Villa Peru Restaurant & Bar, Tempe

Walter Salazar—chef, owner, and Lima native—staffs Villa Peru with family members who are "friendly, familiar with the food, and happy to take the time to walk you through any of the dishes," according to the Phoenix New Times in 2011. This help is especially valuable in light of the eclectic menu, which chef Salazar fills with exotically spiced meats and seafood. Inside the kitchen, chefs flame pieces of steak, hot peppers, and tomatoes in the chef's secret sauce to craft lomo saltado de carne entrees, or sprinkle fresh fish, squid, and octopus with lime to prepare their specialty ceviche mixto. Those customers who don't bring bottles of their own wine may sip hard-to-find Peruvian beverages such as Inca Kola or sweet and tangy chicha morada, an extract of purple-corn juice.