I loved Gabby’s Peruvian Restaurant when it first opened on west Douglas. We endearingly called it Gabby’s and felt like our Peruvian grandmother served us lunch and dinner in her quaint dining room. The first time I ever ventured into Gabby’s, we had trouble finding it and deciding if we wanted to stay, but Gabby’s impressed us with their ceviche and jalea mixta and I could not stop raving about it to all my friends and family.
Hoping for a repeat of my great experiences at Gabby’s, I could not wait until their opened their larger space on south Seneca. Gabby’s seems to not like to mark their buildings, not that I mind, it was a sure sign (or lack of a sign) that we found the right building.
Unmarked buildings aside, Gabby’s renovated this building in classic Gabby’s fashion. I felt again like I was dining in my Peruvian grandmother’s dining room, complete with TVs running a documentary on visiting Peru. As always, we received great and personable service from their staff.
With a move to a larger space, I expected higher prices, and prices increased about a dollar per dish. We again ordered ceviche and jalea mixta, and we also ordered arroz con mariscos to change things up a bit, each dish costing around $16-18. Unlike our first experience with Gabby’s, the ceviche portion came out smaller than expected and with less flavor than before, but we added some rocoto sauce to help add some heat. I felt disappointed with the arroz con mariscos, because they should have called it arroz con camarones because it was a small portion with a few pieces of squid and no mussels, no octopus, and no fried tilapia (menu indicated they should have been included). The jalea mixta felt like the only dish that met our expectations with crispy fried seafood and yuca served with a trio of tasty sauces. I do not think that I could dine at Gabby’s every day and still stay within my budget; I felt like it crept into expensive for small portions.
I could see myself coming back to Gabby’s for a special occasion or particularly strong Peruvian food craving. Gabby’s offers unique flavors and never seen before dishes for Wichita restaurants, and I hope that they can continue to offer these delicious meals without increasing their prices.
Gabby’s Peruvian Restaurant
1002 S Seneca St, Wichita, KS 67213
316-613-8050
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday-Saturday 11:00AM-9:00PM
Sunday 9:00AM-6:00PM