Enter and become instantly enamored with the intimate ambiance at Piqueos, a contemporary Peruvian tapas bar in the heart of San Francisco’s Bernal Heights. With the dining room’s warm atmosphere and the kitchen’s contemporary take on traditional Peruvian tapas, Piqueos has become a neighborhood favorite since opening its doors in 2007.
It is not unusual for Piqueos’ long-serving staff to greet regulars by name, then show them to their usual table. Newcomers, too, are welcomed like old friends, then introduced to the menu, which features an array of delectable dishes that put a unique Californian spin on traditional Peruvian fare. Classic tapas items—including crispy corn cakes, fried plantains, grilled octopus and stuffed peppers—often feature contemporary
embellishments such as avocado mousse or duck confit.
Customers return again and again for the superb cebiches, such as the Cebiche Mixto, a blend of red snapper, mussels, clams, shrimp, red onions, cilantro and lime, and flavored with the rocoto leche de tigre peppers. These rocoto peppers, native to Peru, are cultivated in Half Moon Bay, on a farm Chef Carlos Altamirano established specifically to grow these unique peppers, which add their fresh, spicy flavor many of the
dishes in all of his Bay Area restaurants.
This focus on freshness and flavor is evident in all of the food served at Piqueos—from the cebiches that showcase the Bay Area’s abundance of fresh seafood to the selection of tapas dishes, and the heartier entrees such as quinoa-encrusted salmon, grilled lamb chops with chimichurri or the delightful squid ink paella.
Whether for a romantic meal, a relaxed celebration or an impromptu group dinner, we warmly invite you to experience the community and cuisine of Piqueos.
