Peru on a Plate; she’s got this! Chef Alexandra Gutt is solely responsible for heightening the profile of mouth-watering, Peruvian flavors in San Miguel de Allende. It’s been 10 years this year that she opened La Parada, one of the landmark eateries in San Miguel de Allende.
As many restaurants slowly come back from the pandemic, Chef Alexandra Gutt and Juan Leon De Vivero took their usual time off in May to make improvements. Chus and Chema, owners of the popular SMA restaurants Atrio, La Azotea, Aquilla Brasa and Pueblo Viejo, have been friends with Juan and his family for over seventeen years; in Mexican terms that’s family. They sent over their chef, one of the best in SMA, Arturo Sandoval, to help develop new dishes for La Parada’s anniversary menu.
We support chefs who use the best local ingredients and La Parada has always done that only now they’re even better. La Parada has added seafood dishes, many of them done on the grill, and made changes in the kitchen and the products they use. The results are obvious in many of the new dishes you’ll taste.
The Ceviche options have recently been expanded. We tried the Tiradito Buena Vida: thinly sliced sea bass, aji amarillo leche de tigre, corn and glazed sweet potatoes. Thanks to Chef Sandoval and Chef Christian Herrera of As De Guia, I’m now eating raw sea bass like I’ve done it all my life. Actually, it wasn’t until recently that I even tried it.
La Parada adds new specialties to their menu to keep their offerings fresh.
Sandwiches are popular in Peru and two of La Parada’s that we love are the Shrimp and Pork. The shrimp sandwich is so big, they serve it in a bowl. I usually only taste but in this case, I ate the entire dish myself. It’s served on a soft Ciabatta with fried shrimp, and lots of it, piled high with lettuce, pickled onions, tomatoes, avocado and a tartar sauce. La Parada’s slow-cooked, pork sandwich is topped with an Oregano cream sauce and Salsa Criolla and served with smashed potatoes. I’ve tried to make the smashed potatoes at least a dozen times at home and they never turn out quite like those made by the chef.
Portions are generous and the flavors will make you want to travel to Peru just to eat. I went to Lima for a month and ate at a different place every day; from world famous Central, Astrid y Gastón, Maido and other top 50
to the street food at Al Toke Pez and everyday fare at Canta Rana. Chefs Alexandra Gutt and Michael Coon were responsible for that trip, which included Mistura, South America’s largest food festival; a colossal 10-day annual experience celebrating Peru’s biodiversity, cuisine, culture and traditions.
La Parada has been one of San Miguel de Allende’s favorite restaurants since they opened on October 12, 2012 and the closest thing to actually eating in Peru without having to pack your suitcase. La Parada will celebrate their ten year anniversary later this year.
Buen Apetito!
La Parada
Recreo #94
San Miguel de Allende
Phone: 415 152 0473
Hours: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Friday and Saturday 1:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Closed Tuesday
Chef: Alexandra Gutt
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