Mochica

Last week I dined at Mochica with about 5 of my counterparts. I had never heard of this restuarant before, even though I work just a few blocks away. I was very impressed. Pulling up in front of the restaurant, there was plenty of parking. Although the exterior of the restaurant isn't very flashy, the interior is beautifully done. The tables are set with beautiful, large water glasses and the room is dimly lit. The food is fantastic. Looking at all that my counterparts ordered, I would recommend the halibut. Every dish was presented in a unique and artistic way. You really can't go wrong. Also, try the sangria to start....great mix of wine, fruit, and juice. Pros: Plenty of parking, great food, nice interior more

I love this place! Delicious Sangria, awesome complimentary appetizer, the most amazing Ceviche I've had anywhere, all in a nice small, romantic setting! The servers have been very friendly, helpful and gracious all 3 times I've eaten there. I can really only recommend one dish, as it was so delicious I couldn't bring myself to choose anything else on my return visits...I can't remember the name of it, but it was halibut stuffed with shrimp, with a delicious red sauce over the top. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it:) I couldn't give Mochica a higher recommendation! Pros: Great food with friendly service, nice but unpretentious and reasonably priced. Cons: The location is not the best. This place would be bumping every night if it were closer to the more pedestrian friendly areas of SF. more

Made first visit to Mochica with Helena last evening. Had made reservations and was promptly seated upon arrival. Mocchica is a romantic restaurant with rich dark woods and colors . The wait staff is very professional and knowledgable about the abundance of dishes on the menu. Learning of our preferences, the waiter was able to recomend various dishes. We had the ""Papa a la Huancaina"" as an appetizer which was quite excellent but a little too spicy for the ""Brazilian Princess' but thoroughly enjoyed by myself. Helena had the breaded halibut filet and I had the halibut stuffed with shrimp. Both dishes were excellently presented and delicious. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone enjoying Peruvian food and will visit the restaurant again in the near future. A great discovery in the South of Market District. Pros: Large menu with excellent variety of dishes Cons: Not in best of locations more

We decided to go to this restaurant because of the good quality food advertised in their website. Pros: Seaed promptly Cons: Too spicy and tastes nothing like Peruvian food more

Just stop it! If you want the best Latin food in the bay area go to Mochica. I just got home from a splendid evening with my wife and Aji Panca. No, Aji (A Peruvian Chile) is not my new Asian girlfriend, but she is the new spice in my life. Well allow me to explain myself, at Mochica's I ordered Anticucho corazon(beefheart skewers), Pulpo parilla(optopus on the grill), and chuleta cordero(lamb chops). Just by coincidence they were all seasoned with a fruitful spice named aji. The service was spectacular with no gripes whatsoever. I would recommend it to anyone looking for great food with some originality. more

Last Friday my girlfriend and I were looking for a nice to place to eat since she was not in the mood to cook and neither was I. We decided to try out this place that my father-in-law had recommended. I was reluctant at first since I figured most latin food only consistd of rice and beans and endless variations on tomato sauces. Mochica's the difference because it is hands down the best restaurant I have ever come acoss. The entire dining experience was phenomenal, the waitress was this cute chinese latin girl that spoke perfect spanish and carefully explained the lomg menu to me. I kept stopping her during her explaination of different dishes to ask questions but her patience never wavered. In the end I orderedChuletas de cordero (lamb chops) and Papa a la Huancaina (potatoes and spices chile sauce) to start. The two plates were perfectly portioned to whet one's appetite. Next were the entree's, Mar y Tierra and ceviche atun. Both plates are very exotic, mixed with rare spices and vegtables. One of the best parts was the sangria, Maria(our waitress) informed us that is was made with champagne and brandy, for me that was the kicker. Best food at the best price, period. more

We were told to go to this place by my boyfriends mother (who is Peruvian). I thought Limon was the place to be...that was until I ate here. Pros: food is absolutely amazing Cons: location more

First of all, the best thing you can do is go to Mochica in a group so you can try a number of their dishes. The menu is ridiculously lengthy - overwhelming, actually. I would actually appreciate it if they would cull it down and maybe eliminate some of the less popular or less tasty options. In any case, our group of six shared 5 appetizers. The shrimp & mozzarella wontons and the mushrooms were the standouts - very delicous. The yucca-balls (a special) & octopus with olives were average and the shrimp in garlic sauce was terrible. The shrimp seemed undercooked and the sauce was gross. My entree, on the other hand, rocked my world. I've been thinking about it all day - halibut with white beans & chorizo. Yum yum. Dessert was also very good - we tried the brown rice pudding, the chocolate mousse, and the banana flambe. Everyone was happy. Our waitress was very good - answered all of our questions and made sure were happy and taken care of the whole time. I also really liked the ambiance. We will definitely return - hopefully in a group again so we can try lots of different things! more

this is a great spot...delicious, creative dishes, HUGE menu, great wine selection and inviting atmosphere. friendly service as well Pros: wonderful flavors Cons: maybe location if out for the night more

this is an excellent restaurant in a not excellent neighborhood! The sangria is excellent. the service can be a little slow but very nice people. parking is possible on the street. no valet. more

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. Pros: Great food with authentic (imported) ingredients Cons: Small space, could fill up quickly. more

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! Pros: No one was in there, we can sit fast Cons: We still had to wait! more

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. Pros: cute little restaurant with character Cons: if you're a food lover, this is probably not going to be on your favorites list more

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

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. Pros: Large Portions, Ceviche more

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! more

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... Pros: fresh fish, ambiance, easy parking Cons: location more

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 Pros: reasonable price, amazing cusine, easy parking more

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 Pros: NICE PLACE more

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. Pros: great food Cons: scary location more