Nazca Mochica

Review for Nazca (upstairs). Great new restaurant (6 months old) with excellent service. Got to meet the owner (name was Walter I think) who answered our questions around Peruvian cuisine. He even gave us some wine on the house which complemented our food.
Ceviche in particular was excellent. Everything else was good as well. Not too many large tables, a lot of 2 person tables. Not too pricey either.

I have had the pleasure of being married to a Peruvian who cooks amazingly for many years and we both agree this is our favorite Peruvian restaurant. She had the lomo salteado (sirloin in sauce with fries, onions and tomatoes) I had the Chupe de camarones (seafood soup of goodness!) Everything was delicious. A must visit.

The food was VERY good, and the lunch deal is excellent. I highly recommend the causita, the ceviche, and the duck. Definitely order a pisco sour– when in Rome! The yucca a la huancaina was not very exciting, but I think that might be the dish more than the preparation, not clear. We had a great time here. My only complaint is that it was quite slow for a weekday business lunch– I think places should really keep things rolling during the week, or at least ask if there are time constraints.

One of the best meals I’ve had in DC. Every dish is a work of art. You can’t go wrong. Service was also great. Kobe Antichucos was mouth watering. Had the lomo saltado, asian ceviche, causitas, and a pisco sour — all on point.

So close, yet so far. The food is quite good. The cebiche was excellent., as was the grilled squid. Unfortunately the restaurant is so loud and the service so bad you can’t enjoy the food. Our table literally had to scream to hear each other. All in all, go someplace else.

Visiting DC this week from Texas. Came here as you get awesome views of the parade that was happening this weekend. Food is amazing! The ceviche mixto is amazing! I had the Lomo Saltado and its so good! Service and ambiance were excellent.

Amazing Peruvian food! I’ve never had Peruvian cuisine before but I am a huge fan after our visit to Nazca Mochica. It’s a little on the nicer/​pricier side, so make reservations and don’t come in workout clothes.
The restaurant itself is a little loud and dark, but overall makes it a cozy and trendy locale for drinking and dining alike. To start, we ordered one tiradito plate & one cebiche (not a typo, they spell it with a b). I can’t remember which ones specifically but oh wow the tiradito was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten in my life. The cebiche was also delicious but I couldn’t get over how amazing the tiradito was — if you order no other food here, plz get the tiradito!
I chose the cau-​cau de mariscos for my entrée, which ended up being more soup-​ish than I expected. It was really tasty, especially when paired with the side of rice it came with, but if I went back I would probably go with the lomo saltado, which my dad got and was delicious.
I had a great experience here, especially considering I’d never had Peruvian food before. I would definitely come back, but next time probably just for drinks & apps (tiradito)!

Peruvian cuisine at it’s finest.
This place not only understand how to cook Peruvian food, but they understand the culture and experience around eating it. This place isn’t cheap, but you can really find some gems in the preparation style, Pisco selection, and service that you can’t pay for anywhere else in the city. A key sign of this is the menu — which you really can’t go wrong with. Everything was beautifully prepared, presented, and portioned.
Excited to keep this in my repertoire.

Came tonight for dinner expecting somehow to have a great dinner, the place was packed and the reviews were good, also my friend insisted to come to this place.
The ambiance is good, the deco is very nice and modern, a little bit too loud that you can hardly hear the music, and a bit too dark, but the plus is that you can see the kitchen and the fires go up, which gives the place a great view. The service is also good, the hostess and waiters were very attentive, and would come frequently to check on us.
We started with the Causitas, they were very good and veeery tasty, the presentation was also very appealing and modern but it reminded so much to La Mar’s version of causas (Gaston Acurio’s Peruvian restaurant), there are million ways to serve causa, so a touch of creativity wouldn’t hurt, we also had the Mochica Ceviche, which was made with halibut, the taste was very very acid, had a lot of onions and octopus. Not much of the halibut, and two slices of the fried calamari, some dices of fried yuca and peruvian corn (choclo), not my favorite, too little fish, the leche de tigre was lacking on flavors (not that rich fishy clasic flavor leche has), and the fact that it had a bunch of onions and octopus slices made me think they were trying to be cheap. And the finished the appetizers with the kobe anticuchos, they were good but they were not anticuchos in any way, I was expecting to find a flavor that would relate me to this classic limenian dish, but the sauce was something sweet, very different from what an anticucho marinade is, as I said not bad but nothing similar to what it really is.
As main courses we had the Lomo Saltado and the Duck Ceviche, disappointed at both of them. The lomo was extremely over smoked, meat over cooked, very dry with an odd intense bloody flavor and a sweet seasoning, couldn’t feel those asian flavors that a lomo saltado is well know for, also I personally prefer the fries to be served underneath the lomo so in that way they can soak the juices of the meat, but they mix them in with the meat and I dont like that either. The duck ceviche, was advertised as a duck confit with a warm leche de tigre, now the warm leche was veeeeery good, thank god because the duck was anything but confitted, by just looking at it you could see that it had no color and it hasn’t been cooked properly, it was dry, the meat was very tough and bland, when you confit something the right way none of these things happen. Points for the leche, but that won’t feed the hungry people! Oh! The rice that comes as a side was good :)
Desserts: alfajores (cornstarch/​soft dough), three for seven dollars seemed fair but they were mad old and the cookies were undercooked, they actually had that unpleasant raw flour flavor, come on! Undercooked I might forgive but don’t be giving me old cookies, that as soon as I intended to lift it from the plate one side fell down and I found out that the dulce de leche (filling) was completely dried out because of how old it was.
The lúcuma tiramisu was very very good, lúcuma flavors very rich, I loved the ice cream that comes next to the tiramisu, and the presentation was very nice as well.
Drinks: maracuyá sour (passion fruit) it was ok, and Ginger and Mint Chilcano, delicious, very very good!
Honestly overalls waaaay too expensive for mediocre food, for two people we spent $ 167.00 and I don’t think I will be coming back, rather check out other new Peruvian places, sorry!

Slow service. Inefficient snd snooty server who kept forgetting what orders he put in for us. Gave us the wrong drink order and forgot to put in an order.
Slooow kitchen. Took hours to give us three items.
Horrible octopus. So dried and way over cooked in that too chewy way.
Ceviche is good but I’ve definitely had better.
Brussel sprouts were okay but again have better.
Drinks were delicious but damn pricy.

Food: Amazing. You can’t go wrong with anything you order. I swear it. Everything was cooked to perfection. My coworker got the duck and it just fell off the bone and was so incredibly moist. I had a seafood dish that was so incredibly delicious. It as well was cooked perfectly. Desert was also equally amazing. I had the cheese cake and that was amazing as well.
Ambiance: Very cozy and inviting.
Waiting area: Small. You can wait around outside, downstairs, or upstairs in the main dining area but we couldn’t find a spot and it was raining out so we waited in the foyer
Customer service: Outstanding. We made reservations and the place was jammed packed. No one was leaving waiter. They were gracious enough to open up their private dining room upstairs to accommodate more parties, ours included. We were seated and served maybe. 5 – 10 minutes past our reservation time. Not bad considering how busy they were. They even comped us a few glasses of wine.

My first 5* Review
***Very biased as I am Peruvian
Pros: Cebiche, décor, location, Pisco Sour, service, management
Cons: Price (but well deserved)
I went for Sunday Brunch on May 15^th. I had the Cebiche Clasico which was the best cebiche I have ever had. I have only been to Peru twice in my life and both times experienced amazing food but this took the zenith.
They also have a lunch special for Pan con Chicharron which can only be described as a sandwich you would wait in a around the block line for. If just this sandwich was sold on the street it would be an instant phenomenon.
If you go in and have one thing it should be the Pisco Sour. The drink is expertly crafted and if you have not tried Pisco this will be an excellent first try.

Took my Peruvian boyfriend here for date night and we weren’t disappointed! We went to Mochica, the downstairs Cebiche Bar and got two seats facing the chefs. Save two seats, the place was full. It took some time for the waiter to come over and ask us if we’d like drinks. We ordered a piso sour and maracuja sour, which both took about twenty minutes to receive. In that twenty minutes we waited for our waiter to take our order… Id say that would be my biggest cut for the one star. Once we got everything (we ordered the Mochica Cebiche, a beef dish, the sliders with pulled pork and Brussels sprouts) the bartender, waiter and the owner stopped by personally to ask us how everything is and if we need anything else. Very personal touch! From a Peruvian perspective, the food was delicious. From my perspective, the food was delicious and the drinks were the best compliment.

I wanted to try something new and I was restless mainly due to the crappy rainy weather. I finally found something worth trying. .. Nazca Mochica for mixed drinks and bar food. This Peruvian inspired bar has some great drinks. I tried 2. .. pisco sour and the cucumber chilcano. Of the 2, I have to say that the chilcano was better. In between the drinks, I had Pan de Chicharron, which is basically bread and pork. It’s real good. I had a great experience and would definitely go there again.

OK OK OK! The truth in Peruvian dining has finally reached our nation’s Capital! Having been to Peru and dining on some of the best food there, I can say this place is as close to the real deal as it gets.
The lomo Saltado was the best lomo I’ve had in the US, hands down. It was delicious in every way. The meat was cooked to perfection, the marinade was impeccable and the sautéed veggies were the perfect and classic touch to complement the dish. I can’t wait to go back again!

A strong 4.3 stars.
I went here upon my Peruvian friend’s suggestion and I was not disappointed. This place is comprised of one level pisco bar (1^st floor) and another level restaurant (2^nd floor). I was here for lunch so my review is just for the restaurant.
Their staff was quite friendly and helpful, although I mainly relied on my friend’s explanations. They had lunch specials, a prix fix menu as well as an a la carte one.
I had the Quinoa and Kiwicha Salad off their a la carte menu and it was orgasmic. I love quinoa and avocado already, and they topped it off with passion fruit sauce — it was just what I needed. Drooling as I’m writing the review.
My friend ordered from the prix fox menu and got Tiradito (white fish) as appetizer, Papardelle con Lomito for the main course and some ice cream for dessert. Of course I had to taste her food :) the appetizer and main course were the bomb!
My salad was $ 10 (relatively small portion — maybe because I pretty much just swallowed that deliciousness in one bite) and my friend’s lunch was $ 23 — all plus tax and tip of course.
I definitely recommend trying it!

Standing out from the crush of pricey small plates-​focused restaurants of DC (China Chilcano, I’m talking to you), Nazca Mochica is a refreshing addition to the area. My friend had been poking around Unilocal for a spot for her birthday dinner, promptly choosing Nazca when she noticed that it served chocolate flan. We made a reservation for Nazca — the second-​floor area as opposed to Mochica, the ceviche lounge below — on Saturday night at 7:45pm. It seems like the restaurant hasn’t been fully discovered yet, perhaps due to its tucked-​away location, as there was rampant availability.
After ordering a round of foamy piscos, we started with Yucca Fries and the Mochica Cebiche solely because it included fried calamari. The tangy, spicy sauce of the Mochica Cebiche was so good that we kept dipping the fries in them. While the fried calamari had gotten a bit soggy, as I suspected, it was still a delicious and unexpected addition to the Cebiche.
As far as entrees, the friendly waitress noted that Pescado a lo Macho and Cebiche de Pato were the two most popular choices, so we opted to split the fish since my friend didn’t eat duck. (The whole restaurant smells like sizzling meat, by the way. Heavenly.) While the star of the dish was supposed to be the fish, it felt more like a Portuguese fish stew, what with the presence of octopus, shrimp, calamari, mussels, and clams. Perhaps they should name this dish «Seafood Lover’s Plate.» Anyway it was super flavorful and, again, I used the sauce for my fries. It also came with a bowl of rice, which I wish had been filled a bit more to the top.
Since we’d coyly mentioned to the waitress that it was our friend’s birthday, the flan came accompanied with a candle, which was, surprisingly, one of those relighting trick candles. THE FLAN WAS AMAZING. THE BEST PART OF THE MEAL. It was so thick and luscious, complemented by a dollop of gentle basil ice cream, plus crushed up cookies (tasted like Oreos?), strawberry marmalade, white chocolate pisco sauce, and cilantro.
Food + service + sexy ass ambiance = A+ dinner experience.

So, I’m pretty happy with this place that’s a bit hidden, or was. The three of was walked in on Wednesday night downstairs with no reservation. There was a little bit of confusion between where they would seat us-​I think it caught the staff by surprise that it would be so busy in the middle of the week. They ended up seating us at the bar which was fine for us. We put out stuff in the corner and none of us wanted any of the hard stuff so we Cusquena, a basic Peruvian lager, it’s pretty good for what it is: a pretty middle of the road lager that you can pretty much anywhere.
Not in a cebiche mood so all of us ordered from the street food menu. For street food, or street food style it’s a little pricey. However, the veal hearts were delicious. Tender, a little spice and the potatoes with the pepper purée was delicious.
I wanted a little more so I got the alfajores, little cookies with dulce de leche. My dinner mates didn’t want any dessert but after sharing a little bit with them I ended up having one to myself (there was an order of three.)
Our bartender/​server ended up giving us a little taste of their house infused pisco. I prefered the lychee/​hibiscus but my friends liked the mint/​ginger/​lemongrass better. Definitely a good place, just for street food, maybe a little much.

My mouth waters as I write this review, recalling the incredible meal we had.
It was relatively easy to get a reservation the same day through Open Table. I made the reservation for 7pm on a Sunday. We arrived and the restaurant was about half full. We were seated at a table for two downstairs. The waitress said hello in good time — she wasn’t overly friendly the entire meal but maybe she was having a bad day. It certainly didn’t affect our meal — she was attentive and cordial.
Here’s what we ordered:
* Mochica Cebiche: I’ve had cebiche/​ceviche in the past and this BLEW them away. The sauce was so delicious I swear to you I made sure I ate every last bit as I scooped it up in my spoon on the table. I don’t even love raw red onion and I found myself picking them up to munch on them when we’d eaten the fish and such out of the bowl. PHENOMENAL.
* Lomo Saltado: my boyfriend didn’t even take a third glance at the menu beyond this beef dish and the next. He was reminiscent of Peruvian food he used to have with friends in Florida. He said it’s the best he ever had.
* Cebiche de Pato: it’s a deconstructed duck dish of sorts. Don’t be thrown by the name — it’s not really reminiscent of a cebiche dish. It’s more like a Peruvian twist on sweet n sour duck. It was OUTSTANDING. It was so complex yet simple in it’s flavors and I loved how it was served with the broth separately, with a hot stone in the plate, and they poured it over the dish at the table.
We decided not to get a dessert. Instead we raved about what we’d just had at the table. When the manager walked by we called him over to ask about the ingredients because we couldn’t quite figure out the components of the sauces. Carlos was so wonderful to talk to about not just the meal but Peru, where he’s from. What a nice guy!
The meal cost about $ 95 including all three dishes above, a beer and the tip.
We’ll be back and DEFINITELY recommend this place!

Walter, the owner, is charming. Great edited menu; very authentic but creative. :)

I loved the service! I got the ceviche Classico and the lomo saltado. Both were amazing. The pisco sour was so soft and tasty. I really like this restaurant.

It’s decent but overpriced. We tried the downstairs part. The ceviche was really good. I spent a month in Peru and loved the passion fruit pisco sour so I thought I’d dry it here. Unfortunately it was clear they made it from a cordial which was disappointing and surprising for a place trying to be so high end. The noodle soup was not great.

This new spot needs to be visited by all those that enjoy good food. My friends and I had no idea what to expect going in and right from the moment we walked in we were pleased. The food was great and the service was impeccable. I have had my fair share of Peruvian food in the past, this one blows the others away. The co-​owner of the restaurant gave us a brief history of the restaurant and their inspiration, which was truly enjoyable. Great drinks, great service, and most importantly GREAT FOOD!

This review is for our experience upstairs. I was unaware that there was a difference in upstairs vs. downstairs except for by reviewing Unilocal ahead of time (thanks, fellow Unilocalers!).
First, the good:
Décor and the people who work here as well as the flavours. The staff is extremely kind and considerate and professional. For appetisers, we had the causita flight. It was good but teeny tiny portions like for kids. Some of the causita toppings were a little overwhelmingly salty (the onion, I think it was, topping comes to mind). Things were promptly served.
The lamb seco I had was delicious in terms of flavours and quality of meat that was tender and fell off the bone; the aji de gallina I tasted was normal; the piece of steak I tasted from my friend’s lomo saltado was thick, cooked perfectly and very flavourful. Both friends didn’t eat tons of their dinners, and took half their portions home, but it seemed like enough for only one meal to me.
In terms of room for improvement, in chronological order in terms of your experience – enough for me to knock off 3 stars because I wouldn’t want to come back aside for a drink:
1). Noise levels – I don’t know what the Post would rate this for decibels but it’s really obnoxiously loud. The drywall must be paper thin and I think it’s worth an investment in soundproofing, because already I don’t hear as well (too many concerts!) with background noise. So while this is an issue for me personally, I know my companions felt it was also too loud and they are the ones who had their backs to the rest of the restaurant; checking reviews, we had asked for a quiet table with our reservation and were put in the corner by the receptionist stand (we were a party of 3) and it was still obnoxiously loud and I was glad we weren’t in the center. I can’t enjoy myself if it’s so loud, even if I don’t want a sleepy restaurant. This is not really the place for a romantic date especially if you don’t know the person well and expect to be able to hear them.
2). Portion size and pricing:
The pisco sours are a good size for the $ 12 price tag – large glass, well made. Maracuya/​passionfruit flavour did not come through for me but it still tasted so good I got another (normal) one.
«Handful size» as the waiter explained of ceviche for $ 18 as an appetizer was enough to turn us all off; while the bowl it came in that we saw whizz by looked like a good size, there is no way any of us would throw down that much for something that’s not even ocean fresh! What are they thinking with that price tag, I have no idea! Do you know what they charge for a huge bowl of ceviche in Peru?!! OK different here of course but still, they’re overcharging, which just gives me a bad feeling as a guest — why are you trying to rip me off, when I can go to plenty of other places for a decent ceviche with a decent price? I mean, when an app is nearly the price of a main, don’t you know there’s a problem?!
Lamb seco: So tasty BUT, good thing I wasn’t starving. The portion size was so small, it should have been on the kid’s menu. Three bones, some delicious meat on each bone, but not tons – and I got 2 bonus yuca pieces that were so well fried I wanted 10; and some mash of platanos verde I think? SO TASTY! But please, feed me a dinner-​size portion!
3). The menu doesn’t really explain all of the dishes. For example, caucau de mariscos – that is described by listing a bunch of seafood types. That doesn’t really tell me much.
4). The service was ok. Nothing spectacular. Water was always refilled; dishes got cleared. I am into hands-​off waiters. But he wasn’t really around when we had q’s on the menu so we found what I think was the manager/maitre’d to ask a question.
Overall, I see the potential here to be a great place but I would just want to feel like it’s a comfortable environment that’s not too loud and not trying to rip me off, for me to want to come back.

One of our regional directors made reservations for the last night of our biz trip! Great choice! The food is served tapas style and we explored the menu. ribs, octopus, ramen, ceviche and some other items all hit the jackpot with its citrus infused and balanced flavored cuisine, it was packed so service was as good as it could be! Will be back when in town!

My mate brings me here almost 2 weeks ago i have to say i was very happy my mate is from Brazil so he always pushing me to try some Latin America food and is was great.
The services was good. and it got busy towards the end of our meal and i feel our server was stretched a little thin, but overall very attentive and kind.
The food was very good as well as expected with a Peruvian food it was very rich and heavy don’t plan on being very productive afterwards.
Pisco sour one of the best i ever got.-
We try many tapas those are the one we like more than others.
Pork belly cachapas very good.
Chebeche clasico great.
Pescador excellent the best on the menu.
We meet preston the manager very kind man.
Overall nice experience nice food right on the heart of DuPont circle i like it alot yes we coming back.

Great restaurant, great food, great service, our waiter was great (juan david, rosa). They were knowledgable, caring, friendly, awesome food, definitely coming back.

I visited Nazca recently with several friends for a Friday night dinner. The atmosphere is pleasant and I was happy to see that they’ve done a nice job of rehabbing an otherwise forgotten space on 17^th and P Street NW.
The food and service were similar in their quality. Our server was attentive at first, and then started to become scarce. Our food was well-​presented, but portion size was a bit stingy, especially considering the near-​$ 250 tab we ran up with just one cocktail each, two apps to share among the four of us, and four entrees.
The concept of refined Peruvian cuisine is enticing, but for such a new restaurant to fall short in the above areas causes me to wonder about the staying power of Nazca.
On a side note, I haven’t had a chance to check out Mochica, which is the downstairs bar/​small plates concept that the above restaurant is attached to. I’d come back to check Mochica out, but doubt if I could justify a return visit to Nazca.

I actually thought about going back and asking the chef how he was able to make the lamb ribs. When the plate arrived I grabbed one end of the bone and all the meat literally slid right off. ‘Twas perfect
The rest of the dishes were solid as well. Cibeche and the Pisco sours were nice beginners.
Atmosphere was nice. You can tell they are really trying to keep a good, high class vibe.

Great décor/​atmosphere, excellent food, and pisco sours were superb. Tiradito de Maracuya had a well blended combo of sweet & sour flavors running through it; each bite was delectable. Crispy Brussel Sprouts were perfect.
We look forward to trying it again soon.

Nazca Mochica was awesome! Almost everything was delicious except for one thing, which I’ll mention later– I’m Peruvian so I’m a bit picky when it comes to eating Peruvian food abroad!
My boyfriend and I went here a couple of days after Valentine’s Day to celebrate it (we postponed our celebration.) We wanted to check out both Nazca AND Mochica (the former is the restaurant and the latter is the bar on the lower level.) We went to Mochica first and made it in time for their happy hour. The staff was very welcoming and nice. The Pisco Sour was on point! It may have been one of the best I’ve had in the DC area. We ordered a dish from the happy hour menu, the quinoa chaufa, and wow, it was so delicious. I had never thought about making chaufa (Peruvian-​style fried rice) with quinoa, and it definitely worked!
We then went upstairs to Nazca, even though we hadn’t made a reservation. The hostess (super nice Costa Rican lady) said we would have to wait 30 minutes or so. However, 5 minutes later, we were seated.
We ordered two more drinks: the Maracuya Sour (passion fruit) and a Peruvian drink that’s not on the menu but easy to make– Chilcano (Pisco with ginger ale). We then ordered an appetizer and ordered the tiradito. It was really good!
For entrees, we ordered the Lomo Saltado and Aji de Gallina. Lomo Saltado is my favorite dish and unfortunately the one at Nazca was not the best. It lacked a bit of flavor… So did the Aji de Gallina, unfortunately. Don’t get me wrong, they were still pretty good! The beef was nice and tender, but I’ve had better.
Finally, we ordered the Aji Amarillo Cheesecake (to go, since we were stuffed!) It was so good; I never thought using chili pepper in cheesecake would be good! I have to say though, it was tiny for the price.
Ultimately, I really loved both Nazca and Mochica. Their drinks, appetizers, and dessert were amazing! I want to go back and try the Lomo Saltado again, who knows, maybe next time it will be better!

Had a great time with friends! Great atmosphere, wonderful service, and good food. Order a Maracuya Pisco Sour!!: this passion fruit twist was the yummiest pisco sour I’ve had and not too sour or too sweet. Chocolate Hazelnut Flan was delicious – rich but not too decadent – and the accompanying basil gelato was intriguing. For main dishes, go for their seafood: Cebiche Nazca or Pescado a lo Macho. The Cebiche definitely has a strong lime/​citrus flavor, while the Pescado a Lo Macho goes easier on the taste buds. Less impressed by the Seco de Cordero.
It’s a relatively new place, so they are eager to please! Thank you for the complimentary glass of wine – the wait for our food wasn’t even that long, but the hospitality was the cherry on top of a lovely dining experience.

Great place.
My friend Ari took me here when they first opened and we ate downstairs as upstairs was still in renovation. Please note, I moved from LA, food and serve significantly lacks in DC. I’ve been in DC and seems as though everywhere you go they serve Tapas style. I’m sick of this style already. But not at Nazca. Wow this place did it right. Owners were present and very attentive. Great service and modern ambiance.
But food, food, food… it was delicious. And the cucumber drink was extremely tasty.
I went back with my partner and Ari again when upstairs was opened. Place was PACKED. Upstairs is not tapas but regular entrees. Again, great service but the food was tasty, perfect portion and full of flavor. WOW it was great.
We will definitely be back. I have recommended this place to everyone.

After trying to describe pisco sours (and pisco in general) to one of my colleagues, I decided it was best to just show him, so I asked one of my buddies for a recommendation, and he quickly pointed to Nazca Mochica. A few minutes later, we ended up here for some cocktails and appetizers.
We tried the pisco sour, chilcano, pan con chicharron, and some yuca. And it is safe to say that my colleague had an awesome first experience with Peruvian food. Everything we tried deserved and A+. But aside from the food, the service and the ambiance were great as well. The restaurant has a modern loungy feel, which is always my preference.
I really like to see my country being represented well and Nazca Mochica does a good job at it. I look forward to coming back to try ALL of the items from the menu. Good job!

Food: Stepping into this new muted yet sophisticated space, I joined my group of ladies for a dinner on a weeknight. I had the Maracuya Sour, which was a fruity and sweeter twist on the Pisco, which was quite pleasant. I was happy with the solid amount of egg white, which I think is a trademark of the Peruvian drink. We started and shared the Cebiche Nazca and Causitas, which are whipped potatoes with variety of toppings and colorful sauces. The two beautifully presented dishes were a good amount for five of us to start. For entreés, we shared four mains — the Lomo Saltado, Aji de Gallina, Pescado a lo Macho, and
Cebiche de Pato. One of our group liked the Cebiche de Pato the best, particularly the sauce, while I was very happy with the Aji de Gallina. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed a chicken dish at a Peruvian place, and this is particularly noteworthy since all the dishes were delicious and unique. The Lomo Saltado was a crowd pleaser as well. We ended with the Chocolate Hazelnut Flan, a mix of different textures and flavors that blended well together. I was particularly intrigued by the basil gelato.
Service: At first, our server was a little off — he got a drink order wrong, there was a little awkwardness in the ordering, etc, but was still very attentive. At the end of the meal, though, he revealed to us it was his first night! The hostess and other wait staff were very attentive, and I’m sure our server will only get better and the service overall is stellar!

While Nazca Mochina is not a bad choice in DuPont, for me personally it was only A-​Ok. Not anything major to complain about but nothing spectacular enough to bring me back, at least not soon. The feel of the restaurant was very modern, slightly industrial, with a nice open kitchen towards the back. The curtains separating the front seating area from the back was kind of unnecessary but not an element really subtracting from the atmosphere. We arrived around 9pm on a Friday night and had an immediate table waiting for us. The couple behind us, on the other hand, were shoved into a corner near the bar area. All of the other tables were filled so maybe reservations would be necessary in the future. I noticed it is two floors, so I’m intrigued by what lies on the second floor for a future possibility. Service was good, although we were committed to only one glass of wine each and we only ordered entrees so not much was needed of the server. They do have a young man walking around refilling waters for all tables. Wine was priced as expected– one Pinot Grigio and one Chardonnay (already had been drinking white earlier so just continued with the theme) were priced at $ 9 and $ 8 respectively. The menu is limited– a couple of apps, 4 – 5 entrée choices, 2 desserts. I ordered the seco de cordero, cilantro lamb short rib stew with fried yucca. At $ 24, this was an incredibly small portion and, since the lamb was on the bone, the meat portion was heavily outweighed by bones. The flavor was good though. Personally, I was hungry afterwards and could have eaten something else in addition to my entrée. My boyfriend had the aji de gallina, shredded chicken, egg, peanuts, rice, aji de gallina sauce. He agreed– flavors great, portion small. I wasn’t extremely impressed given the prices and my boyfriend, who has extensive experience with Peruvian cuisine from childhood, agreed. The flavors of our meals elevated this to a three star review, however, the pricing vs. portion size was incredibly scanty even for DC standards, so be forewarned.

Service is good, ceviches are poor except for the Nippon Ceviche which was good. Octopus was Ok; Tequeños were bad; leche de tigre sampler poor, lacking flavor, full of lime flavor and not the fish and rest of ingredients like in Peru; Pork belly buns were mediocre. Brussel sprouts were good. We liked their drinks.

Great dinner and service! Went with a group of 4 last night and was pleasantly surprised. We went to the restaurant on the second story, which is more entrée oriented. Had both of the ceviches and they were incredibly fresh/​flavorful. Also started with the potato appetizer which had different toppings (tuna, pork belly, roasted red pepper, and chicken salad). I have never had anything quite like that appetizer and think it is a fun, unique dish to start off with.
For entrees I had the fish stew. The fish filet was cooked perfectly and the sauce was a red sauce finished with wine– really delicious! My husband had the lamb which was so tender it literally cut into pieces with a fork. It was the perfect savory winter meal.
Loved the pisco sours! One thing I think would make the restaurant better is having the full cocktail list both upstairs and downstairs. I understand the bottom floor is more tapas style, but, it doesn’t make sense to limit the cocktail list upstairs. While they were nice and allowed us to also order from the downstairs bar list, it should just be automatically offered upstairs. Also, I think it would smart to offer all the ceviches upstairs as well.
I think if they make a couple of these changes and add a couple of additional dishes upstairs (to each section of the menu) then they will def be a 5 star!
Lastly, Abraham was a great server! Everyone from the greeter to the bus-​staff were great.

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner last night.
The place has the look of a restaurant you might expect to see in any «Restaurant Wars» episode of Top Chef. The wall pieces look like they came from Ikea. The lighting is bright and harsh, and the menus are paper. Also, the menus have a «coming soon» section… which is cool, but frustrating because there are delicious things on it that you can see, but not order. The most puzzling thing about the décor is that there is no hint of Peru in any of it. This would displease Tom Colicchio.
I would describe the waitstaff as inexperienced, but genuine and eager to please. There is a free coat check, which is super convenient– no bulky coats at the table!
The food and drinks were good. My boyfriend got the pisco sour, and I got the merlot to start. Both were great. For dinner, I got the lomo saltado (sauté beef tenderloin). It was good, and so close to being perfect– I would have preferred a little more heat and a touch more salt. However, the beef and vegetables were cooked perfectly. The rice was also delicious. My boyfriend had similar comments about the aji de gallina. Just a little more spice would have put the meal over the top.
Overall, this restaurant is good, and is on its way to being great. I think in 6 months or so, it will really have found its voice. In the mean time, it’s still worth checking out. I will certainly be back, especially to check out the cheesecake listed in the «coming soon» section of the menu!

Love the atmosphere and the food! The blend of sauces and flavors were awesome. This was the first time I have tried the Peruvian cuisine and really glad that I did! Their ceviche and beef dish was really awesome!

I did a birthday dinner here last night and everything was delicious. Walter and Robert were so helpful and patient with my many questions, and the third floor looked great. The duck was my favorite, but I also loved the tiraditos and ceviche. The peruvian corn was delicious.
They are extremely new and I know from having worked in the restaurant industry that it takes a long time to get things running completely smoothly. The service was pretty slow and the menu does not include enough vegetarian options, but I am sure they’ll improve on those over time.
The cocktails are great, and Hakim is a master bartender. A classy and unique addition to the neighborhood!

Nazca Mochica is maybe a weird combination of elements, but the end product isn’t bad.
This is a «Contemporary Peruvian Restaurant» in D.C., meaning it’s not exactly a Peruvian chicken place — think high-​end fare interpreted from Peruvian dishes, not necessarily lazily grilled meat (which is awesome, but I digress). The location is basically a two-​level row home — the top floor is the «nice» restaurant with an open kitchen and somewhat cramped seating, the lower floor appears to be a bar with street food and even more cramped seating.
The food here is good… but tiny. I tried the Cebiche de Pato — a duck confit preparation with allegedly (but not really) «hot» leche de tigre — that was tasty but ridiculously small. This is probably why people on here say it’s expensive here. I was left wanting more.
Other Unilocalers also complain about the design of this place, but I can’t really agree. The design here is weirdly modern (I still don’t understand the TV behind semi-​transparent curtains…), but it’s no different than other modern places in D.C. The only real issue I have here is how cramped it is — there are a lot of tables crammed into a surprisingly small place.

Food: Excellent. Delicious. Really, really tasty. I got the chicken, my friend the steak. Our food was incredibly enjoyable. Presentation was also great.
Price: A bit expensive.
Décor: Just weird. That’s the reason I’m giving this 4 stars. I was not a huge fan of the atmosphere. It strives to be upscale, but could be a bit more relaxed and contemporary.
Service: Fantastic! From the host/​hostess, to restaurant owner, to serve, the service was fantastic.
I look forward to seeing them expand their menu!

I went to NazcaMochica over the holiday break, I was impressed. The pisco sours were incredible, it felt like I was back in Lima at a good trendy place in Barranco. I live in NYC and have gone to all Peruvian places here, and non of them accomplished the master crafted tiradito as NazcaMochica, I was blown away! Muy bien chicos!

Great great place! The ceviche is one of the best I have ever had! The pescado macho is to die for… The sauce is simply amazing! Abraham; our server was super nice! I would give this place a 6^th star if a could! Can’t wait for the new options in the menu!

First time at this restaurant and first time eating Peruvian food. All I can say is wow! The flavors of all of the dishes were excellent. The service, décor, and ambiance were all top notch as well.
We ordered the Cebiche Nazca as an appetizer, the Lomo Saltado and Cebiche De Pato as mains and the Alfajores for dessert. I’m not big on dessert in general but the appetizers and mains were on point. Very well cooked and flavorful. If I had to choose just one, I’d go with the Cebiche Nazca. My only regret is that my stomach couldn’t stretch enough to eat everything they had.
I look forward to returning here to try other items on the menu and as they concoct more dishes.

Came with a friend for dinner upstairs. I’m not impressed with the food (3-​star) except for the dessert (5). Atmosphere and service were great but still I couldn’t give a 4 since I think it’s overpriced. Here’s my take:
Service: Fantastic. We could hang coats in the front and got a number for each coat check. Comfortable level of table attendance during dinner. Timely food arrival. The person at the coat check even assisted me with wearing my jacket. Overall, very classy and good service.
Food: Forget everything and just get the chocolate hazelnut flan! Seriously. I think appetizer and dinner were overpriced. We tried both causitas (meh.) and quinoa salad (decent). For dinner, we had the cilantro lamb short rib stew (just ok, not exceptional).
Atmosphere: Classy and low noise level-​great for conversations.
Dinner for 2 with an appetizer would be about $ 35−40/ person. Pretty pricey for the underwhelming food.

My girlfriend and I first went to Nazca Mochica for dinner after hearing great things from a friend of ours. It did not disappoint, and we’ve had a lot of Peruvian food, including in Peru. The food was true to its heritage, but we were also wow-​ed by the creative takes on ceviche and other classic dishes. Having lived in NYC before coming to DC, it’s great to taste that kind of quality and culinary art again! The service was also enthusiastic and attentive; and the owner Walter came over to personally ask how everything was. The décor was modern but also references the culture while avoiding the stereotypes that some restaurants often fall for.
We were so impressed that we decided to have my upcoming birthday here. Walter worked with us to create a custom menu and also worked with one of my guests who had certain food allergies. We had our party (14 people) on the third floor of the restaurant, which has a classy lounge feel. Walter and his staff had already elegantly decorated the place and were very responsive when we had any changes in plans or needed anything at the last minute. Whether it’s for a dinner for two or an event of 14, we can’t recommend Nazca Mochica enough!

Want to get away from the overpriced, underwhelming 14^th Street restaurant scene? Nazca is the answer and a breath of fresh air. The food is delicious and very reasonably priced. It’s slightly confusing because Nazca (upstairs) and Mochica (downstairs) have two separate menus so make sure your in the right one when you get there. Can’t wait to go back and try the «coming soon» menu items.
Save room for the cookies!

This was our second visit to Nazca Mochica and we were not disappointed. This time we visited the upper floor, Nazca, which offers more entrees than the tapas-​style bar downstairs. We had a tiradito, which was amazing; a nice sekection of mini causas; and the tasty ají de gallina. We are yet to find a dish here that we don’t like, everything we’ve tried has been outstanding. We’ll continue to come back.

I really liked this place. I had the ramen and tuna ceviche. The ramen was good but the tuna ceviche was the star. So delicious ! I had the pisco sour to drink and that was also on point.

I do really enjoy this place, but there are certainly some issues which prevent me from giving it a solid 5 stars.
I had a number of dishes there and all were quite good. One that stands out particularly is the kobe beef. It was marinated so well and cooked low/​slow such that the fat and meat just melt in your mouth. Extremely flavorful and diverse, the dish also features a purple cabbage garnish, which, at a glance, is just that — garnish. However, even that was soaked in a passion fruit glaze, and was delicious. It complemented everything very well. That was nearly a perfect dish — where everything was there for a reason, and was very well balanced and flavorful.
The ceviche dishes (I tried the tiradito de maracuyá and the trio) were quite good but, at least the ones that I had, had the fish very slimly cut, and an insubstantial portion. Don’t get me wrong — the sauce was very nice, e.g. a passion fruit/​lime mixture, some with more spice/​rocoto, etc. But for $ 15-​$ 20 for a portion of ceviche, I’d expect more than a couple bites. Fish doesn’t cost *that* much. They could and should double the portion, frankly. If they’re worried about plating/​asthetics, they could simply stack their thin cut, marinated ceviche to retain the basic elegance and spacing. I’ll honestly never order the ceviche here again because of this… it’s just not worth it.
The drinks are all very tasty, but they are on the weaker side, especially considering the price. Flavor-​wise, it is certainly one of the better pisco sours I’ve had in the city, and there are a few options for them as well (again, passion fruit!). But the bar is lacking a decent selection of non-​Peruvian alcohol. Which is fine to some degree, but it certainly prevents it from becoming a more standard/​trendy happy hour location — which it could be if it wanted. Bars/​restaurants in Peru DO sell good rum and whiskey, not just pisco.
Service was quite good, generally, although I felt a bit rushed by the staff on getting the check both times I was there, despite not having a wait for tables.

This a great new Peruvian spot! It’s fresh, beautiful and sophisticated. The food was amazing, they add a brilliant twist to traditional Peruvian dishes. I also believe the portions were appropriate for the price. Our server was outgoing and friendly and the three Roberto’s are simply charming, handsome men! Definitely will be back for another awesome Pisco Sour and great Peruvian cuisine!

Amazing new restaurant, great addition to the neighbourhood. The lower level, called Mochica, is a pisco bar with a great selection of ceviches and tiraditos. We had the tiradito maracuyá, which was very good, and the ceviche asiático, our absolute favorite of the night. We also had the brussels sprouts, that were surprisingly tasty, and the anticucho, also amazing, with the perfect level of spicy. We also tried two different kinds of pisco sours and had the suspiro limeño for dessert, all for around $ 100. We loved the ambiance and are looking forward to the opening of their upper level, Nazca, which will offer a different menu. We will be coming back for sure

Tuna ceviche was spectacular ($ 17) — a must buy. Pork on corn patties was amazing too. I reccomend both. Octopus pretty good. Very friendly staff. We had pisco sours, they cost $ 13. I want to go back for the ramen and try another ceviche. Looking forward to cocktails choices and seeing the upstairs.

Mochica Cebiche excellent. Octopus, fried yucca, calimari expertly presented in a citrus leche de tigre sauce.
Next time I plan on starting with a plate full of the fried yucca. I’ve never had yucca this delicious.
Don’t miss the pisco sours. You may need more than one … like tasting mothers milk.
Welcome to the neighborhood.