Recently I had my first “huarique” experience in Lima. What the heck is a huarique you say? Good question. This type of Peruvian restaurant is small and informal, family run and typically only known among locals. They have special recipes of the house that are high quality. While apparently the secret is out on huariques, as many published on the internet are actually popular established restaurants, this particular spot was under the radar and strictly word of mouth among locals. I think that’s about as authentic as you can get. No tourists and no gringos, so I love that.

Lucky for me, I know a local!

If you are a tourist who likes to avoid the easy and popular traps and have a more authentic cultural experience, visiting a huarique is a perfect example. It’s like passing through the touristy surface into the deeper, inner temple of a culture. You’re not on a tourist bus, you’re not sipping chardonnay at the Marriott. You are basically in someone’s living room eating local dishes. And oh what a fun treat that is.

My friend Nadia suggested we try a spot that her friend told her about in Chorrillos called Emilio & Gladys – Conchas Negras. It turns out this restaurant does have a web and social media presence as well. So while it definitely qualifies as a hidden gem of locals, it does exist in cyber space for anyone to find.

Totally in her hands, we jumped in a taxi and cruised down the Circuito highway along the coast towards Chorrillos, yet another district labeled as “dangerous.” Although Chorrillos is near Miraflores and Barranco, and does have a lot of great cevicherias, I had not yet visited.

It was a particularly lovely Friday afternoon in Lima – the sun was out strong, warm and bright, with a nice breeze to take off the edge (if you’re visitng Lima it’s important to stay near the coast). Sun glimmered off the waves, beach umbrellas flapped all around, the surfers out en masse, the mood was high. The pervasive soundtrack of salsa rhythms blaring from every open car window. Turning the corner onto a narrow little street, we noticed a certain cluster of activity around a seemingly residential address with no obvious commercial signs of any kind. As we approached, we were flagged down by… someone, most likely a son in the family.

He pointed directly at me, the gringo in the back of the taxi.

“Conchas Negras?!”

It was like they were expecting us.

He waved us out and to the sidewalk, welcoming us in. A small queue of others were also waiting to get in. This is a universally encouraging sign when it comes to restaurants. Within fifteen minutes we were led through a few dark doorways to a brightly lit courtyard.

Emilio & Galdys serves one thing and one thing only: conchas negras. You can have them served as ceviche or cooked in rice with spices and herbs. So if you don’t like to chow down on this alien looking little creature, you’re in the wrong huarique.

Conchas negras are a delicacy around Lima. They are similar to oysters in terms of your adventure level in gastronomy. Conchas are a slimy creature of the sea with questionable anatomy, with a dull but constant briny taste of the ocean. They differ from oysters by offering a chunky texture. The juice from the concha is a dull and inky black. 

I have had conchas negras twice before, with an underwhelming opinion. At La Mar and at Termino Pesquero, I was left somewhat underwhelmed. In those versions, the massive abundance of red onion far outweighed the quantity of conchas. It turns out these preparations were particular to those establishments. Here at Emilio & Gladys however, the conchas were the star of the show. 

The ceviche version is served in a simple bowl in a broth of conch juice and lime juice, with red onion mixed throughout. On top is a bed of choclo, or basic starchy corn. Whether you are having ceviche of pescado, or a mix of shellfish and seafood (mixto) it is the red onion and bright and zesty punch of lime juice that brings structure, intensity and balance to the flavor profile.

When you clamp your jaws down on these conchas, they virtually explode in your mouth. A strong taste of the sea diffuses around your taste buds, and much like a briney oyster, the tender saltiness of the ocean unifies your experience to the coastal environment. I felt spiritually teleported to a bamboo shack on a beach, as the feeling of the ocean came to the foreground.

Turning to the arroz con conchas, Nadia took some of the broth from the ceviche and drizzled it over the rice. In the rice, the conchas lost some of that raw texture and incorporated nicely into the bed of rice infused with cilantro and other herbs. And still the taste of the sea is there…

The staff told me these conchas were from near the border with Ecuador, around Tumbes, where the conchas are bigger and have more flavor. They must have been very fresh as well since in the other versions I sampled, this profound briney ocean taste was not apparent.

All in all a very special experience. Total cost for these two dishes and two local beers = $21.50. 

Next time you visit, seek out a huarique for a truly authentic Peruvian dining experience!