Mexican buffet will soon replace the only Peruvian restaurant in the metro-east
After five years of serving Peruvian dishes and snacks to loyal customers in the metro-east, the owners Fairview Lounge will soon make big changes to their restaurant on Lincoln Trail.
Abraham Abdalla and his wife, Lorena, plan to convert the lounge and gas station into an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet next month.
The last day to get Peruvian food made by Lorena Abdalla is Feb. 23. A grand opening for El Niño, the couple’s new Mexican buffet will be held at noon March 2.
“My wife is really sad about this,” Abdalla said Thursday. “But we’re putting family first.”
Lorena Abdalla will manage the kitchen, but a Mexican chef will do the cooking this time around, giving the Abdalla’s more time to focus on family.
Serving Mexican cuisine will also take away the stress that comes with tracking down Peruvian ingredients.
“She refuses to substitute,” Abraham Abdalla said of his wife’s effort to make sure every dish is authentic. “It’s hard to get our ingredients all of the time and that keeps us behind.”
The couple hopes the community supports their buffet that will be open seven days a week.
Lunch will be available for $8.95 per person from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Dinner will cost $13.95 per person and will be served from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The lounge will serve late-night nachos seven days while the bar is open.
Bar and gas will continue to be available from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays.
Lorena Abdalla will offer Peruvian catering services by request.
Lorena developed the Fairview Lounge menu. She grew up in Peru, immigrating to the United States in 2003. She added her own twist to recipes from her mother, grandmothers and aunts.
“I love to cook,” Lorena said in 2015. “I always cook for my family, and when we have big parties, everybody wants to try my food. They love it.”
Abraham, born Abdalla Ibraham, came to the United States in 1998 as a student from a college in Dublin, Ireland, to serve an internship with the Hyatt Regency hotel in St. Louis Union Station. He later worked at another restaurant and managed the convenience store before buying it in 2002.
For more information about El Niño or the couple’s catering business, call 618-394-8904.
This story was originally published February 22, 2019 at 10:29 AM.
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