Mo-Chica Acclaimed Peruvian food-courter goes full-on restaurant

Because as they say: when one door closes, another door opens, and when that one closes, use the window, silly... lauded traditional Peruvian food-court stand Mo-Chica is closing its doors (er... tiny hatch on top?) tonight, but then on May 30th, the sure-to-be-lauded sit-down restaurant Mo-Chica will open theirs.

Expect tons of sit-down-restaurant design elements (solid wood tables, an open kitchen, a giant wine wall), plus one awesome-if-you-loved-G.I.-Joe-and-Bob-Ross design element: traditional Peruvian action figures that've been individually painted by famous local toques, including Mo-Chica's own Food & Wine Best New Chef Ricardo Zarate, Kogi guy Roy Choi, and Mozza's Nancy Silverton. The menus are still coming together, but Zarate promises classics from the original location, as well as newness like spicy tuna ceviche (w/ yuzu mayo & grilled bread), roasted fish flown in from Peru, and dishes made with alpaca, an exotic meat that shockingly isn't against the law-ma to cook. Thankfully, unlike the original stall, they've got a liquor license, with a dude from Zarate's other brick-'n-mortar Picca making available-in-punch-bowl libations like the Papa Don't Peaches (rum, apple brandy, lemon & peach bitters) and the Teenager Dream, which's basically a ton of different teas mixed with Pisco sour that, presumably once consumed, will see you rudely awakened to sticky pajama pants.

Oh, and Zarate's toasting the closing at the original Mo-Chica's tonight with gratis champagne for anyone who stops by, because as they say, when a lauded traditional Peruvian food-court stand closes, it's time to get crunk on bubbly.