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Peruvian fusion

Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo

Serving authentic Peruvian cuisine with a touch of island flavor, El Gallo Food Truck has a notable logo of a rooster standing atop a mountain surrounded by blue waves.

The rooster, mountain and ocean waves were inspired by owner Miguel Gutierrez’s own love for all three and also represent island life.

“We offer a special selection of Peruvian cuisine that’s not common to see — especially on Oahu,” Gutierrez says. “We use Peruvian products, but try to use local products as well to take advantage of the fresh produce the island has to offer.”
Some of the truck’s most popular items are anticuchos ($18), which are twice-marinated beef skewers with Peruvian mint sauce, potato, corn and fried rice. There is also picarones ($8) — a dish that includes three butternut squash donuts topped with a delicious housemade fig syrup. For a cool treat, try the chicha morada ($7), which is a brewed purple corn fruit punch over ice cream.

El Gallo’s current special — and one of its bestsellers — is tallarines verdes ($20). This is 8 ounces of mac nut pesto fettuccine alongside breaded teriyaki steak and topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

“Peruvian cuisine uses a lot of spices like dried mild chiles,” Gutierrez says. “Small towns tend to use more potato and corn with protein like meats in their dishes. There is also a significant amount of Asian fusion from both Japanese and Chinese from the ceviche to the fried rice.”

The biz can be found from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays at 1011 Ala Moana Blvd. at Fisherman’s Wharf. Changes to the menu are coming soon, so check out
@elgallo.hawaii on Instagram.

El Gallo
Fisherman’s Wharf
(1011 Ala Moana Blvd.)
Instagram: @elgallo.hawaii
How to order: in-person, by phone or through Yelp
How to pay: Cash, card, Samsung/Apply Pay and Venmo

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