Anyone with a corporate ID badge is deeply familiar with the build-your-own bowl model. But they may not know this Peruvian spot in Downtown Culver City. It's a solid upgrade from Sweetgreen salads or Chipotle bowls, because here, you can customize your own lomo saltado instead. The setup is straightforward: pick a base of rice, quinoa, or fries, add a protein (chicken, mushrooms, or steak if you’re cool with the $3.85 surcharge), and finish it off with a side salad and sauces, all of which cost extra. One thing to note: by the time you’ve piled on your add-ons, the bowl will almost definitely cost more than $20. So save Merka Saltao for those days you have the green light to swipe the company card. But the good news is that the bowls are filling, and the stir-fried proteins are well-seasoned and charred. There are also bottles of extra-spicy Peruvian aji sauce that you might be tempted to slip into your bag—just be careful how much you splash onto your bowl, unless you want to end up crying in front of your co-workers for the third time this week.