Mochica

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letrou

Joined 7 years ago

Great food and great, knowledgeable service. We went here for lunch on a weekday and it was pretty busy but the waiter (I think he was the only waiter there!) made sure our water was filled and orders taken quickly. He also explained some of the menu items that were a little confusing with some real knowledge - and when asked he said he was from Peru. Good quality control in the hiring process, or it's a family-run business. I'm not sure which.

For appetizers we got the ceviche, anticuchos, and tequenos. I've never seen anything like tequenos before - little shrimp cake things you eat with mashed avocados and a sweet syrup. Sounds gross, but it's delicious!! The ceviche is among the best or probably the best I've ever had in San Francisco. Anticuchos are grilled, marinated strips of beef heart served on a stick -that I will order again on my next trip!

The main courses we had were Lomo a lo Macho and Jalea. Jalea is a fried, lightly breaded seafood dish that incorporates chunks of fish, shrimp, mussels on the shell, calimari, and a few other items. It was really tasty. The lomo a lo macho is a piece of steak covered with pretty much the same seafoods as the jalea but not fried and with a tasty tomato sauce. I would warn that it looks like a steak item on the menu but it ends up being more like a seafood dish with steak.

The desserts were great. The flan is a delicious, filling, coconutty thing that will not remind you of its Mexican cousin. Order the Espuma de Maracuya or the Suspiro if you have a sweet tooth and like creamy or moussy items. Apparently all the desserts, inluding the exotic Lucuma ice cream are served with a spoon - nothing is hard enough to warrant a fork. I don't know if that's Peruvian cuisine or just this restaurant.

One more thing - the "weird" location is a blessing in disguise. If it were located in a better place you would have to stand in line for hours or make reservations in advance -- it's that good!

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amychang924

Joined 7 years ago

Almost two hours for lunch?. A couple of friends were already sitting down when I got there. They had no menus and no water. There were probably just a few other parties in the restaurant for lunch. I had to flag him down for service a few times because he was too slow. He recommended the worst appetizer and of course the most expensive. I told him it wasn't what we expected but he did nothing about it. And yet, he still waited a long time to check back with us. Come to our knowledge he didn't have the kitchen fire up our entrees until he cleared our appetizer. Why would anyone wait for us to finish our appetizers when we made it known we didn't even want to eat it! Additionally, it was lunch time and we were the last party that was finished for lunch! Horrible service. Of course the entrees didnt' even come out at the same time. The entrees were at least enjoyable! Also, it was my friend's bday, and we brough our own cake. He gave us spoons to eat with!

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nancysee

Joined 7 years ago

Disappointing 2nd and 3rd visit :-(. They use the same ingredients for all their dishes. On our first visit, we liked the dishes because we ordered dishes that didn't use the same ingredients. But the second time we visited, we were very disappointed. The ceviche we ordered should've been cold but was warm. right ... warm ceviche? um, it doesn't work. all in all, I wouldn't recommend this place. They don't have quality control.

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bidzar

Joined 11 years ago

Fantastic spot!. I had lunch on a Friday and LOVED it. Food was delish and service was tops. Recommend this for both groups and dates.

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tlombardia

Joined 8 years ago

Such a Gem. We have been to this restaurant like 5 times and the food, service and overall value is outstanding. Ceviche Mochica is divine and large enough or 4 people, the lamb chop appetizer is my favorite. Great wine list and our water glasses are always full. We've never had to wait for a table and I always find aprking near by. Great for a group of people as many of the dishes are good for sharing. We like to go for "date night" and we share 2-3 appetizers and wine-so reasonable. Highly. highly recommend.

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ruhii

Joined 8 years ago

This place has great food and service. I tried Mochica for the first time a couple of weeks ago and since then I have gone back 4 times! The food is absolutly fantastic! You have to try their Yucca plant dish...it is delicious! If you like Sangria- this restaurant is known for it...it is very good:) For me when I go to a restaurant I want the best all around expirence - this is the place! The customer service is impeckable, everyone is polite and well mannered. The waiter was checking on us all the time and my glass of water was never empty!

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nips

Joined 8 years ago

Peruvian Food... SOMA. I have been to Mochica going on 6 times now... never been disappointed. Sure, the location is not the greatest (I passed 2 homeless people along the way getting busy...)but once you get inside the ambiance is cozy/warm and the food... YUM. Order the ceviche! Service is always kind and never hurried...

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nini260

Joined 8 years ago

AMAZING! and so much potential.... We found this place on citysearch and have fallen in love. Im not an expert on peruvian food but i've eaten my share of many kinds of food and the flavors and dishes at Mochica blew me away! Highly recomended for everyone dates or families

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escorpiomg

Joined 8 years ago

try the best , try MOCHICA. first visit to Mochica and plan to come back. The food is so!! so good , the sangria es exelent very fruity ,great antreess and good service

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hmoazed

Joined 8 years ago

one of my new favorites. I tend not to eat at the same place over and over again, but I've been to Mochica several times now since they opened, I just can't have enough of the Halibut Cevivhe or the Aji De Gallina. I have noticed, thought, that the portions are getting smaller (the first time I went there I got a HUGE mound of Ceviche, every time since then there is a little bit less...). The servers are very kind and friendly, but sometimes overwhelemed.