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January 16, 2024

Peruvian restaurant coming to Hartford

Courtesy photo A rendering of Máncora's new signage.
By Skyler Frazer

Local restaurateurs are opening a new Peruvian restaurant in Hartford, which is expected to debut in just a few months, the founders said.

Máncora, an upscale Peruvian restaurant, is coming to 901 Wethersfield Ave., the former site of Costa del Sol restaurant. Yessenia Masias and her husband, Luis Araujo, are partnering with Masias’ parents, Raquel Verastegui and Javier Masias, for the new business.

“I’m from Peru actually, so we had this restaurant in mind before COVID started,” Yessenia Masias said. “It's nice sharing our culture with people because Peruvian food, when they taste it they love it.”

The plan is to open this spring, Masias said.

The group has been working to renovate and revamp the space for the new restaurant since leasing the property in September. The restaurant will have two large private rooms and a banquet area for events and parties, Masias said.

The menu will feature a fusion of traditional Peruvian dishes, cocktails and drinks, such as a traditional pisco sour cocktail native to Peru. Masias said the group has been hosting interviews for an executive chef that will spearhead the menu’s offerings.

“We're focusing a lot on the food, the presentation of the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant as well,” Masias said.

This isn’t Masias and Araujo’s first culinary endeavor: the two are co-owners of El Santo in West Hartford, a Mexican restaurant that opened in 2022. Their other partners in that business are Daniel Chavez, Xiomara Zamudio, Lilian Salinas and Alejandro Polanco.

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