At 9 o’clock on a weeknight in Gaithersburg, nearly every table in this cozy Peruvian restaurant off Route 355 is full. In fact, there’s a din. And no wonder: For a place that emphasizes affordability, it doesn’t seem economy-class. Chairs and cabinets of carved wood suggest a conquistador’s cave, an impression deepened by the soft light. Fresh-cut flowers grace the tables.

The cooking is just as evocative, from the pisco sour with its cap of egg-white foam splashed with bitters all the way through to dessert, for which you might choose picarones (anise-flecked doughnuts ringed with a light honey sauce) or a superb tres leches cake. In between, there’s terrific marinated and grilled beef hearts; a creamy shrimp soup with peas, potatoes, corn, limas, and a poached egg; made-to-order ceviche (a big platter for two also comes with delicately fried calamari); hunks of beef stewed in a cilantro sauce and flanked by oiled rice and a side of exceptional canary beans; and shredded chicken cloaked in a creamy sauce made from milk-soaked bread, garlic, cheese, and peppers.

Open daily except Tuesday for lunch and dinner.