When in Peru Hackney…

Dog friendly restaurant review: Chakana

If bright colours aren’t your thing, Chakana might be outside of your comfort zone…

But if you’re looking for something bold and unique, the food at this dog friendly restaurant will definitely catch your eye. These dishes, inspired by the food of Peru, look like they belong on a gallery wall.

Environment

Chakana is a newly opened Peruvian restaurant on Broadway Market. The closest stations are London Fields overground and Cambridge Heath overground and you can reach the restaurant from either of these in around 10 minutes. If you’re driving, be prepared to park up nearby and walk, as there’s nowhere to park on the street itself.

The decor at Chakana is vibrant, with splashes of orange, blue and green and the vibe is just as lively. Bright colours have been paired with neutral ceramics and earthy tones to give the restaurant a warm atmosphere. Overall, it feels casual and light-hearted. Most of the tables are set for groups of 2 or 4, but they can be pulled together for larger groups. However, the tables are pretty close together, so I’d keep that in mind if you have a larger or more reactive dog.

Price

Chakana specialises in Peruvian cuisine and Pisco-based cocktails. Pisco is the national spirit of Peru and it’s absolutely delicious. The team recommend trying their signature Pisco Sour. When it comes to the menu, starters are priced at between £12 and £14, while mains average at around £24. They have lots of veggie options on offer and vegan options are available on request. If you’re keen to try lots of different things on the menu, but you’re worried about the price, I’ve got something for you…

*HACK* Chakana is often featured on First Tables. This is an app that offers 50% off food at selected restaurants if you book one of their first or last tables of the day. Unlike Tastecard, this app works with independents, not chains, so it’s a great way to try new restaurants in your area. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Taste

I don’t think you’re prepared for how incredible these dishes look. The colours are out of this world and the chefs at Chakana have clearly put a lot of effort into the look of these plates. Unfortunately, in some cases, it feels like the style outweighs the substance. While I’d highly recommend trying the Tuna Ceviche and the Corn Ceviche, the Salmon Tiradito didn’t taste as fresh as I hoped it would and the Braised Octopus was pretty tough. That being said, the complementary Purple Cornbread with Whipped Yoghurt was a nice touch and the cocktails here are absolutely incredible.

Service

But enough about the cooking. What about the canines? Chakana is super dog friendly. In fact, as soon as we walked in, we saw a pup sleeping on one of the dining chairs. The staff here are very welcoming too. They couldn’t find our booking, but they still sat us down and they were really attentive.

So, what’s the PETS (Price, Environment, Taste and Service) rating for Chakana?

• Price: 3/5
• Environment: 4/5
• Taste: 2.5/5
• Service: 4.3/5

Overall, this dog friendly restaurant scores 3.4 out of 5. The dishes here look incredible and the service is great. But, unfortunately, some of the dishes fell a little short. The score would be much higher if they put as much effort into the taste of the dishes as they do in the look of them.

Come and ‘peru’-se the menu at Chakana. The cocktails here definitely ‘alpaca’ a punch.

Check out their website here.