Contemporary Peruvian Restaurant Yuyo Turns 1

EAST AUSTIN, TEXAS — Yuyo, Austin’s only contemporary Peruvian restaurant, is celebrating its one-year anniversary next month with a month-long celebration, officials said this week.

El Chile Group is celebrating the milestone of the restaurant that has since earned local and national recognition for its vibrant interpretation of Peruvian cuisine. To commemorate its one-year anniversary, Yuyo will host a Pisco Party on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

At the anniversary party, guests are invited to join for a complimentary Pisco tasting, live music, $1 signature bites, including cebiche, grilled choclo (corn), and grilled chicken and beef heart anticuchos, and all-night happy hour prices. In addition, $5 Pisco Punch (frozen or on the rocks) will be offered throughout the month of November.

Siblings and co-owners Carlos Rivero and Executive Chef Maribel Rivero set out to create a culinary experience unlike anything else in Austin, officials described. Wanting to stay true to Peru’s local cuisine, Chef Maribel Rivero designed a menu described as elevated yet approachable. The menu features familiar flavors, such as pork belly bao buns and crispy calamari, while incorporating Peruvian specialties and native ingredients — aji, plantains, yuca and pureed herb marinades. Peru’s national dish, cebiche, remains the star of the menu, featuring sushi grade fish, cut-to-order sashimi style and dressed with lime juice and aji amarillo, a bright-orange chile that is ubiquitous in Peruvian cuisine.

Entrée favorites include Pollo a la Brasa, grilled chicken with salsa criolla, and Chanchito, crispy pork with garlic yuca mash, cracklings, and encurtidos. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike have fallen for the Quinotto with red and white quinoa, aji amarillo cream sauce, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.

“I love introducing people to Peruvian cuisine, which I have grown so enamored with through my travels and culinary studies,” Yuyo Executive Chef Maribel Rivero said. “Our guests are often trying something new when they come to Yuyo and to see their faces light up with discovery has been such a rewarding part of the process.”

Yuyo has also become a favorite stop for handcrafted cocktails, including Peruvian specialties like the Pisco Sour, Chicha Morada Sour, Chilcanos, and Pisco Punch, as well as locally inspired sips like the ATX, made with 9 Banded Whiskey, grapefruit, and basil, and the Botija Martini made with Dripping Springs gin.

Yuyo is located at 1900 Manor Road and is open for happy hour and dinner service Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information about Yuyo and the one-year anniversary Pisco Party, visit yuyoaustin.com or follow Yuyo on social media @yuyoaustin.

ABOUT YUYO

Inspired by the contemporary dining scene in Lima, where a multi-hour dinner among friends and family is not uncommon, Yuyo’s warm and welcoming ambiance celebrates the diversity of Peruvian cuisine in a trendy East Austin neighborhood. The heart of the restaurant includes a one-of-a-kind cebiche bar with made-to-order cebiches and tiraditos. The menu also features Peruvian casual street food and contemporary takes on Peruvian staples. The beverage program includes a paired wine list, local beers, and handcrafted cocktails made with Peruvian pisco, a liquor distilled from grapes. The finish is spectacular with desserts you’ll find nowhere else in Austin.

ABOUT EL CHILE GROUP

El Chile Group is a diversified restaurant company based in Austin, TX. Founded by Carlos Rivero, alongside fellow Jeffrey’s of Austin alumni Alma Alcocer and Jeff Martinez in 2003, El Chile Group owns and operates eight restaurants, including four original chef-driven concepts: El Alma, El Chile, El Chilito, and Yuyo. Helmed by Chefs Alma Alcocer and Jeff Martinez, who have worked together for over 18 years, each El Chile Group restaurant features highly flavorful, fresh and innovative cuisines with an emphasis on craveable Latin flavors. For more information, visit elchilegroup.com or follow El Chile Group on Facebook.

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