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D.C.’s Splashy New Peruvian Import Pisco y Nazca Arrives Next Week

The Miami-born brand is days away from making its D.C. debut in Dupont Circle

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Pisco y Nazca’s Japanese-style ceviche with ahi tuna, mirin, soy sauce, wasabi peas, cucumbers, chancaca leche de tigre, and wonton-sesame crisp.
Tierney Plumb is the editor of Eater DC, covering all things food and drink around the nation's capital.

In one of late summer’s biggest blockbuster openings in D.C., Miami’s glitzy Peruvian chain Pisco y Nazca is expected to land in Dupont Circle in early September with ten ceviches, empanadas, pisco cocktails, and a daily happy hour.

The anticipated 200-seat restaurant inside Hotel RL (1823 L Street NW) comes from Centurion Restaurant Group, which opened two restaurants under the same name in Miami over the past three years.

The Peruvian saying “Entre Pisco y Nazca” essentially translates to boozing in a social setting, so cocktails at its 20-seat central bar are naturally a big focus. Mixologist Joel Mesa’s Moscow mule features cardamom and currant-infused syrup, and a daily happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. includes discounts on pisco sours, sangria, beer, and wine.

A 100-seat main dining area will be accompanied by a 37-seat outdoor patio, and two private dining areas, outfitted with built-in screens and LCD projectors, can pack in another 40 guests.

The executive chef is Miguel Antonio Gomez Fernández, a Peruvian native who was most recently cooking at San Francisco’s famed La Mar on the Embarcadero. Its D.C.-based chef is Victor Lopez, who helped helm the kitchen at Pisco y Nazca’s Miami locations.

The brand’s NYC-based architect Celano Design Studio inserted lots of earthy copper tones, teal and orange accents, walnut wood flooring, and handmade concrete tiles across the D.C. space, along with a huge chandelier-like bottle display at the bar.

A look inside the Kendall, Fla. location of Pisco y Nazca.
Celano Design Studio/Elizabeth Renfrow

Its shareable seafood-driven menu is divided into ceviches, small plates and large plates ($7 to $44). Two of its best-selling starters appear on D.C.’s opening menu: a seared salmon with cucumber, smoky leche de tigre blanca and rocoto, and a tomato salad with crispy quinoa, ají amarillo, and burrata. Here’s a look at the opening dinner menu:

The restaurant is projected to operate daily for lunch and dinner, with brunch on weekends. Stay tuned for an exact opening date and exclusive interior shots.