Erik Ramírez
Peruvian-American chef and co-founder of the Llama Inn group, which brought contemporary Peruvian cooking to Madrid's Chueca in 2022.
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Erik Ramírez is a Peruvian-American chef from Passaic, New Jersey, who trained at Eleven Madison Park and Irving Mill in New York before turning to Peruvian cooking at Nuela and Raymi. In 2015 he opened Llama Inn in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with business partner Juan Correa, and the group later added Llama San, Papa San, and a Madrid location in Chueca that opened in October 2022. Ramírez has won a StarChefs New York Rising Stars Award, two stars from The New York Times, and a Michelin Bib Gourmand for his New York restaurants.
From @llama_erik on Instagram
Back in 2019, burnt out on wedding photography but obsessed with food, I asked my friend Chef Erik Ramirez if I could photograph at Llama Inn, his restaurant in Williamsburg, BK where I lived at the time. He said yes — and that’s where this whole side of my work began. Llama Inn Williamsburg, BK has
HEAD ON SHRIMP 🦐 Escabeche, Garlic Butter, Sushi Rice Reserve your table at the link in bio or @resy. 🔗
We asked Chef @llama_erik about the Lomo Saltado: “We’ve always tried to do different versions of Lomo Saltado while staying true to what makes it so special. Sometimes when you push a classic too far, it loses what made it great in the first place.” His version’s built to be eaten bao-style. Wag
Biography
Early years
Ramírez grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, the son of Peruvian immigrants who arrived in the late 1970s. He left high school before graduating and later attended the Institute of Culinary Arts in Philadelphia without completing the program.
Career
He trained in classic French and American kitchens, starting at Frederick's Madison, a French bistro in Philadelphia, then in New York at Eleven Madison Park, where he spent three years as a sous chef, and at Irving Mill as chef de cuisine. He moved toward Latin cooking at Nuela under executive chef Adam Schop, and when Nuela closed and reopened as the Peruvian restaurant Raymi, he stayed on to learn Peruvian technique and flavor. A trip to Lima deepened his connection to his family's cuisine. In 2015, after Juan Correa contacted him on LinkedIn, the two opened Llama Inn in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with Correa as his business partner. They went on to open Llama San, a Peruvian-Japanese nikkei restaurant, and Papa San, a Japanese-Peruvian izakaya that opened in New York's Hudson Yards on February 18, 2025. Llama Inn expanded to Madrid's Chueca neighbourhood in October 2022, and the group later expanded to London. Ramírez won a StarChefs New York Rising Stars Award in 2017, and his New York restaurants have earned two stars from The New York Times, a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and a James Beard nomination.
Philosophy
Ramírez says he wants Llama Inn's food to be accessible enough that guests can eat there every day without financial strain, pairing Peruvian staples like ceviche and anticuchos with a New York sensibility.
Erik Ramírez in our guides
Editorial guides featuring Erik Ramírez’s restaurants.
Frequently asked
Who founded Llama Inn Madrid?
Erik Ramírez, a Peruvian-American chef, co-founded the Llama Inn group with Juan Correa; the Madrid location opened in October 2022 in Chueca.
Where did Erik Ramírez open his first restaurant?
He opened the original Llama Inn in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2015 with business partner Juan Correa, before the group expanded to Madrid in October 2022.
Where did Erik Ramírez train before opening Llama Inn?
He worked at Eleven Madison Park and Irving Mill in New York, then moved to Peruvian cooking at Nuela and Raymi under executive chef Adam Schop.
What awards has Erik Ramírez won?
A StarChefs New York Rising Stars Award in 2017, plus two stars from The New York Times and a Michelin Bib Gourmand for his New York restaurants.
What other restaurants has Erik Ramírez opened?
Beyond Llama Inn, he co-founded Llama San, a Peruvian-Japanese nikkei restaurant, and Papa San, a Japanese-Peruvian izakaya that opened in New York's Hudson Yards in February 2025.