She said she was born in Peru and came to the U.S. Our waitress spoke unaccented English and Spanish and spoke to my wife and me in the appropriate language. While I speak no Spanish, my wife is obviously fluent. I was the only non-Hispanic there as far as I could tell. The first thing that struck us was that there was Peruvian music playing with a DJ and the diners were of all ages and especially a lot of families. I suspect the negative reviews are from people not familiar with Peruvian restaurants and the culture involved. The restaurant is in a strip mall and, while nothing fancy, it is a pretty authentic Peruvian restaurant. My wife is originally from Peru and we decided to see if there were any Peruvian restaurants locally and found La Candela. We happened to be down on Long Island for a family funeral. I truly advise whoever is reading this to stay at La Candela, and I hope you find it as beautiful as I did. The experience was incredible, and even though I accidentally threw my phone into the ocean, La Candela was still an extremely happy memory for me. Hugo Arévalo even showed us one of his Pablo Neruda documentaries that he made while traveling with the famous poet in the early 70s. It brought history alive for us, letting us know more about Chile than we can read in books. Afterwards, she talked with us, telling us the story of her life, her friendship with Pablo Neruda, and highlights from her career. Charo Cofré performed for our group, and her voice was incredible. But the food wasn't the highlight of the trip, the best part was meeting Charo Cofré and Hugo Arévalo. The wait staff was incredible, seeming to know what I wanted before I did. I'm a picky eater, and even I loved the food. I stayed for a night at La Candela, having two meals there, and I already want to visit there again. We would go back there when/if we are back in the area.When I first arrived at La Candela, I didn't really know what to expect, but now I wouldn't exchange that experience for anything. Non-Peruvians must understand that the meal is not going to be rushed.

When I first arrived at La Candela, I didn't really know what to expect, but now I wouldn't exchange that experience for anything.

La candela restaurant hicksville