We found great food and ambience here. Â The prices are a bit high though. Â Service was good but an extra waiter/waitress was needed. Â They were out of Tres Leches for dessert and with only five or so desserts on the menu, this was a bit strange. Â Also, nothaving cranberry juice available to make some of the advertised drinks was odd. Â Overall, very good experience and close to five stars.
Review Source:I don't live in the area, but was visiting family and we decided to try Peruvian food since we'd never had it before. We placed an order for pick up at 3:10 on a Sunday for 3 entrees and 2 ceviche appetizers. We were told it would be 20-25 minutes, which was perfect because it would take us just that long to get there.
I arrived at the restaurant at around 3:30, paid my bill, which was $7 more than I was told over the phone, and was told it would be out any minute.
I waited.....and waited....and waited. A man who may have been the manager or owner assured me at around 3:45 that my food would be ready soon. I continued waiting.....
At 3:55 the manager-type man told me my food was ready and pointed to the three bags that were on the counter. Now, I know this is a minor detail, but shouldn't you HAND the food over to a person instead of just pointing at it and telling them to take it? I left in a very sour mood. What was the point in calling ahead when I ended up waiting around for an extra 20 minutes?
We just hoped the food would be delicious to make up for the terrible service. We ordered two orders of lomo fino al pisco and one of the carapulcra, as well as a shrimp ceviche and fish ceviche. The lomo fino al pisco was delicious and came with a lot of food, however it was almost $25, much more than what I pay in the city for similar type food. The carapulcra was a rip off. It came with about 8 little pieces of chicken and an abundance of potatoes and rice. Although this meal was cheaper at about $13, it was still overpriced and very disappointing.
On the bright side, the ceviche was quite good and had very good flavors.
Unfortunately, it isn't worth our time or money to go back. I read other reviews saying they treat Hispanic customers better than non-Hispanic. I'm Cuban and speak fluent Spanish but I'm light skinned and didn't speak to the employees in Spanish. Perhaps if I had, I wouldn't have been cheated and would have received my food on time. Who knows, maybe they would have given me more chicken too...
I've eaten at quite a few Peruvian restaurants, and this has to be the nicest so far: maybe I haven't been to enough.
  Ambience is obscure and lighting is scarce, but don't let it fool you. The staff are attentive and knowledgeable about what they are serving.
  The food was presented well and tasted very good. The one let-down was that the hot sauce was not spicy. Which, that would explain the overall blandness, for Peruvian, of the food. I guess once you know that the waiters are screening the patrons, based on whether they look "spanish" or not, lowers the authenticity of the experience.
  Probably won't go back, because the papas huanchaina were not even a little spicy nor could I taste soda crackers in the sauce. If you can't impress me with that simple common appetizer, then I'm not expecting anything spectacular.
First time eating Peruvian food and I am now a fan of yucca.  I had the Carapulcra  and it was ok.  My husband had the Lomo a lo Macho  and I thought the steak was cooked perfectly!  I would love to go back and try other dishes.  The service was decent.  I might have had a waiter that was new but he tried his best and you can't knock anyone for that.  I will definitely return.
Review Source:We order Tacu tacu with seafood and we didn't like at all, it had not fresh fish flavor so we told the waitress we did not want the dish, she made a face and got upset with us, she went to talk to the owner who told the waitress to take the plate back, waitress told us not to bother ordering anything with seafood because it was going to taste the same, we order lomo slatado and it was acceptable but not very good, the causa was poor in flavor, we are not going back to this restaurant, food and service was awful.
Review Source:Hunting for a new restaurant in a new area of the US can be a real task. I searched for something different and that is exactly what I found! Machu Picchu is a Peruvian restaurant located in a very seedy area of Newburgh NY. Seedy is being kind. There were four of us on this venture so there were lots of plates to sample from!
I started with Ceviche de Camarones. It was an excellent dish that had plenty of large shrimp on it and a really well mixed lime marinade. It had quite the kick. The entire table was in agreement.
The second appetizer was Yucca Frita, which is lightly fried Yucca served with a traditional cheese sauce. We all agreed that they were bland wanna-be-french fries. As much as traditional goes, we all agreed we will stick to regular french fries.
The third appetizer was fried calamari. Typical calamari rings and small squid deep fried. The batter was light and flavorful. Unfortunately someone had dropped a bit too much salt on some portions. It was hit or miss getting a salty piece or not. Other than that it was very good.
The last appetizer was a home made pork Tamale. It was semi wrapped in a banana leaf.... A valiant attempt at traditional. I never did see any pork, but I'm sure it was in there somewhere.
Entrées were a variety of dishes. A very good sampling of Peruvian fare. The first up was mine (I ordered two entrees) , it was Sudado de Pescado. A filet of steamed bass covered in onions and tomatoes served with white rice. The fish was very good but when I can only eat the filet I'm a bit disappointed. The flavors were good on the dish, it was just too much covering the filet. The rice was.....ummm... plain white rice and there was no sauce to mix with it from the dish. This one gets a no vote.
Second up was a beef dish that the server suggested as it has some very unique ingredients. Who has skirt steak, French fries, hot dog, fried plantains and topped with two over hard eggs?? Well the Peruvians of course (wink) Actually this dish was really good. My steak was plentiful and cooked a perfect medium rare. The hot dogs were cut up into florets. Hey, what can I say, I like hot dogs. The fried plantains were cooked perfectly and had great seasoning. I could have made a meal on them alone. The over hard eggs.... a waste in my opinion. An over medium pair of eggs would be much more flavorful.
Entrée three was the very popular dish, Arroz con Pollo. Which is chicken with a mole sauce and green rice. The chicken was definitely frozen at one point as it was tough and stringy. The sauce was not to be desired and the green rice would only be appetizing if you loved cilantro. Which I do. But even then it was overpowering. Another No vote.
Entrée four was Arroz con Mariscos. A Peruvian style paella (rice) topped with an assortment of seafood. The dish looked and smelled wonderful. Unfortunately, the person eating it would not share. Actually I took their comments at face value as they are a foodie like myself. They were very pleased with the dish and said it had very good flavor. Definitely a yes vote here.
Entrée five was Pollo Machu Picchu which stands for four plates of food! A whole rotisserie chicken, a large plate of French fries, a large plain salad and chicken fried rice. The chicken was awesome and the rice was a great accompaniment. The plate of fries and the salad was overkill for our table. But I will say the fries were cooked like I prefer them, well done.
The Peruvian experience left much to be desired. The food was ok.....the service was fair at best. The owner, who I met on the way in, passed by our table several times but did not stop once to see how we were enjoying ourselves.
Machu Picchu Peruvian Restaurant
301 Broadway
Newburgh NY
845-562-6478
Fresh food. Service very friendly efficient and unobtrusive. Â More importantly food was delicious with traditional Peruvian recipes and interesting spices. Â Lamb in a spicy sauce with beautiful yellow bean mush on the side. Â Roast chicken lightly seasoned with coriander and side of small potatoes with interesting yellow sauce seasoned with delicious mystery spice.
Review Source:I will definitely be back.
I haven't been to Newburgh in a long time (I live 45 mins north). Â However, my wife and I always wanted to try this place. Â We finally decided to go. Â Due to our schedules, we were only able to go for lunch, and I didn't expect to really have the full experience, since most places have an abbreviated menu, and concentrate on getting working people in and out quickly for a low price. Â However, that was not the case here. Â
Prices:
There was a lunch special menu, which looked really affordable (they were all 8 or 9 dollar entrees that come with side dishes) but we ordered off of the regular menu, which was automatically given to us with the lunch specials. Â To me, even the regular/dinner menu seemed quite reasonable, with most entrees around $15 (entrees featuring expensive cuts of fish or steak were a little more. Â There was one item that was $29). Â
Location:
Ambiance was great; I enjoy places with an interior on the darker side; rich deep wood tones, stone, etc. Â It definitely felt cozy yet upscale.
They have alcohol, including Peruvian beer, but not on draft; bottles only, (if this matters to you).
Food:
I ordered the "Escabeche de Pescado" which was a risky choice for me, because I often find fish dishes lacking. Â However, I was pleasantly surprised; the fish was delicious, prepared perfectly, complemented by excellent sides, and the portion was quite large. Â My wife ordered the Carapulcra which was also great (though I only tried one bite).
I will upload pictures of the meal, so now you know what you will be looking at.
We ordered 2 dessert items but I forgot the name of the 2nd one (and it's not on their website; I get the feeling that the dessert selection changes frequently). Â You can see the desserts in a refrigerated case on the way in. Â However, the tres leches cake was awesome. Â Both the wife and I loved it. Â
Service:
The waitress was very nice; accommodating and available but not overbearing. Â She was bilingual and had no problem conversing with us in English; which is nice, because we had some questions about some items on the menu.
Negatives;
I think the name is a little pandering. Â I guess it plays to people who know nothing about Peru, since everyone's at least heard of Machu Picchu, but it's a little like calling an American restaurant "Grand Canyon Restaurant" or a French place "Eiffel Tower Restaurant". Â But whatever; this is probably the best way to grab the attention of dumb Americans like myself.
The only real negative about Machu Piccu is the location. Â Newburgh is a depressed area, and the location on the corner of Broadway and 9W does not escape from that. Â However, the neighborhood is not a nightmare- your car won't get stolen while you eat, and once you get inside, you forget completely about the surrounding neighborhood. Â None of this is enough to detract from the 5 star rating I am giving Machu Picchu; and I don't give a lot of 5-star ratings!
Read my profile for more about how I rank restaurants. Â I am grading this establishment against a 4-star scale.
Machu Picchu is definately one of the best restaurants in the Hudson Valley.
The waitstaff was very helpful and attentive, recommending 2 authentic dishes that were very delicious- the red snapper in spicy sauce served with yucca and the chicken in cilantro sauce served with cilantro rice. Both the fish and chicken were cooked perfectly and the sauces were tasty, yet refined.
I look forward to going back!
I always love going to Macchu Picchu...but don't recommend sitting in the front windows because sometimes you see things on Broadway that you might not want to!
I love that they do take out and the rotisserie chicken is to die for!! As is the soups!!!
The service is always excellent - it is definitely a gem of Broadway.
May 16th was perhaps the 5th time we have been to Machu Picchu in Newburgh in the year since we bought a house on the outskirts of town. Coming from Monroe, we were used to having plenty of good restaurants at our disposal, so it's been a bit of a challenge finding some above average spots here in Newburgh, but Machu Picchu definitely is one of them.
On this occasion, we were celebrating our son's college graduation, and we had members from both families at the dinner, almost all for the first time at the restaurant. Seeing as as the lineage of our families is of Puerto Rican, Spanish, and Italian descents, picking Machu Picchu for this evenings dinner seemed a no-brainer.
Starting off with appetizers of fried yuca, delicious seasoned & fried pork chunks, relenos de papa (wonderful twice cooked potatoes stuffed with meat, eggs, and spices), really got the meal started off on the right foot. Our waiter paid extra special attention to our table, and even conversed with most of our party in Spanish, which made everything even easier. When the enormous entrees came, everyone's eyes lit up. Seasoned and grilled skirt steaks, Peruvian Paella, Whole Fried Snapper, Seafood Medley's, you name it, not one person was unhappy with their dishes. And, everyone indulged in some delicious flan for dessert-perhaps the best flan to be found in Orange County.
The overall service was fantastic-the owner even comes over every so often to make sure everything is OK. Half our party went home with doggy bags (yes, you get a LOT of food here), and for a party of 8, the bill was very reasonable.
If you've never had Peruvian food, you owe it to yourself to try it from one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the Hudson Valley, Machu Picchu.
This is an upscale Peruvian restaurant in an area filled with cheaper Latino restaurants of great variety.
From very limited experience, these gringos have no trouble understanding why Martha Stewart chose Peruvian for her last meal before entering the crowbar hotel. Â The lady obviously knows her stuff.
For three, we ordered  two meals.  There was a marinated lamb dish with rice and beans and a rather exotic peasant's steak dish that included fried eggs on the steak, the odd predilection of hot dogs and french fries.  The beans were hardly the routine pinto or red beans of a taco joint and the french fries were obviously prepared from fresh potatoes.  There was no shortage whatever of food.
There was the usual near lethal hot sauce and a rather unpleasant milder sauce for those who don't mind tempting fate.
My respect for Peruvian food was surely not diminished by this restaurant.
Best, Â Terry