Ceviche Bar Near Me on Dempsey Hill: Canchita's Peruvian Tiger's Milk

Canchita is closed on Mondays, and the rest of the week its ceviches start at S$32 before the 10% service charge and GST. The restaurant sits in the low former-barracks blocks at 9A and 9B Dempsey Road, Singapore 247698. Daniel and Tamara Chavez opened it in 2021. They had earlier run TONO Cevicheria, which has since closed, so anyone typing ceviche bar near me and landing on TONO's old Fraser Street address should come up to Dempsey Hill instead.

Daniel Chavez is Peruvian and is credited on the restaurant's site as founder. Tamara Chavez, who is Mexican, runs the kitchen as head chef. MustShareNews profiled the pair in September 2026 and noted that TONO, which they opened in 2017, is gone. Canchita is the larger project: the couple's own site describes three dining areas, the Amazon Room, the Inka Room and an outdoor terrace, and promises upbeat salsa music through the evening.

The contact page lists Canchita as a pet-friendly restaurant, which makes the outdoor terrace the natural choice if you are coming straight from a dog walk in the Botanic Gardens. The two named indoor rooms are the better pick on a wet evening or for a birthday table, since the terrace is open to the tropical weather. If you have a preference between the terrace and the indoor rooms, add it to the booking notes or mention it in your WhatsApp message to the restaurant.

Start with the Ceviche Mixto at S$32. It combines marinated fish, crab meat and prawn in a yellow aji amarillo tiger's milk, and is finished with crispy fried calamari that adds crunch against the citrus. The Prawn Verde, also S$32, swaps the yellow chilli base for a green one, and the Ceviche Loco Loco completes the trio at the same price. All three are marked gluten-free or dairy-free on the 2026 menu.

For a step up, the Tropical at S$36 uses Hokkaido scallops in a fruit-based tiger's milk, which is sweeter and less sharp than the classic. The Nikkei Tuna tiradito, S$32, shows Daniel's Lima background, with thin slices of tuna dressed in a soy-leaning sauce rather than lime alone. Two people sharing one ceviche and one tiradito, plus toasted canchita corn from the snack list, is the right amount before mains arrive.

An honest note on value: at S$32 to S$36 before charges, these are restaurant-priced starters, roughly double the S$18 mango ceviche at Lucha Loco in Duxton. What you pay for is the Peruvian base, the aji amarillo chilli base, and seafood such as crab and Hokkaido scallop that cheaper Mexican-style versions leave out. If you only want one plate with a drink, the Ceviche Mixto delivers the most for the price.

Do not skip the hot side of the menu. The Pollo a la Brasa, Peru's rotisserie chicken, is S$38 for a half bird and S$50 for a whole one, and it is the dish that turns a ceviche stop into a full dinner. The Lomo Saltado, stir-fried beef with onions, tomatoes and fries, is S$48. If you are only two people, a half chicken is enough; the whole bird is meant for a table of four.

The Classic Pisco Sour is S$22 and is built on Pisco Quebranta with lemon, lime and bitters, so it is drier than versions made with sugar syrup. The Chilcano Canchita, also S$22, is the lighter, fizzier choice and pairs better with the acidic ceviches. Every October the restaurant runs a Wine of the Month promotion listed on its homepage, which is the moment to try a South American red with the chicken.

Canchita serves lunch only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 11:30am to 3pm, with last orders at 2:45pm. Dinner runs Tuesday to Sunday from 5:30pm to 10:30pm. On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday the kitchen takes its last dinner orders at 9:45pm. Weekend lunch is the only way to see the terrace in daylight, since dinner starts after 5:30pm.

Reservations go through SevenRooms, linked from the restaurant's site. Friday and Saturday are the two nights when the kitchen keeps taking orders until 10:30pm, so they are also the nights to book a few days ahead. If you arrive without a booking and the host quotes more than 30 minutes, take the alternative below rather than standing in the car park.

Because Canchita is closed on Monday, the nearest working alternative is Lucha Loco at 15 Duxton Hill, which opens from 11:30am on weekdays and lists a seabass ceviche with mango at S$18. It is Mexican rather than Peruvian, so expect lime and serrano chilli instead of aji amarillo. On Sunday nights, when Lucha Loco is closed, book Canchita ahead rather than walking in.

Dempsey Hill was built as British army barracks, and the long single-storey blocks along Dempsey Road now hold restaurants, galleries and furniture stores. Arrive 45 minutes early and walk ten minutes to the Tanglin Gate of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is free to enter. The path past the Swan Lake is flat and shaded, and it is the most pleasant way to work up an appetite in the tropical heat before a late lunch.

Napier MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line is the closest rail stop, about a 10-minute walk uphill to Dempsey Road. Taxis and ride-hailing cars drop off directly in front of the blocks, which is easier after a pisco sour or two. Parking is available in the open-air lots around Dempsey, though weekend evenings fill up quickly.

Address: 9A and 9B Dempsey Road, Singapore 247698. Hours: lunch Friday to Sunday 11:30am to 3pm, dinner Tuesday to Sunday 5:30pm to 10:30pm, closed Monday. All menu prices carry a 10% service charge plus GST. Bookings are taken on SevenRooms. Dogs are welcome, which suits the terrace better than the indoor rooms. Order the Ceviche Mixto, the Tropical and a half chicken for two.