Reviews Citrico

Cassava chips are amazing. The tiger milk dish is also very yum! The only bad thing about this place is that the food does take a big while to be served.

I’ve been here 3 times and it has always been great. My partner and I normally get a cocktail, share 3 entrees and then order one main with 2/3 sides. I definitely recommend that as you get to try more dishes. Food is always good and the service is always great too.

Overall an excellent place to indulge the taste buds of South American cuisine and enjoy fine wine (excellent Malbec at $50 is always welcome!). The food has a subtle finesse to it and its great to try out new tastes. There are a few inconsistencies that prevented a 5-star review, though.
Nice ambience, friendly and knowledgeable staff who are happy to guide you through the menu (and with its huge, opened window frontage, whilst cosy in the winter, is likely to be incredibly popular in the summer.
Food generally excellent - a barrage of flavours! The one downfall is that portions are not huge and for a group of five sharing, it can get a little pricey. The abrebocas and la cervicheria are $10-$20 per plate: we ordered 8 plus a bife de chorizo, fish of the day (snapper) and 2 sides. With the exception of the cassava chips (tasted like cardboard) and a dessert of rather greasy doughnuts with chocolate sauce, the food was magnificent (particularly the snapper). But we still left feeling we hadn't eaten very much. $300 on food and 2 bottles of wine ($100). If you're hungry, go for the sides and mains: if you pick at food and happy to go for an explosion of tastes, abrebocas is the part of the menu for you.  
We'd still go back though.

Citrico Concina is a South American restaurant blending in many cuisines, Chilean, Peruvian and Argentinean were the ones that stood out for me the most. In conversation with the waitress, we mentioned having been to Harley House not too long ago (as we saw some similarities) and to my surprise, the head chef had previously worked there also.

We start off with their regular Pisco Sour which was well made and strong. Later during the night I got a Machurita which is based off Inca Kola (Peruvian soft drink and pretty much popular throughout South America). Is was light so if you want to get the full experience drink it by the bottle (pricey at $7). Unbeknownst to me the cocktail was made incorrectly and they brought out a new one which was more vibrantly yellow and strong. Good pick up (their main barman was away).

We started off with some oysters in tiger milk and finger lime. Strong start, none of the ingredients used detracted from creamy oyster and the sourness wasn't overwhelming even with an additional squeeze of lime. We also had some ceviche prepared nikkei style (Peruvian/Japanese) which saw pairings of unlikely ingredients together (ponzu and leche de tigre). The scallop were slightly seared and the kingfish tasted really fresh.

We could not get enough of scallops we also got conchitas, scallops cooked in Pisco-yellow chilli butter, puffed rice, cherry tomatoes and rounded off with lomo saltado sauce (which is mostly soy sauce and vinegar). Excellent. On the side we got some anticucho verdura which was a melody of vegetables in a Kapallaq sauce, well cooked but I didn't manage to dig up any mushrooms.

Snacking on we also got some pollo Chifa (Peruvian/Cantonese) which unfortunately was their only Chifa item. I'm guessing it's their take on salt and pepper chicken which was served with a lovely salsa which gave it a brightness.

For mains we got a bit of surf and turf. We go for their 500g rib eye (40 days dry aged) served with lemon and chimichurri on side. Tasty (especially the fat) and well seasoned, more medium than medium rare (preferred) and not as melt in your mouth as expected. Walking past the kitchen (to the toilets) you can take note of their cooking station and usage of charcoal. That brings us to the grilled octopus and squid which had a slight char and smokiness to it, to octopus tentacles especially tender. Not to be outshone by the protein, we couldn't stop picking at the side of cauliflower with Manchego cheese and walnuts, soft yet crispy and the natural sweetness from the cauliflower came through.

Finishing up we had some passion fruit sorbet with fruits, chocolate dust and a purple corn tuile, very refreshing. The sweet potato & pumpkin doughnuts were coated with a fig sugar syrup and chocolate sauce on the side for dipping. This fried snack was bouncy and chewy, it's difficult to dislike such a dessert.

The premise of this visit was to grab some Pisco Sours somewhere (I think my friend is addicted) but it soon became an exploration into South American cuisine. You'd be hard pressed finding many restaurants doing this kind of food yet alone obtaining the ingredients they utilise, no doubt they'd have to import some down. Front of house staff were engaging and accommodating which resulted in a positive experience.

3.8. We had the set menu here for our group Xmas celebration. First offering was a platter of meats, pickled vegetables and Peruvian flatbread. Next up was ceviche with corn and a hint of chilli. Slow roasted pork with orange and empanadas and a nice tomato salsa followed. That was our highlight dish of the night. We loved it. Next course was BBQ steak with chimichurri sauce. BBQ chicken with spicy sauce came next. There were sides as well. Lightly roasted sweet potato with yoghurt and a mixed salad. Dessert was doughnuts with cinnamon honey and chocolate dipping sauce. The decor here is lovely. Stylish with good lighting. The courtyard out the back looked very enticing too. Service was good overall. The staff were pleasant and efficient. The set menu at $55 is good value. It’s not fine dining. It’s more comfort food but it’s good. Nice place. I’d go back for the empanadas.

Had a wonderful meal here and we found the staff to be super awesome. They make a nice pisco sour and recommended a fabulous wine to accompany our meal.

My grandpa is from Argentina and I grew up eating a range of South American foods that he lovingly prepared for me. Of them, empanadas and alfajores were always favourites. So when I discovered Citrico and saw that they offer both of these items on their menu, I was immediately captivated. Both the soft, savoury empanada filled with potato and cheese and the buttery alfajore slathered in dulce de leche instantly reverted me back to a child-like state - Especially the later, which I haven't consumed in years. Citrico's variation was even better than from memory. In addition, they also have so many vegetarian and vegan options - A rarity in Latin cuisine. The watermelon and mushroom ceviche served on a bed of cauliflower cream was a fresh take on the traditional dish, both in flavour and in concept. On the flip side, the pastel de choclo was heartier and more of a comfort dish, but just as interesting. It was great when paired with a bite of cassava chip and/or mixed leave salad. Finally, the house-made pisco sour blew me away. It's a classic pick, but done so well at Citrico that it's anything but boring.

what a great experience for our first time there. Staff were excellent and friendly but the food! so so good. Mouth watering and generous.

Amazing food! Very, very tasty. This is a quality restaurant where the portions are small but you are paying for the flavor, the quality and specially the experience. If you are looking for the massive chicken Parma that cost $20 at your local pub... avoid this place. Amazing service, amazing food, definitely a real gem in Melbourne !

First time going to a Peruvian restaurant and we had a great experience. We ordered a set menu and all the dishes were delicious! They came in in small portions and it was good because we could eat everything without being too full. The steak and the empanadas were my favourites certainly. The staff were very friendly and attentive. They kept refilling our drinks and changing our cutleries and plates. If you never tried any Peruvian dishes, this restaurant is worth a visit.

In the words of our dinner date guests: "In the top 5 restaurants in Melbourne!" The steak was to die for, the sweet potato entree worth writing home to the whole village about, and the service is impeccable. Do yourself a massive self-love favour and get to Citrico. Stat. Now. You. Will. Love. It. ♥️