Mo-Chica

Cocktails were excellent. Beterraga salad was good and the ceviche delicious. We ordered braised lamb shank (I believe it was a special) and got returned to the kitchen. It was chewy and impossible to eat. The server was as understanding and polite as expected. They replaced it with a new and much tender order. Overall a good experience but I/m not eager to go back.

Mo-Chica has become one of my favorite Peruvian tapas restaurants in LA. You'll be expecting around $10+ per dish although you'll be looking to order 2-3 tapas per person. One of the interesting aspects is the number of ceviche items here that you can get like a lobster ceviche. It's a bit small but the taste is unique. The seafood paella was superb with fresh seafood and the carapulcra which is a stew with pork belly that melts right in your mouth. Don't forget dessert too with the Alfajores - small cookies that pack quite a powerful amount of flavor. Parking-wise, expect the same rules for all Downtown LA establishments here in which you'll have to find a parking lot or the very limited street parking (or the pricy valet). The atmosphere is relaxing with a lot of red. The service is great with constant water checks.

We went last night. It is in the heart of Downtown's thriving restaurant area. I arrived at 7:30 and the restaurant was sparsely populated. The service was good (sadly not great). My biggest complaint is that as the restaurant is not well lit, I could not read the menu - it has tiny print and is on bright yellow paper. I dont need glasses but just looking at it gave me a headache. Feeling defeated, I left the ordering up to the others. So partly empty restaurant, unreadable menu, we had the makings of shaky start. But the minute drinks and food started to arrive, WOW, just WOW. I ordered a smoky margarita which was extraordinary. My friend ordered a grapefruit cocktail which was also fantastic. The entire bar menu and bar is extraordinary. We ordered a $40 bottle of red and we all three enjoyed it. But then the food began to arrive and other than the roasted artichoke (which was fine), everything we ordered and ate was truly delicious. Again, as I didnt do the ordering, I can only hint at what we ate. A yellow tail sashimi-style plate. A mixto calamari which was heavenly. We tried the pan con tuna which was delicious as was the beet salad. We also tried the seafood paella and something perhaps called Paiche. Each and everything was simply amazing. Great individual taste. As we were celebrating a birthday, we ordered one dessert - the creme brulee. It was extraordinary. I will dream about it. Perfect caramelized custard on top of a medley of fruit and PURPLE Corn?? I think that is what the server said. So so so good. We are so so going back!!

Who doesn't love the great food and drink options in downtown L.A.? I wish I could go there more often. After visiting San Antonio Winery for free tastings & hitting up Seven Grand's great happy hour whiskey cocktails, I walked across the street to find Mo-Chica with an open table for 2 to help me soak up the libations. Things were really going my way. To continue my drinking trend, I started with a watermelon margarita. It was great, not too sweet or sour or strong--just a nice refreshing drink. We weren't that hungry, and the small plates actually filled us up for the rest of the night. I loved every dish. The tuna was fresh tasting, moderately spicy, and I liked the squishy bread and mayo that it was served with. The grilled octopus had a nice smoky flavor, and was probably my favorite of the evening. The fried chicken tasted just like it's counterpart at Picca, and the meat was still juicy and steaming hot on the inside. The picarones had a nice texture, kind of like eating mochi, except that they tasted a little burnt--although they looked great when the dish arrived. I would definitely return to Mo-Chica, especially when the wait at Bottega Louie is bordering on ridiculous, and I need to combat my low blood sugar or alcohol addiction asap. I hope to make a return visit sooner than later!

YUM! I've been wanting to try Mo-Chica for a while and so has my sister, so we came here on a Sunday around 3:30pm after watching a musical at the Pantages. They have weekend happy hour YAY! FOOD: - ceviche mixto (HH) - HH portions are about half sized. This was super fresh and limey - loved it! - spicy chicken wings - these were super salty and not spicy at all! The dipping sauce it came with helped tone down the sodium level - lomo saltado - I don't eat beef, so I only tried the french fry, which was crisp yet super creamy inside. My sister really enjoyed this dish! Comes with a bowl of rice. - alpaca stew - I was super curious about this and when I asked our server, James about it, he recommended it. SUPER DELICIOUS. Handmade tagliatelle, the alpaca is super flavorful and tender, and that fried egg on top - YUMMYYY - portobello a lo pobre - another yummy dish!! The rice was risotto-like, the plaintain was perfect! The portobello slices were a bit charred and another perfect fried egg on top. The entree dishes were huge portions!! Greatly appreciated :) SERVICE: Excellent. Greeted and seated right away, and James, our server, was super friendly, checked on us and was knowledgeable about the menu. He was also super cute! :D Food came out quickly, waters refilled often! VENUE/PARKING: Small restaurant but super cute! Restrooms are single stall per gender and behind the curtain thing. We took the Metro here, but street parking is the key. Would definitely come back!

Absolutely excellent. The aji de gallina was a bit different than I was used to (not as thick), but it was still fantastic. The hamburguesa was *very* interesting (in a good way). Lunch special came with a small bowl of tasty pasta salad, and a small bowl of regular green salad that looked boring, until I tasted it and realized it had a mindblowingly good dressing. Also came with a small, but decadent, square of the best tres leches cake we'd ever had. We also tried the chicharron de pollo appetizer, which again, the dish itself was just really good fried chicken cubes, nothing that exceptional, but the "rocoto aioli" was *definitely* something exceptional. Service was also just crazy good. Only complaint: where's the aji sauce? You go to a Peruvian place, even if it's super-fusiony, I still want to see aji sauce. :p EDIT: came back a second time a few weeks ago, because they're super good. It's not on the menu, but at least when we tried, they would totally sell you a full sized slice of tres leches for 7 bucks. I'm not usually a fan of paying 7 bucks for a dessert, but in this case, it is so totally worth it. That is some monumentally excellent dessert.

Being Peruvian myself...this place has nothing authentic Peruvian they are trying way too hard to be Nuvo_Peruvian but its just horrible. We started with a ceviche the overpriced ceviche I think had about 6 small/tiny pieces of fish too much onions and one nice size shrimp on top....one taste and my husband literally spit it out, we could tell what it was but I think they put ton of cinnamon on top...gross! It was horrible. Glad I didn't order the Papa ala Huancaina. I did order a Pisco Sour...it was very pretty it had a cute little pictograph of a mo-chica native drawn into the foam...that's where the cute started & stopped, it was not a quality Pisco Sour it was watered down Pisco, it didn't have it, couldn't drink it. Then onto the main course my husband ordered Lomo Saltado...lomo saltado is made with lomo fino cut in slices, 1 this was not fino.. it was grisly chucks of beef not even cooked all the way through to was still bloody, Lomo should have a great flambe flavor to it this was not good. Then my food arrived...I ordered the tallarin saltado, which should be the delicious Peruvian version of a Lo Mein also flambes.... this was a bowl of sloppy soupy fat noodles had no flavor I had to add a bunch of salt, and I think they added Parmesan cheese to this sloppy soupy gravy the noodle were drowning in, that stuck to the fork, This was nothing Peruvian...it was gross. I normally don't take the time to do these reviews but I really felt this one warranted a post. I feel it my duty as a proud Peruvian to steer people away from a horrible excuse for Peruvian Food.

very tasty food, but there was no red sangria on the night we came (i dont like white sangria) and also no music at all! it was awkwardly quiet the whole time we ate. we got two apps and two entrees, which was just enough food. the seabass tiradito sauce was SUPER sour and the octopus was SUPER smokey. my favorite was the loma soltato sauce. nice and salty. we even asked for extra bread to soak it all up. the special cocaktail of the day with rum and pear was just ok.