Restaurant Focus: Causa

Restaurant Focus exposes you to new and exciting restaurants that you should know. Today, we’re visiting Causa in Washington, D.C., the only Michelin-starred Peruvian restaurant in the US. At 33, its chef-owner Carlos Delgado is among the youngest to helm a Michelin-starred restaurant. Before Causa, he spent six years working as head chef of China Chilcano by José Andrés.

What is Causa and what does it mean?

Causa, which earned a 2023 Michelin Star, is Delgado’s Peruvian tasting adventure that takes diners on a culinary journey along Peru’s coastline and through the Andes mountains.

Causa shares its name with a popular potato dish that came out of the War of the Pacific in 1879 when Chile was fighting against Peru and Bolivia. The Peruvian army had so much difficulty securing food that women collected potatoes and other food in various cities to feed them.

“It used to be called a dish that was created for the cause — causa means cause,” says Delgado. “Causa also means friend. So, if you’re my buddy, you would be my causa.”

Delgado hails from Lima and opened the restaurant in 2022 with friends and fellow co-owners Glendon Hartley and Chad Spangler. Their goal? Breaking the scheme of what Peruvian food is and what it can be. In Delgado’s experience, people typically associate Peruvian cuisine with its famous rotisserie chicken dish, pollo a la brasa. Even then, it isn’t quite authentic, he said.

“That rotisserie chicken in this country, at least in this city, has [been] adapted to Central Americans because that’s the culture here,” says Delgado. “They take that idea from Peru but then they sell the food and ingredients that are more catered to Central Americans.”

What kind of food does Causa serve?

Causa serves traditional and modern Peruvian cuisine. At time of writing, Delgado was focusing on cuisine along Peru’s southern coast from Lima to Tacna, a southern city that borders Chile. Past menus have included flounder colca, cebiche de concha de abanico and a crab dish called locro. An on-site fish market sources 10 types of fresh fish locally and from Japan. This experience is attached to the regular menu.

Tell us more about the experience

Causa seats 22 people. Diners should expect to hear employees explain the history and story behind every dish on the six-course tasting menu. Many guests come to Causa with limited knowledge of Peruvian cuisine and leave eating food they’ve never had before.

“In my head, I ideally want them to travel to Peru,” says Delgado, who thinks of himself as a culinary ambassador for the country. “Just like come in here and to get to know more than just the rotisserie chicken idea. I want them to say, ‘This is good here, we’re not in Peru. I wonder how it can be in Peru.’”

How do cocktails enhance the experience?

Pisco, a white brandy made in Peru from muscat grapes, figures heavily in Causa’s cocktail program – it’s also Peru’s national spirit.

“Most restaurants only offer two or three varietals of that grape. We offer all eight in various forms and tiers of it,” says Delgado.

Hartley, one of the co-owners, is Causa’s beverage director and pisco curator. He is responsible for the cocktail menu, which changes every month or so. He stocks about 100 bottles of pisco at the bar and changes the cocktail menu monthly.

Causa’s classic cocktails are made with recipes from the first half of the 20th century. One such drink is its pisco sour circa 1941 with causa ‘acholado’ pisco blend 2, lime and egg white.

The more modern At Altitude combines ají amarillo-infused torontel pisco with lacto-fermented mullaca, citrus and sparkling wine. If cocktails aren’t your jam, sipping a pisco flight is another option.

“It’s still a teaching matter to make people want to learn about this spirit and drink it,” says Delgado.

How does Causa practice sustainability?

The team tries to use 100% of everything they have to generate minimal trash. In the beginning, for example, employees realised they had too many lime carcasses from going through so much lime juice. So, they burned them in the oven to create a citrus ash powder that they use in multiple dishes and as the ‘paint’ material to garnish the pisco sour with the word ‘causa’.

What has changed at Causa since it scored a Michelin star?

The price. Delgado originally charged $85 for Causa’s tasting menu. This meant taking a financial hit, so he didn’t turn diners off with the price. The low price point also helped him generate buzz for the restaurant. Delgado recently adjusted the price to $125 to offset inflation and make ends meet. In 2024, he’ll adjust the price to $175.

“I don’t all of a sudden just want to change us to like a $400 tasting menu, just because I don’t think that’s the way to go,” Delgado says. “I think you should just maintain consistency and always try to over deliver.”

Anything else to know?

Parking is hard to come by in and around restaurant-heavy Blagden Alley where Causa is situated. Delgado recommends that you book a ride-share service, so you don’t drink and drive. Or you can take the Washington Metro’s green or yellow lines and exit at the Mt. Vernon Square Metro station. It is just a short walk from the restaurant.