Chifa, the Chinese Peruvian Cuisine You Haven’t Heard About
It was our last night in Mexico City and we were starving and craving something different. Yes, we love tacos al pastor, birria, and mole, but we just wanted to take a break from Mexican food and diversify our palettes for a bit.
A quick search on Google shocked me. There’s a chifa restaurant in Mexico City?
Woah! chifa? What the heck is that?
Chifa is a Peruvian culinary tradition that developed due to the mass influx of Chinese immigrants from Guangzhou during the late 19th and 20th centuries. It combines elements of traditional Cantonese cuisine with local Peruvian ingredients. The word actually comes from the Cantonese sik faan 食饭, which means to eat.
Some prominent chifa dishes such as arroz chaufa (from Cantonese chau faan 炒饭) and lomo saltado have become so popular that you’ll find them on the menu of many Peruvian restaurants, along with other Peruvian classics such as ceviche and papas a la huancaina.
Cafe y Restaurante Chifa “Manolo Li Loon Chiy” 龙池 is located in Colonia Guerrero, a local working class neighborhood just northwest of the Historic Center of Mexico City and right outside of the Guerrero metro station.
Upon entering, we felt the vibe of an old school Chinese American restaurant in the US. The walls were decorated with Chinese paintings and calligraphy. Miniature statues of Buddhas in the corner bring good luck to the business. We came around dinner time on a Sunday and the restaurant was full of local families. Everyone except for us seemed to be local Mexicans.
Suddenly, we felt like all eyes were on us. It seems like the waitresses were surprised that two Chinese American people speaking in English would choose to come eat here.
We sat down and the waitress brought us the menu. We were so confused at first though! That menu was a typical Chinese takeout menu. Nothing about it looked Peruvian chifa. I even thought we had come to the wrong restaurant! However, we noticed the fridge full of Inca Kola and Cusqueña beer and knew we were at the right place.
After seeing our confused faces, our waitress brought us the secret Peruvian chifa menu without even asking. We almost jumped out of excitement. The menu was so extensive! Lomo saltado, arroz chaufa, aeropuerto, pato asado, chi jau kay, tallarín saltado. I’ve never been to a chifa place in Peru, but I sent the menu to my Peruvian friends and they said the menu looks authentic!
We ordered the lomo saltado (stir-fried sirloin stick with onions, tomatoes, Peruvian aji, and french fries, seasoned with soy sauce and local Peruvian spices) and a side of arroz chaufa. We’ve both tried lomo saltado at mainstream Peruvian places in the U.S., but oh my, we were amazed at how flavorful this lomo saltado was! The meat was so juicy and tender. The flavor was highlighted by the extensive use of scallions and ginger, both staples of Cantonese cuisine.
After the meal, I asked the Mexican waitress whether the owners are Peruvian Chinese. However, she seemed so confused and had no idea what chifa food was. We walked up to the counter and talked with the lady at the counter who looked Chinese. She was super excited and told us that they’re originally from Guangdong (Canton) province of China and immigrated to Peru before moving to Mexico. Unfortunately, she seemed very busy and I had to cut the conversation short.
I definitely want to come back here someday when it’s less busy because I am so interested in getting to know this family business more. What caused them to move from China to Peru and then to Mexico City? What has their immigration journey been like? What inspired them to create such an extensive menu that serves three types of cuisine- Chinese takeout food, Mexican dishes such as enchiladas, and also a secret chifa menu? How is Mexico treating them?
Running a small business, especially as an immigrant, is not easy. While walking around Mexico City, I noticed that many small businesses have closed during the pandemic. If you’re ever in Mexico City, take a break from the tourist path and come support this amazing small business that represents three cultures coming together: Chinese Cantonese, Peruvian, and Mexican. I promise that the food here is cooked with love, along with the sweats and sacrifices of an amazing Chinese Peruvian immigrant family.
Panza llena, corazón contento.
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