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Take a trip way, way south of the border to the beautiful South American country of Peru by paying a dining visit to La Huaca, located in Roseville, CA, where you'll enjoy delicious, authentic Peruvian cuisine, served by friendly staff. You'll savor the fine, exotic cuisine in the colorful dining room, and enjoy all of your favorites, either served from the menu, or from the buffet, which happens every day of the week. If you're a fan of mimosas you'll love the "Bottomless Mimosas" that happen every day of the week. You don't have to leave Roseville to enjoy delicious Peruvian cuisine! As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's a little past the 1100 morning opening time, Tuesday, January 07, 2025, and I've arrived at La Huaca to enjoy a trip to Peru, without leaving Roseville. Does this building look familiar? You may remember this used to be the Roseville home of Sizzler before the restaurant closed back in 2021. In early 2022, La Huaca moved in and completely renovated the interior to resemble an upscale restaurant in downtown Lima, Peru, and added a lot of color to the local landscape. La Huaca moved from their former location on nearby Sierra College Blvd to the current location back in spring, 2022, and has been offering authentic, delicious Peruvian cuisine on Douglas Blvd. ever since. Back on Saturday, May 12, 2018, my friend Ben and I enjoyed a lunch at the former location. Check out our visit by clicking on THIS LINK.
Photo: A friendly staff member was outside on the sidewalk, pointing drives on busy Douglas Blvd. the way to the amazing weekday Peruvian buffet.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll be greeted by a friendly staff member, and seated in the large dining room. Note the colorful decor, which is so prevalent in Latin American restaurants.
Photo: The weekday, Saturday and holiday, along with Sunday "Buffet Menu" is posted on the meet/greet counter. Note that "Bottomless Mimosa" from the bar is served every day. Click on the menu image to see the complete menu the restaurant offers, weekdays, holidays and weekends. You can also click on THIS LINK to enjoy.
Photo: The dining room is large, spacious, clean and inviting. How many ways can you say "colorful?"
Photo: The centerpiece of the dining room is the lunch buffet, which is offered every day of the week, including weekends and holidays. The main bar offers entrees, sides, soup and desserts, while the other bar offers fruit and a complete salad bar. In the back, there is a small store that offers souvenirs from Peru, including stuffed llamas.
Photo: My host Bryann prepares my first "Maracuyamosa" mimosa at the bar, which was to be the first of many that I'd enjoy during today's lunch.
Photo: Meet Bryann, my super friendly host and bartender, who brought my first mimosa to my table with a smile. He is a friendly and efficient host, and treated me like a rock star.
Photo: From the "Buffet" menu, I went with the all-you-can-drink "Bottomless Mimosa," which at $12.95, was a very good deal, considering the I love mimosas, which go especially well with fine Peruvian cuisine. I went with the exotic "Maracuyamosa," which is sparkling wine mixed with passion fruit juice, garnished with a maraschino cherry. You can choose any option on the "Mimosa Menu," and you can order a different mimosa every time should you choose to do so. The mimosas were simply delicious, and I made the most of the "Bottomless Mimosa" the bar offered. In case you're not familiar with a "Maracuyamosa," it's a Peruvian version of a mimosa, mainly that it used fresh passion fruit juice. It's a super delicious twist on a mimosa!
Photo: I began my meal with a bowl of "Aguadito de Pollo," which is a traditional chicken soup in Peruvian cuisine. The broth is made up of various spices, chicken, intermixed with cilantro sauce and slow cooked with rice and vegetables. I'd never had the Peruvian "twist" on chicken soup before, and I simply loved it!
Photo: I raise my exotic mimosa and toast my host Bryann, the friendly and talented staff at La Huaca, and the Republic of Peru. Cheers!
Photo: The weekday "Lunch Buffet," offers soup, six entrees, three sides, salad bar, fruit and two desserts. I enjoyed a bowl of soup and two plates of entrees and sides, and I never made it to the fruit or the salad bar. I was full, but my host brought out a tray with two samples of the desserts... how could I pass that by?
Photo: My first plate from the buffet, clockwise from the top, "Costillas en Salsa de Maracuya" - baby ribs marinated in house-made passion fruit sauce, "Frijol Peruano - Peruvian beans, a slice of French bread, "Pollo Saltado" - stir fried chicken with onion, tomato wedges, vinegar and soy sauce, along with "Pescado al Aji Amarillo," fish marinated using an in-house-made aji Amarillo sauce, breaded, lightly deep fried and served with veggies. Truly an amazing way to begin my lunch! The ribs were on the sweet side, thanks to the sweet passion fruit, falling-off-the-bone tender, juicy and amazingly delicious. The fish filet was nothing like I'd ever enjoyed before today's dining adventure, as the Amarillo sauce gave it a delicious "earthy" flavor that I really can't describe, except that I loved it! The fish was juicy, white and tender inside, lightly breaded and very crispy on the outside - almost like thin tempura bread crumbs - yet light and flaky, lightly deep fried and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The veggies served with the fish seemed to have been stir fried. I simply adored the "Frijol Peruvano" - the beans - as I'm a fan of beans. The beans were creamy, tender and arrived in a thick, bean gravy that was flavorful and delicious. Actually, I've enjoyed meals of white beans which taste very similar, and I suspect this is Peru's take on a perfect pot of white beans. The "Pollo Saltado" chicken was thinly sliced, marinated with vinegar and soy sauce, and... along with the onion, and tomato, was stir fried to perfection. My first plate of food was so delicious it was time to head back to the buffet, as today's plan was to sample every entree and every side.
Photo: I pick up one of the "Costillas en Salsa de Maracuya" - the Peruvian style baby back ribs, to show all of the tender, juicy goodness of these amazing ribs. You're a long way south of Memphis, and these delicious ribs don't taste anything like Memphis style barbecue.
Photo: I scoop up a piece of "Pollo a la Brasa..." you can see how juicy and tender the rotisserie chicken is. Fries are offered in the same pan as the chicken. Are you curious to see all of the entrees, sides and the soup that the buffet offers, as photographed at the buffet? Click on the image, or THIS LINK to see the complete line-up. You'll find it easy to return to this article.
Photo: My second plate from the buffet, clockwise, a slice of French bread, "Pure Rustico," which are rustic mashed potatoes, with parsley and red bell pepper, "Pollo a la Brasa" - Peruvian rotisserie chicken - Peruvian style steak fries, "Arroz con Pollo" - fried chicken leg served on a bed of rice - and "Seco de Pollo," which is boneless pieces of chicken, braised in a cilantro and beer sauce, with potatoes, peas and carrots. Oh my! ... quite a second plate! I had no idea that mashed potatoes existed in Peruvian cuisine, so I was in for a pleasant surprise, as mashed potatoes top my list of favorite "comfort food," so I'd be right at home if I lived in Peru. The potatoes were runnier than what you'd find in your typical Placer County diner, but they were creamy, loaded with finely diced red bell pepper, chopped celery leaves, and were simply delicious. The "Pollo a la Brasa" was roasted to perfection, and super tender and juicy, thanks to the marinade, and the herbs and spices. I was amazed to see steak fries served alongside the cut up chicken! The fries were large, somewhat limp and lightly deep fried to a light, golden brown. They were delicious and made for a great side dish. No ketchup needed! I loved the "Arroz con Pollo" which was fried chicken with rice cooked in cilantro sauce, along with carrot cubes, peas and diced red bell peppers. The "Seco de Pollo" was similar, with boneless pieces of chicken braised in a cilantro beer sauce, with potatoes, peas and carrots. The only side that I didn't sample at the buffet was the large pot of steamed jasmine rice, as it was unremarkable and exactly the same as I enjoy at home. By the time I finished the second plate, I was full, except that another mimosa or two was calling... I wasn't planning on enjoying dessert, but my host brought out a plate with small samples of the two desserts today's weekday buffet offered, so it looked like dessert - along with another mimosa - would finish today's amazing lunch.
Photo: Small samples of the dessert from the buffet: "Arroz con Leche" and "Mazamorra Morada," which is a purple corn pudding dessert and a favorite dessert in Peru. The rice dessert was white rice, sweetened with condensed and evaporated milk, and sprinkled with cinnamon. Honestly, I didn't care for it at all, but since it was offered to me, I didn't let a drop go to waste. Different story on the "Mazamorra Morada," as it was sweet, gooey, starchy and spiced with coarsely ground cinnamon cloves. Yes, it was a deep purple in color, and if I hadn't known better, I would have NEVER guessed it was corn based, as it tasted more like bread pudding, with lots of cinnamon and sweetness. I'm never a fan lf dessert, and no matter what cuisine I'm enjoying, I always pass on dessert, as I don't have a "sweet tooth" as I prefer appetizers over dessert. Thanks to the friendly staff at La Huaca, I was able to sample two classic Peruvian desserts. If you're inclined the think that Peruvian cuisine is similar to that of Mexico - both countries share a common history with Spain - you'll be surprised, as the cuisine of Peru is very similar to that of Spain, or continental Europe, and bears very little resemblance to Mexican cuisine, with the exception of some of the indigenous dishes on the Yucatan Peninsula. What ever the case, Peruvian cuisine is simply delicious, and La Huaca knows their craft! Wrap your taste buds around some of the finest Peruvian cuisine in Placer County, every day of the week at La Huaca, located in Roseville, CA. La Huaca
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