Chosica Peruvian, Toledo

In my imagination, I want every newly-discovered Latin American restaurant to be as saucy as Mango’s in Miami: exotic drinks, high energy, heaping platters of fried pork that ruin you, and dancers on the bar every ten minutes. But, I’m digressing. 

Years past, there may have been Peruvian travel posters adorning the walls of a place like Chosica on Bancroft, Toledo, but, today, 40” flatscreens display images—and even a commercial—for travel to Peru. The inside is clean and neat with simple, wooden tables and booths, an open kitchen, and the air of Fabuloso. 

Pollo a la Brasa, Chosica 

There’s plenty of beer on tap here. The Modelo Negra was ice cold and served in a tall, frosty 20-oz glass. No complaints there. Perhaps try an Inca Kola if you stop by, but definitely try a “pisco sour”—the flagship drink of Peru, made with Peruvian brandy. The last time I had a pisco sour was at a resort in Mexico. It was good—refreshing and citrusy with a light egg topping and nuanced bitters. This one was better—gentle foam, creamy, sweeter, and effervescent, penetrating lime. It’s a mental vacation. 

There was an hour wait for the Pollo a la Brasa, so dammit, that’s just what I had to do. If you’re not willing to wait, are you even trying, bruh? 

Modelo Negra, pisco sour at Chosica

Everything on the menu has a foreign feel, which is what you’d expect. The “anticuchos”—cow hearts—heavy with the rich flavor of organ meat, dense and chewy; giant, soft kernels of white Peruvian corn were texturally interesting, but dull. It comes with a side of fried taters and a satiny, red salsa that should NOT be underestimated. 

“Lomo Saltado” was chunks of beef stir-fried with red onions and tomatoes, laden with soy sauce and the sharpness of red wine vinegar. The menu said “tenderloin,” but it seemed more sirloin. Mounds of rice that come with these dishes are white and fluffy, purposefully bland to contrast the heavy-handed spiciness of the meat and fiery salsas. 

This place can fry a potato like nobody’s business. 

The Lomo at Chosica

“Ceviche Mixto” features squid, white fish, shrimp, and octopus, but also sweet potatoes and those big kernels of corn. “Salchipapas” is described as sliced “hot dog” and fries, but is actually sausage. 

The Cow Hearts at Chosica 

There are other interesting dishes of fried rices and sea food which I would like to come back and sample. 

The Pollo a la Brasa came to the table split-open with steam pouring out of its gapping, thoroughly cooked interior, and covered in a powdery, ultra-briny dusting of season and salt. You get rosemary and pepper square on the nose—a taste reminiscent of jerk chicken. The skin is crisp; the meat, moist. It comes with a platter of fries and a simple salad of sliced tomatoes and sheets of crunchy romaine.