La Vecina, Our Favorite Cevichería In Iquitos

The small delicious plate of ceviche from La Vecina

A delicious plate of ceviche from La Vecina

Ceviche (“seh-bee-chay”) is an ancient tradition in Peru dating back to pre-inca civilizations. Its modern form had to wait for the Spanish to import, plant, and establish lime, lemon, limon, and bitter orange trees in the 1500s, which are considered essential to ceviche today.

Ceviche is the national dish. Where do you find this Peruvian national treasure? Where ever fresh fish are caught, from the Pacific Ocean, to the Andean streams, to the mighty Amazon River and all of the tributaries, there will be cevicherías.

Our favorite cevichería in Iquitos is La Vecina, a small restaurant run by the Araci Rivera family for 35 years. La Vecina is so far off the beaten tourist path, so typical of a local regional cevichería, so un-touristy, that it is the very type of place some tourists or expats looking for a non-touristy place would be delighted with.

Anita Rivera, the right hand of her mother, in the entrance to La Vecina

There is no sign out front to let you know it is La Vecina. You just have to know. Your only choices are a large plate of ceviche for S/ 13, around $4.33, or a small plate of ceviche for S/ 9, around $3. Both come with potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, yuca, onions, toasted corn kernals, charapita hot peppers and salt. We always order the small plates, and occasionally order an extra side dish of sweat potatoes for S/ 1, around .33 cents.

The marinade has a secret ingredient that we don’t know what it is. It is a secret. But I do know the marinade has garlic, cilantro, celery, sweet and hot pepper, salt, pepper, and “limon”. They blend yellow peppers and the secret sauce to make a yellow color to their ceviche, and a delicious taste.

Map to La Vecina, our favorite cebicheria

When we get the urge for ceviche, which happens fairly often, we take a motocar for one and a half soles to Tavara West, #352. I forget the last time I enjoyed ceviche somewhere else. La Vecina is our favorite cevichería, not just because it is old-fashioned, quaint, or inexpensive, but because we think they serve the best ceviche in Iquitos.

Where is your favorite cevichería in Iquitos? Let me know in the comments below.