El Chullo Peruvian Restaurant & Bar is about to open a new location at 4414 N. 7th Ave. in the Melrose District. Owner Jose Ramirez Sanchez tells What Now Phoenix that they look forward to joining Melrose Mile in July.
The family-owned restaurant is named after a Peruvian ancestral garment made by ancient Peruvians to protect themselves against extremely cold temperatures that are common in the high altitudes of the Andes mountains. To this day, a “chullo” serves as a symbol of Andean culture that identifies those of the Andean population.
El Chullo was founded in 2014 to serve traditional Peruvian dishes using modern recipes from the Sanchez family’s own kitchen. Some of their most popular dishes include Ceviche de Pescado (“leche de tigre” marinated fish with sweet potatoes, Peruvian corn and canchita) and Tallarines con Mariscos (spaghetti sautéed in a seafood sauce with Peruvian yellow and red chili peppers).
This past April the original location on Seventh Street was forced to close due to a fire, resulting in damage to their equipment and food supply. With the opening of the second restaurant next month, they’ll be able to begin serving customers again while the first location undergoes repairs.
Until then, there is a GoFundMe campaign to help recoup losses from the fire. For additional information, visit www.elchullorestaurant.com.
