On a summer evening when the sun lingers long even in typically foggy San Francisco, there are few better places to dine than outside at La Mar Cocina Peruna.

Located on the Embarcadero waterfront with sweeping views of the Bay, this modern Peruvian restaurant by acclaimed Chef Gaston Acurio just underwent an interior refresh, too. Its Executive Chef Victoriano Lopez also has updated the menu.

I had a chance to check out both when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant recently.

Opened in 2008, it is one of 10 La Mar restaurants around the world, including the original one in Lima.

The San Francisco one glows in deep indigo hues. The bar features a giant squid art piece hanging from the ceiling. The dining room boasts light fixtures reminiscent of jellyfish, as well as a new display case of fresh seafood.

The covered patio has new planters, glass walls to guard against the wind, and plenty of heaters so the space is comfortable even when the evening chill descends.

A colorful array of orange, purple and white crisp sweet potato chips, made from Peruvian tubers, is set down at each table with spicy, creamy cilantro aioli. Like the best chips and dip, this was impossible to resist.

Enjoy them with a cocktail. There’s even half a dozen zero-proof ones. I opted for the low-proof Cura Para el Amor ($15) with warmth from turmeric-ginger syrup and ginger beer, and a floral touch from elderflower liqueur. Though citrusy, it was a tad sweet for my taste.

If you are a fan of seafood, this is definitely the place for you. And if you’re a lover of cebiche, then you don’t want to pass up the tasting ($69) that includes a trio of the most popular ones. With separate orders of cebiche running $24 to $26 each, this is also a more economical way to try several.

This sampler includes the Clasico, which spotlights the catch of the day — in this case, halibut — with habanero, sweet potatoes, and the traditional leche de tigre sauce of lime juice, onion, chili, and fish blitzed to create a slightly milky texture.

It also includes the Nikkei, meaty chunks of ahi and Japanese cucumber with spicy chili oil and rocoto pepper and sweet-tangy tamarind. The Victoriano was probably my favorite one. Although it was similar to the Clasico in that it also showcased halibut and sweet potatoes, this preparation also had a lime juice sauce made with sunchoke puree, adding more body and creaminess along with an almost earthy-nutty parsnip-like taste. Fried artichoke chips were strewn over the top, too, to add a nice crunch.

Peruvian cuisine is a marvelous amalgamation of Andean, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, African, and Italian influences. So, you’ll find nigiri here, but unlike any that your neighborhood sushi bar would serve.

The anticuchero ($18 for two pieces) consists of salmon belly pieces arrayed over rice, the fish lightly torched to render its fat even more voluptuous, brushed with an anticuchero sauce that’s spicy, vinegary, and garlicky, then dabbed with jalapeno-cilantro sauce. Unlike some over-the-top maki rolls that have so many sauces and garnishes going on, this was made with a far more restrained hand with nothing ever overwhelming the fish, itself.

Peruvian tiradito is reminiscent of Japanese sashimi with thinly sliced raw seafood seasoned and ever so lightly cured in a lime-chili sauce. The olivo ($34) is a dazzling purple-tinted dish made with purple potatoes, avocado and thin slices of tender, slightly chewy octopus spiced up with habanero oil, perked up with acidic camu camu sauce, and given a salty edge from dried black olives that reminded me a little of fermented black beans. It’s a punchy dish with a lot of tang, in which you can really taste the Asian influences.

From the mains, the black cod criollo ($49) features local fish baked until silky and moist, then smothered in a miso and aji panca sauce that’s smoky, garlicky, sweet, and umami-filled. Think a more savory version of hoisin sauce. It’s served with bok choy and instead of sticky rice, a tamal that’s made from steamed quinoa. It’s not as heavy as masa, but more fluffy and creamy instead.

The chaufa aeropuerto ($39) combines delightful elements of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean influences in one thoroughly comforting dish. Fried rice arrives at the table in a hot stone pot that’s draped with a shrimp omelet. The server mixes everything together in front of you, so you get a little bit of everything in one bite: fluffy and crispy grains, eggy shards, plump shrimp, mushrooms, and small pieces of Wagyu skirt steak.

La Mar boasts a sizeable menu, which extends to dessert with seven options. We went with the cacao y lucuma ($16), served beautifully in a hollowed-out cacao pod. Lucuma is an Andean fruit that has the surprising taste of butterscotch, which plays nicely in ice cream layered with chocolate mousse and covered with popped, crunchy quinoa.

As he set it down, our server warned us: “Be careful — because this is really good!”

I had to laugh, and completely agree, as this none-too-sweet dessert with a pudding-like texture actually ate quite light, leaving you satisfied but not groaning with too much richness.

As La Mar celebrates 17 years in San Francisco, here’s cheers to many more to come.