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El Fogón - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants Latin American Latin American [Edit]
3636 Frankford RdSte 300
Dallas, TX 75287
Neighborhood: Carrollton
(972) 820-6440
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for El Fogón
7 reviews in English
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Review from Stephanie V.
Grand Prairie, TX
7/6/2009
Hubby and I ventured out for a new restaurant and stumbled upon El Fogon because he noticed how happening it was from the night before in passing (Saturday nights they turn the place into a club).
We entered and were barely greeted by the server and told we could pick any table we liked. The restaurant is small (which is nice sometimes!) and the tables are authentic in Peruvian style. You'll be immediately greeted by a tiki bar on the back wall, so it's hard not to crack a smile. This restaurant was previously a Chinese restaurant (not too long ago) and they definitely still have some things to "work out" to really wow the masses.
The menu offers quite a few options, but for the first time Peruvian diner, the menu did nothing to help us in selecting the best dishes available. At best, the descriptions were generic and offered no pictures as a way to help newbies. The specials of the day were quickly looked over as the server was unable to describe what the dish was... We later 'Googled' it to find that it is the most ancient Peruvian dish available... As a side note, the dishes start at $10+ and appetizers are $6+.
Thankfully the food we ordered was good (but wished we had ordered what our neighbors selected!). We came to notice that they love french fries in most of their entrees and appetizers... we ordered the salchicha, fries and egg appetizer upon suggestion of the waiter and it was good. We may try again in the future, but would steer clear of the waiter we had yesterday... -
Review from Kacie M.
2/23/2009 ROTD 5/6/2009
Round one at El Fogon ends with a solid three stars. I'm always biased in favor of a little niche ethnic spot, and El Fogon fits the bill by offering authentic Peruvian. The waitress explained to me that they have recently added Tex-Mex to the menu, which means they are probably hoping to expand their clientele by offering food that a wider audience is familiar with. Still - try the Peruvian! Be adventerous!
I tried one of the lunch specials ($6). My food was good - I did a double-take at the strong lime flavor in the guacamole I had. It was delish! The fried rice was also good. However, the dish I chose (tostadas) was pretty simple, and I wished I'd gone for something a little more exotic and new. I will be back to try more!
El Fogon is very simple and plain, and don't even play up the Peruvian aspect of their business except in the actual menu. The service was so-so, a bit too casual. -
Review from Jennifer R.
Carrollton, TX
Updated - 7/2/2010
My last few visits here were greatly lacking. The owner changed and the food went down in quality. It was obvious that they were skimping. I was also disheartened by the terrible service.
All of these changes were a prelude to the inevitable...El Fogon is now closed. I will miss the early rendition of this restaurant, but not the hot mess that they became later.Listed in: Loved and Lost, Latin American Cuisine, Gettin' Your Goat On!
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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2/10/2009
Yep, I really love this place. I've been here 3 times in one week!
Went here on Friday with a bunch… Read more »
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Review from Brian G.
2/19/2009
This place sounded so great from the reviews that I decided to change my dinner plans last night to hit El Fogon instead. It's hard to find non Mexican infused Latin cuisine in Dallas so when I read that this place specialized in Peruvian cuisine, I knew I had to hit it up. I'm still trying to figure out what happened because we didn't end up having the marvelous experience that we were expecting.
El Fogon is tucked away in a strip mall. The interior is simple and pleasant - nothing to write home about. Liquor and beer posters and light boxes adorn the walls of El Fogon. We were especially intrigued by the immense fog machine and disco light set up they had toward the front of the place. I was imagining salsa night Saturdays where after 9pm the tables would clear and the restaurant would transform into a salsa dance hall...perfect for a private salsa dance party...
We were really excited about the bistec de res and tacu tacu al pobre we ordered. From the menu they sounded incredible. I didn't get a chance to bring any beer like Jennifer R advised since it's still BYOB so we decided to sip on horchata while we waited. When the food came, we were a bit underwhelmed. The steak in the tacu tacu was so tough and stringy. We weren't given a steak knife until halfway through our meal. I think we were burning more calories trying to cut the steak with our butter knife than what we were consuming. The tacu tacu came on a mountain of seasoned rice, which seemed overcooked to me and flavorless. I added some of their salsa (very tasty) to add some flavor to the rice. The bistec de res was more tender, but the flavor of the sauce reminded me of massaman curry.
We found ourselves trying to find things we liked about our meals to make each other feel better about what we ordered. I didn't think the meals were worth the $11-$12 price tag each given the the quality of the meal. It's highly possible that we didn't try the right signature dishes. But for the money, you can probably find better Peruvian food elsewhere. -
Review from SHELBY L.
Dallas, TX
8/11/2009
I was so monumentally disappointed by this place. My friend had come in from Iraq and wanted Mexican food, I convinced him to try something new so we went to El Fogon.
We were sat quickly but then it took literally 20 minutes to get our drinks and chips and queso. The lady was really apologetic and since my buddy thought she was cute he didn't mind, but it started the meal on the wrong foot for me.
He just got tacos and said they were alright. He just kind of pushed them around his plate though so I'm thinking, they weren't even alright. Then I got Chicharrón de Puerco....which is tender fried pork mixed with hominy served with red onions and yuca. I just nixed the onions. It was the most bizarre meal I have ever had. There was nothing that really made the dish "flow" and the pork was completely dried out. I could barely chew it. It just felt like the dish wasn't really thought out all the way. The yuca was good, the hominy was good, but they didn't make much sense together. Add some completely dried out pork and I was super disappointed. We did come in at around 3 on a Sunday, but with the dishes being $10+ they should really have some consistency.
I don't anticipate coming back here anytime soon. The service was slow and uninterested and the food was below par. -
Review from Josh S.
Dallas, TX
5/16/2009
Its very rare for a place to live up to expectations. They either over do it on the atmosphere and skimp on food, or the food is ok and the place is a dive. El Fogon got it just right this time. I just got home from a fantastic lunch there. I had a pork chop, spanish rice, and a fried plantain. They serve Pisco, so I had a glass with lunch. Sooo good. I LOVE plantains, so to be able to get something authentic, close to my place is a happy surprise. The pork was perfectly spiced and cooked, and the rice was tender and well prepared. The side salad had a house dressing with lime. It was authentic Peruvian, just like they claim. The atmosphere was not over top, but was clean and attractive. I'm a huge fan of the bar, which is not huge, but well built and clean. And, the bartender was courteous, attentive and friendly. I love this place, and I am going back.
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Review from Vladik R.
San Francisco, CA
4/29/2009
For appetizers we had the Peruvian ceviche with cubed fish, red onion, lime, and a side of potatoes (?). This ceviche was a bit spicier, but paired with the lime juice and oil in the sauce the kick it provided was awesome! For an entree we decided to order the Ecuadorian style ceviche which was more tomato puree soup based with shrimp and tilapia. It was still a great dish, but we preferred the Peruvian style instead. Then came the absolutely out of this world Tres Leches Cake. Hands down one of the best cakes we have had in our lives. It was moist, but not over done with the condensed milk..it had a great sweetness to it with fantastic texture, flat out couldn't get enough of it.
