By Isabella Flores

Let’s take a little vacation to Peru, no boarding pass required. Inka’s, a Peruvian fusion restaurant tucked right at the corner of South Salina and West Washington Street in Syracuse, blends Peru’s rich culinary heritage with modern flair. 

Of course, you can’t forget the drinks. Enjoy their hand-crafted cocktails made with fresh ingredients and premium spirits at their happy hour, Monday through Friday, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Located in downtown Syracuse, Inka’s fuses authentic Peruvian cuisine with contemporary culinary trends.

Inka’s has a wide variety of traditional Peruvian dishes, vegan dishes, vegetarian dishes, and their Nikkei Japanese Peruvian fusion dishes.  

Traditional dishes like ceviche are fused with modern elements like mushrooms, mango, and their aji rocoto sauce: a spicy and flavorful sauce made from rocoto peppers, a type of hot pepper native to the Andes. 

Carmen Carrasquillo, a Syracuse University junior studying biology, was able to connect her travels in Peru to the dishes served at Inka’s. 

“Having just gone to Peru, I can notice how they focus on bringing the Peruvian culture to the U.S. They kept the plates and the drinks authentic,” said Carrasquillo . “I loved the service and the food. The drinks were so good too.”

Building on these flavors, you can’t go to a Peruvian restaurant without trying pollo a la brasa, a traditional marinated chicken that gets slow roasted over wood and charcoal flame, served with their fresh house salad, crispy fries, and aji pollero sauce.

Feeling indecisive? Try their ceviche trio or their causa trio — pressed yellow potatoes, each with a different filling of crab, shrimp, and chicken. 

Their house favorites’ signature cocktails include their Vinicunca, a combination of gin, aquafaba, apple brandy, pomegranate, citrus, and lavender.

Another Syracuse University student visited Inka’s and told Baked about their experience. Sarah Santiago Ruiz, a junior majoring in biology and neuroscience, said that Inka’s reminds her of home in Puerto Rico and the dishes served at Inka’s bring her comfort.

“Being able to talk to the staff in Spanish, as well as enjoy the same flavors I’m used to back home, really makes me feel closer to my fellow Latinos,” said Ruiz.

Ruiz said that immigrants have helped shape a diverse food scene at Syracuse by sharing their cultures with the city.

“The fact that you can get so many different types of cuisines by just taking a quick drive or clicking a few buttons on DoorDash or Uber Eats is really incredible. I believe this is mostly because of the amount of immigrants who have had the courage to share their food and culture with the Syracuse community,” said Ruiz. “These individuals really make the local food world go round.”