How Chef Diego Muñoz Spotlights the Diversity of Peruvian Cuisine at POPULAR
One of the best spots in New York to experience the breadth of Peruvian cuisine can be found on the Lower East Side, as soon as you set foot inside the buzzy Public Hotel from boutique hotelier and Studio 54 co-founder Ian Schrager. That’s where you’ll find POPULAR, where veteran chef Diego Muñoz, a native of Peru, oversees the kitchen.
“Peruvian food is the result of so many cultures,” Muñoz explains. “We had the influence from Africa that came with the Spaniards, who already had Arabic influence on them. Chinese, Japanese, Italian — it’s just a mix of all these different cultures. It’s an amazing territory. All those different influences and the experiences from my background, of course, influence the program at POPULAR.”
Similarly, Muñoz has had a long and storied career, working across the world in Paris, Australia, Spain, and Latin America for years.
POPULAR first got its start during the COVID pandemic, finally coming to fruition in June of 2021.
“It’s a crazy time in the industry, but I think we’re coping really well. We enjoy what we do, and we have a really, really strong team,” Muñoz says.
POPULAR’s dining room is drowning in lush greenery and exposed wood, giving it a uniquely tropical feel alongside the Peruvian menu Muñoz has crafted. You’ll also find a wide ranging selection of Pisco, a classic Peruvian drink, to pair with your meal.
“Being in New York was something that I wasn’t expecting, and it’s great,” Muñoz says. “It’s a great time for Peruvian cuisine in New York; there are so many [great examples] like Llama Inn, Contento, Mission Ceviche, and Artesano. It’s a great time, and we really appreciate that.
In his own words, Muñoz takes us through five of the signature dishes on the menu at POPULAR.
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1. Ceviche Clásico
Fish of the day, octopus, red onion, cilantro
“We, of course, have a very nice ceviche. The one that we make is with fish, usually the catch of the day or a white fish, and octopus. We serve that with classic tiger’s milk, or leche de tigre, some red onions, a little bit of red chile, cancha chulpe, which is a kind of dried corn that we use here, and some fresh corn as well. Everything is topped with fresh cilantro.
“We do have some other options of ceviche. We have a vegetarian one, too, but the classic is the favorite.”
2. Sticky Prawns
Chow mein, toasted peanuts
“Peruvian gastronomic culture has all kinds of influences, and this dish comes from the Chinese influence. It’s lightly coated shrimp, fried and then dressed in a spicy sweet sauce that we serve with some pan-fried chow mein. We finish them with some nutty crackers on top. We have rice crackers that we’ve dusted with nori powder and fried just to give a little bit of crunchiness to the dish. There’s more of the umami flavor from the nori.
“It’s a super, super popular dish. It’s simple but people love it when they try it; they always come back for this.”
3. Pan-Seared Market Fish
Tacu tacu, prawn and octopus a lo macho
“This is made with whatever we’ve received from the fishmonger that is in season and the most sustainable fish that we can get. We pan-fry it and serve it with a tacu tacu, which is a super traditional mixture of canary beans and rice that’s been pan-fried to get a little bit of crunchiness on the outside while staying nice and soft on the inside.
“We season this mixture with some panca chile and amarillo as well, and then we top the dish with picante de marisco. That’s a spicy seafood stew. Here we use squid, a little bit of shrimp, and octopus. It’s nice, not too spicy, and it goes on top of the tacu tacu. We serve a fresh salad next to it.
“This dish is interesting to me because of the tacu tacu mixture with the fish, and the picante de marisco; it’s just a great combination with fresh fish.”
4. Bibb Lettuce
Avocado, pomegranate, quinoa, goat cheese dressing
“It’s a whole head of lettuce that we dress with sherry vinegar and finish with a goat cheese dressing. There are some fresh chives, some white quinoa that we pop and make crispy, and some pomegranate seeds. This salad is, well, very popular.”
5. Lucuma
Cacao bonbons
“Lucuma is a fruit that we find here in Peru in the very low Andes, near the coast. It’s the size of an apple, but inside it’s nice and creamy, like a cooked sweet potato. We make an ice cream with it and then we shape it into spheres, coat them in chocolate, and finish them with cocoa powder. It’s a really nice explosion of lucuma ice cream in your mouth.”
POPULAR is open daily for breakfast and dinner, and on weekends for brunch. The restaurant hosts a live Latin band every Friday and Saturday night from 9 to 11 p.m.
Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Follow Resy, too.
