Yunta, South End’s newest restaurant, offers Peruvian Nikkei cuisine and a sleek interior
Situated on a stretch of South Boulevard is Yunta, Charlotte’s newest Peruvian restaurant. The South End hot spot boasts sleek decor, a flowery wall perfect for Instagram, contemporary leather bar chairs — and a complimentary shot of leche de tigre when you sit at the bar.
But let’s talk about the menu. Yunta’s menu consists of Nikkei food, a style based on Peruvian ingredients and kissed by the influence of Japanese cuisine. Diners will find plenty of ceviche and fresh catches of the day, noodle dishes, stir fry and grilled meat skewers.
Don’t miss the lúcuma chocolate bomba, a perfect way to wrap up a savory meal. A dining companion of CharlotteFive, who spent part of their childhood in Peru, approved — the dessert offered a sweet reminder of time spent eating lúcuma ice cream as a kid.
Yunta is the first restaurant in Charlotte offering a Nikkei menu, contributing to the Queen City’s role as a food destination.
The bar program is robust. Plenty of beer and wine options are offered, but the star of the show is the cocktail menu. Multiple drinks anchored by pisco, the iconic Peruvian brandy-adjacent spirit, are front and center. The classic pisco sour is a move, but to add an extra delight, imbibers can opt for violet foam on top of the drink.
This team knows the background behind Nikkei cuisine. Co-owner Randy Garcia said the staff went through three weeks of training.
Behind the scenes
Co-owned by Bruno Macchiavello (who is also head chef), Randy Garcia, Cinthya Garcia and Alvaro Carrillo, the restaurant has strong Peruvian roots — multiple staffers, including Bruno, Cinthya and Alvaro, are Peruvian. Fun fact: Bruno and Alvaro used to work for Randy’s dad, which is how he met them.
It’s not the Garcias’ first venture into restaurants, as the duo owns Charlotte’s Viva Chicken.
Viva Chicken got bigger than Randy imagined. For 2 or 3 years, he said, he and Bruno have wanted to do a Nikkei concept. Macchiavello also is part owner of Poplar in Fourth Ward.
“For 3 years, we’ve had this idea ... eventually, all the stars aligned,” Randy said.
They considered a fast-casual ceviche concept, but ultimately decided on a full-service restaurant with a full bar — proudly featuring pisco (special ordered from ABC, so it’s brandy for now until the pisco comes in), five different kinds, all Peruvian.
The spot is dedicated to honoring Nikkei cuisine and maintaining utmost quality.
“We go through probably five cases of limes a day,” Randy notes — and chef Luis Angel, who moved here from Peru to join the team, juices them all by hand.
In the next month or so, diners can expect brunch to be rolled out (look out for lúcuma pancakes), and in the future, the concept will continue to be honed — and perhaps will extend to a second location.
Yunta
Location: 2201 South Blvd, Suite 130, Charlotte, NC 28203
Neighborhood: South End
Cuisine: Nikkei
Instagram: @yuntanikkei
