Nazca Mochica - modern Peruvian cuisine near Dupont Circle

Nazca Mochica is bright and modern with a sleek, neutral decor and a fun live-feed of the square in front of the Cathedral in the heart of Lima.  Peruvian food is very appealing - using staples of potato, quinoa and rice with meat and an ample selection of seafood.  The food is spiced for flavor with a moderate level of heat from chiles. 

I started with a maracuya sour - a delicious combination of passion fruit, lime and pisco.  Pisco is a brandy from Peru and Chile. 


For an appetizer, we split the duo frio, a vegetarian option with potatoes topped with a cilantro-based sauce and a quinoa salad.  Both quinoa and potatoes originated in the Andes!

I had the vegetarian gnocchi and my friend chose "coliflor saltado", a great vegetarian cauliflower dish.  We were both very pleased with our choices.  The restaurant has several cebiche options, that look enticing and worth a trip back.  There is also a nice dessert selection, but all contained dairy and my friend is dairy-free.  The service was as good as the food!  We were in the fine dining section, which is the upstairs of the restaurant.  The basement level is more cocktail and drinks focused with lighter food.

It looks like ice cream on the right, but it is mashed potatoes

The gnocchi came in a rich, garlicy sauce.  Very good!

Not a great picture, but a good cauliflower entree.



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