La Mar Cebicheria Peruana
Pier 1 1/2 The Embarcadero
San Francisco , CA
(415) 397.8880
See larger map and more nearby
VdV Rating: 2
Food: Peruvian
PRO: Great cebiche and design
CON: Crappy service, bad attitudes galore
OK, I’m gonna make this short (well, maybe) and sweet (well, maybe not). We strolled into La Mar this past Sunday for a Little Late Lunch Love. We were hanging down on the Embarco, and low and behold after talking about hitting La Mar many times, the heavens aligned and here we were, and there they were.
We’d had some foodie-type buds eat here with mixed reviews. But whether it was good, bad or ugly we are VdV, and we need to scout the eats for you, dear readers (you can read, can’t you? Maybe we need an audio version since I do notice our traffic is down).
Anyhoo, as I was saying we strolled in and quickly cased the place. Quick ‘cuz we were about ready to gnaw each others arms off we were so ravenous. 
Coyote ravenous.
We saw a big room in the back, which looked very cool actually. But, what caught our attention, kittens? Yes, a..BAR! on the right hand side so we dashed in. Like dashing into the hottest depths of hell. What a heinous, buzz kill vibe for a nice sunny Sunday! Dang. Who pooped in these worker’s cebiche, anyway? I mean, the decor is pretty good, but do they employ slaves? I’m just askin’ ‘cuz they seem about as happy and cheerful as slaves.
Anyhoo, this one woman, the main bartender who was busy cutting limes (for no one, 
the place was pretty empty) glanced up quickly, then went right back to hacking citrus instead of even paying the slightest bit of attention we existed. It actually became a game for us to see if we could ever get her to actually look us in the eye. Beady as they are. Plus I was having a bad hair day so maybe that was part of the cause. Who knows! Anyway, you. With the retainer and couple tattoos and lousy wretched ‘tude, here’s to you! Game on!
So a bar back finally came and took our order after we begged and pleaded for a menu, and were then told only a puny portion of the menu was available for lunch – Cebiches and Causas. We had our hearts set on some Skewers but oh well. So we ordered…well first we ordered a couple Siete Leguas Repo Margys! Yee Haw. Screw you, Pisco when Siete is in da house! OK, we ordered the Cebiche Chifa ($16), Mahi Mahi with Peanuts, Scallions, Ginger, Pickled Carrots & Daikon, Habeneros, Wonton Strips and Cilantro in a Sesame Leche de Tigree (sauce). Dudes and dudettes, this rocked. La Mar knows Ceviche. I mean Cebiche. I’d never seen such chunky chunks of fish in either a cebiche or ceviche. Very fresh, tender and really too much fish! Nice blend of spices as well. Could have used a little more cilantro, but bravo!
Next we had the Causa Nikei ($12). First a little education, pupils: Causas are these little whipped potato (purple) numbers with either seafood or veggie toppings. So we ordered the Nikei, and it came out well-presented. There was 3 thingies that look just like marshmallows, but were bright purple. And not made of sugar. Plus, I don’t think you’d wanna stick ‘em on a coat hanger and hold them over a fire, if ya get my drift. Anyhoo, the Nikei comes with Ahi Tuna, cut into small cubes with an excellent spicy Huancaina sauce that made the dish. This overall impression? ‘OK’ there was a decent mix of textures and flavors, but the tuna just didn’t do it for us. We ditched the Causa and dove right back into the Mahi Mahi Cebiche.
Still waiting for the bartender to pretend we existed, still getting served by teh bar back. Hey when she brought the bill she actually glanced up at us and said thanks! Jonsin’ for a decent tip, no doubt. Sorry sucka.
Bottom line? 1) We will revisit La Mar, the big dining room looks cool and we want to sample more of the menu b) Shitty service can really ruin a meal experience, fo sho 3) in the meantime, we proclaim it VdV-approved to come here for a drink or four, and gorge on fresh, tasty cebiche. 4) No this wasn’t short. Or sweet. Thanks for your patience.
Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30a-2:30p; 5:30p-10p
Sat 12p-2:30p; 5:30-10:30p
Sun 12p-2:30p; 5:30p-9:30p
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