Mochica Restaurant — Restaurant in Norwalk

I love the lomo saltado, a few years ago. Now it's not consistent and not worth the $20 and the horrible treatment that comes with it. There seems to be a common denominator at this restaurant and that is the older woman everyone talks about. I'm assuming she is the owner/manager. She is not friendly to customers or staff. Honestly when I go she always makes me feel as if I am entering the establishment and doing something wrong. As much as I go you would think that the older woman would recognize her frequent customers and at least greet them with a smile or something but she doesn't. I placed an order online once since I couldn't get through on the phone. Like any food app (Door Dash) , I paid and selected pick-up. My husband went in and did the pickup process and the woman said but you havent paid. So my husband thought maybe I made a mistake and forgot to pay so he paid. After dinner he mentions that he paid for the food and to look at my card maybe something is wrong. The restaurant is now closed so after he explains what happened I called the restaurant the following day. I kept getting the run around and being told "no, you just don't want to pay." I laughed because I couldn't believe the treatment as a customer let alone as a frequent customer. I stopped by the restaurant I explained again to the older woman and showed her my DD receipt and my husband's receipt showing we paid twice. Still she doubted me and I said would you like to see the charge on my bank account jokingly not thinking she would but she agreed and said yes. I chuckled and said wow, ok. As I open my bank app she gets mad and says ok, ok fine. She proceeds to take out cash and change from the register and slam it on the counter and walk away. This happened a few years ago. The staff seems to be afraid of her, who could blame them because if looks could kill, that woman would have no customers, Im sure that's why they waitresses don't last long either. I guess the real winner is the restaurant because people and myself included still come, definitely not as often and only...

Son and daughter inlaw took me out for my birthday. Everything was Just wonderful. Waitress are very attentive and friendly also food delicious. As you can see I had the chicken and rice and white beans. Will be back.

Update: came back 04/05/2025 with a few friends but unfortunately won't be returning. The temperature outside was 59 degrees and raining the restaurant thermostat was set at 63 degrees. It was very uncomfortable and cold inside that everyone had to eat with their winter coats on, which made it hard moving around and using utensils with outside gear on while at the dining table. I politely asked the waitress if they could please turn on the heat everyone is cold. I was told that "the manager has the thermostat in a locked box and he has the keys". Everyone was concerned about getting sick from the cold so we ate a little then decided to take the rest to go. As we were leaving I wanted to use the bathroom before the drive back to New York and what did I noticed, the thermostat covered by a see through plastic locked 🔒 box set at 63 degrees.

To add insult as we were leaving they decided to turn on the heat. Because of the lack of care and comfort to their customers we won't be going back and I can no longer recommend friends and family. You're better off eating home where it is cozy and comfortable. We did find afterwards another Peruvian restaurant in the same town that's rated 5 stars that we will...

I hate to leave bad reviews for Peruvian restaurants since I myself am Peruvian and always wish to support my community. But this place has gone down hill. I visited today with my family and everything we ordered was terrible. My father ordered a tallarin verde with grilled chicken. The tallarines did not taste traditional and was very under seasoned. His grilled chicken was extremely over cooked. To the point of being inedible. My husband ordered the lomo saltado. Signs at the restaurant claim this is the best lomo saltado in town. It is one of the worst lomo saltados we ever tasted. It was drowning in vinegar and the beef pieces were barely beef but instead nerves. Finally, I ordered a fried filet fish with a salad and rice. The fried fish had obviously been cooked in a deep fryer, which in of itself isn’t a big deal. But the oil clearly hadn’t been changed because the batter was a dark brown. The fish itself had no seasoning at all. Not even salt. Food aside, the restaurant itself was very dirty. Should have been our first clue to leave. To top it all off, all the dishes were very overpriced, imo. Especially given quality (or lack there of) of the food. We will never be returning and I hope the owners read this and begin making improvements. Otherwise I’m sure you will continue to lose customers. There are plenty of other Peruvian options...