries. I had the healthier, flavorful Salmon Bandido with fresh pan-seared salmon, purple mashed potatoes, and escabeche. And for dessert, we had the smooth textured, mild, and creamy Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta which is a cooked cream and sugar. Also, all the tables were sanitized and separated to adhere to the Covid-19 safety regulations.
Overall, we enjoyed our fun family lunch experience at La Costanera, especially with the panoramic ocean-view seating surrounded by colorful local boats. Nothing compares to eating lunch with your family on a sunny day with good quality authentic Peruvian food, great service, ambiance, and a stunning ocean view. All the staff members are very friendly, fast and accomodating, especially the Manager (Yuri) on duty who visited our table and ensure that we were taken care of and have a nice first-time experience.
Tips: The second floor is only available during dinner time with a nice view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean and harbor/pier. The Restaurant is very close to Pillar Point Harbor and Oceano Hotel and Spa. There is also a Mexican/Peruvian food truck called “Lamas” across the street with delicious, sweet, fried bananas called “plantanos” for $6. Joanne’s Ice Cream serves a very good carrot cake while Cafe Mezza Luna sells pastries as well as their delicious Gelato Ice Cream. You can walk around and enjoy Pillar Point Harbor and its surrounding areas. The Pier even sells fresh live crabs through the fisherman’s boats that are docked at the Harbor.
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